draftready

Draftready is a term used in writing and publishing to describe a manuscript or document that has progressed to a state fit for formal editing, review, or submission. A draftready manuscript meets defined criteria regarding structure, clarity, evidence, and compliance with formatting and style guidelines. In academic and professional contexts, draftready typically implies a coherent thesis, logically organized sections, complete figures and tables with captions, properly formatted citations, and minimal typographical errors.

In practice, draftready status is achieved through iterative revision, often guided by a checklist that may include: a clear research question or objective, a solid outline, consistent voice and terminology, accurate references, and adherence to a target style. Some workflows distinguish draftready from a rough draft or an almost-ready draft by requiring pre-submission checks or editor approvals before moving to external review or publication.

The concept is used across industries, including academia, journalism, and technical writing, though criteria for draftready vary by field, publication, and publisher. Critics note that the term can be subjective and may encourage premature submission or over-polishing.

See also: manuscript, editorial workflow, preprint, submission checklist, peer review, version control.