Once you have a completed draft, revise, revise, and revise. Re-read your paper through with a critical eye toward the Journal's review criteria. Ask your friends and colleagues for their opinion of your paper. While review criteria do vary somewhat from journal to journal, the list below should provide you with a good starting point in evaluating your own paper and determining whether or not it is ready for submission for consideration of publication.
Review Criteria Checklist
Is the paper likely to be of interest to the readership of the
journal?
Is the problem described significant?
Is the contribution reported in the paper new and original?
Does the paper contain high quality data?
Are the interpretations and conclusions adequately supported by the
data provided in the paper?
Are the references provided in the paper appropriate and correct?
Is the organization and presentation clear and easy to understand?
Is the length of the paper appropriate?
Is the number of figures and tables appropriate?
Are the figures and tables of high quality?