Definition · Plain-language
Manuscript
A manuscript is the written scholarly work an author submits to a journal or publisher for consideration — the text before it becomes a formally published article.
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The work before it is published
A manuscript is the document an author prepares and submits to a journal or publisher for possible publication. At submission it is unpublished: it has not yet been peer reviewed, accepted, copy-edited or assigned to an issue. The term is inherited from a time when scholarly texts were literally written or typed by hand, and it persists today even though manuscripts are now prepared and submitted electronically. Until a manuscript completes editorial assessment and production, it remains a candidate for the scholarly record rather than part of it.
The versions a manuscript passes through
A single piece of work exists as distinct versions at different stages, and the differences matter for citation and reuse. The preprint or submitted version is the author’s original, shared before or during review. The author accepted manuscript (AAM) is the text after peer review and revision but before the publisher’s copy-editing and typesetting. The version of record (VoR) is the final, formally published article. NISO’s Journal Article Versions terminology was created precisely so these stages can be named and distinguished unambiguously.
Why naming the version matters
Because the same manuscript can circulate as a preprint, an accepted manuscript and a version of record, readers need to know which one they are reading and citing. The versions can differ in content: peer review may change conclusions, and copy-editing corrects errors. Open-access and self-archiving policies often grant different rights to different versions — many publishers permit an author to deposit the accepted manuscript but not the typeset version of record. Stating the version clearly supports reproducibility, correct attribution and compliance with funder and institutional policies.
Key facts
At a glance
- Definition: the written work an author submits to a journal for publication
- Status: unpublished until it completes editorial review and production
- Origin: from Latin for "written by hand"; survives in the digital era
- Key versions: preprint/submitted, accepted manuscript (AAM), version of record (VoR)
- Standard: NISO Journal Article Versions terminology names each stage
- Why it matters: the version determines content, citation and reuse rights
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: A manuscript and a published article are the same thing.
Actually: A manuscript is the submitted, not-yet-published work. It becomes a published article only after peer review, acceptance, copy-editing and production produce the version of record.
Often heard: The word "manuscript" implies it was handwritten.
Actually: Although the term comes from "written by hand", in modern publishing a manuscript is the submitted text regardless of format — it is almost always prepared and submitted electronically.
Often heard: All versions of a manuscript contain the same text.
Actually: They can differ. Peer review and revision change the accepted manuscript, and copy-editing and typesetting change the version of record, so preprint, accepted and published versions are not interchangeable.
