This User Manual (UM) starts by providing general considerations to be taken into account when planning XMM-Newton science observations (§ 3). Then it provides general information on XRPS (§ 4). This is followed by a detailed, step-by-step, guide on how to submit an XMM-Newton proposal (§ 5). § 5 follows very tightly the order in which information should be introduced into the XRPS form sheets (the order, in particular at the level of individual OM exposures within an observation, can be important). § 6 describes the acknowledgement of receipt and provides a few guidelines in case the user does not receive it. § 7 is just a brief note on the implications of SOC proposal enhancement requests. § 8 outlines how to obtain information on XMM-Newton Targets of Opportunity. § 9 contains a caveat about the expected XRPS performance close to the deadline. Finally, § 10 lists XRPS-related documents and other information. Finally, Appendix A gives some examples.
Along the document where users might need additional information about which decisions to make (for example from the XMM-Newton Users Handbook), hyperlinks are provided to the location of that information. Users can always use the ''back'' button of their viewer to return to this UM when finished reading the background information. This document is thereby embedded in the SOC web server.