The cover letter is the most commonly wasted document in the submission package. Most are a paraphrase of the abstract, which the editor is about to read anyway, and they add nothing to the decision.
Used properly, the cover letter is the only place you speak directly to the editor in your own voice, about a question the manuscript itself cannot answer: why this paper belongs in this journal, now.
What editors use it for
- Confirming the paper is in scope, quickly, before reading the manuscript.
- Identifying which section or subject area it should be handled under.
- Picking up declarations: prior submission, preprint status, related manuscripts under review elsewhere.
- Noting reviewer suggestions or exclusions.
- Occasionally, understanding why a paper that looks unusual for the journal is nonetheless right for it. This is where a cover letter earns its place.
A structure that works
Paragraph one: what and where
Title, article type, and the journal. One sentence. “We submit the enclosed manuscript, [title], as an Original Research article for consideration in [journal].”
Paragraph two: the contribution in two sentences
Not a summary of the abstract. The claim and what changes because of it. An editor reading only this paragraph should be able to say what the paper adds.
Paragraph three: why this journal
The paragraph most letters omit, and the one that does the work. Be specific. Name the part of the aims and scope your paper sits in, or the conversation in the journal you are contributing to, ideally with reference to work the journal has published. Generic flattery about the journal’s standing is transparent and counts against you.
Paragraph four: declarations
Original work, not under consideration elsewhere, all authors approved the submission, preprint status if relevant, conflicts if any. Several journals specify the exact wording they want here; use theirs where they do.
Paragraph five: reviewers, if invited
Suggest three or four, with affiliations and a one-line reason for each. Avoid collaborators from the last few years and anyone at your institution. If you request an exclusion, give a brief professional reason.
What to leave out
- A restatement of the abstract.
- Claims about impact or how many people will cite the paper.
- The phrase “we believe your readers will find this of interest”, which appears in a substantial share of all cover letters ever written.
- An apology for anything.
- Anything about how long the work took, or how difficult the data were to collect.
One page. If the letter runs to two, the second page is almost always the abstract in different words.
The transfer case
If your paper was rejected elsewhere and you are submitting to a journal in the same publisher’s transfer network, you may be asked whether it was previously reviewed. Answer honestly and attach the prior reviews with your responses. Editors respond well to this; it demonstrates the paper has already improved, and it shortens their work. Concealing it is both detectable and damaging.