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ACS Paragon Plus is the name many authors still use for the American Chemical Society (ACS) Publications manuscript submission system. On the current ACS Researcher Resources pages the submission step runs through the ACS Publishing Center, and “paragonplus” survives mainly in the web addresses behind the “Submit Manuscript” links. This guide explains the ACS publishing workflow around that system: what to prepare, what the portal asks for, and where to look for the official instructions before a chemistry manuscript goes in.
What ACS Paragon Plus and the ACS Publishing Center Are
ACS Researcher Resources describes a seven-step publishing process: journal selection, preparation, assembly, submission, peer review, the publish, transfer or reject decision, and sharing your work. Submission is step four. The ACS Publishing Center landing page identifies itself as “powered by ChronosHub”, and the Researcher Resources pages do not name Paragon Plus in their visible text. If an older instruction, email or bookmark mentions Paragon Plus, check the current ACS pages listed under Sources for the live process.
Preparing Files for Submission
ACS Researcher Resources says authors “will be able to select from a series of File Designations during the File Upload step”. The designations and the software accepted for each are set out on two ACS pages: the File Type Overview and Acceptable Software by File Designations. Check those pages for the current file types rather than relying on a copied list.
The Manuscript Preparation page also offers a “Submit with Fast Format” option, which links to the ACS Fast Format policy for initial submissions. Read that policy on the ACS site before deciding how closely to format a first submission. A graphical abstract is one of the items some ACS journals ask for; the journal’s own author guidelines give its requirements.
Funding, Reviewers and the PDF Proof
- Funding: ACS states that authors are required to enter all sources of funding for all authors in the FundRef tool in the ACS Publishing Center. Funder names come from the registry that also feeds metadata such as a Crossref DOI.
- Recommended reviewers: during submission you are asked to provide a list of recommended reviewers. Editors may consider the list but can invite other experts.
- PDF proof: authors can review and approve the PDF version of their manuscript prior to formal submission.
After Submission: Peer Review, Transfer and Sharing
Once a manuscript is submitted it goes to peer review, after which the journal publishes, offers a transfer or rejects it. ACS describes a Manuscript Transfer Service that lets a manuscript be considered by an alternate ACS journal. The process also includes a step for sharing your work, and authors who want to post a preprint can read how ChemRxiv works. For the status of a specific manuscript, use your own account in the ACS system; the exact status labels are shown there and are not documented on the public pages used for this guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ACS Paragon Plus the same as the ACS Publishing Center?
The ACS Researcher Resources pages direct authors to the ACS Publishing Center for submission and mention Paragon Plus only in link addresses. Treat the two names as referring to the ACS submission environment and follow the current ACS instructions.
How do I check my ACS manuscript status?
Sign in to the ACS system with the account you used to submit and open your submission there. ACS’s public publishing-process page does not list status labels, so rely on the in-portal display.
Do I have to suggest reviewers?
ACS says you will be asked to provide a list of recommended reviewers during submission. Editors may consider the list but can invite other experts.
Where are the ACS author guidelines?
General guidance is on ACS Researcher Resources, and each journal publishes its own author guidelines. Start with the pages under Sources.
Sources
All pages below were checked on 2026-11-07.
- ACS Researcher Resources, The Publishing Process: https://researcher-resources.acs.org/publish/pub_process/
- ACS Researcher Resources, Manuscript Preparation and Submission: https://researcher-resources.acs.org/publish/manu_prep_sub
- ACS Publications, File Type Overview: https://pubs.acs.org/page/4authors/file-designations.html
- ACS Publications, Acceptable Software by File Designations: https://pubs.acs.org/page/4authors/submission/software.html
- ACS Publications, Fast Format policy: https://pubs.acs.org/page/publish/fast_format
- ACS Publishing Center: https://publish.acs.org/app/home
