Title (Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, or Co-Editors-in-Chief)
Journal Name
Journal Address
Submission Date: Month Day, Year
Dear Dr./Mr./Ms. Editor’s last name or Managing Editor or Editor-in-Chief:
Paragraph 1 [1-2 Sentences]: Introduce the manuscript title under submission with a brief summary of the manuscript’s major point or findings and how they relate to the journal’s aims and scope.
Paragraph 2 [1-3 Sentences]: A statement that the manuscript has neither been previously published nor is under consideration by any other journal. If there are multiple authors, a statement that they have all approved the content of the paper. Occasionally, you might note if you have publicly presented the research elsewhere.
Paragraph 3 [1-2 Sentences]: A thank you for the editor’s time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Corresponding Author
Institution Title
Institution/Affiliation Name
Institution Address
Email address
Telephone with country code
Fax, if available with country code
Additional Contact, if the corresponding author is not available for a multi-authored work
Institution Title
Institution/Affiliation Name
Institution Address
Email address
Telephone with country code
Fax, if available with country code
Journal Editor’s First and Last Name, Graduate Degree Title: Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, or Co-Editors-in-Chief Journal Name Journal Address Submission Date: Month Day, Year Dear Dr./Mr./Ms. Editor’s last name or Managing Editor or Editor-in-Chief: Paragraph 1 [1-2 Sentences]: Introduce the manuscript title under submission with a brief summary of the manuscript’s major point or findings. Paragraph 2 [ 2-3 Sentences]: Explain how the manuscript relates to recent publications in the journal. Paragraph 3 [2-5 Sentences]: Provide context for the research. Explain how the research relates to the journal’s aim and scope. Describe how the manuscript/research appeals to the journal’s audience. Paragraph 4 [1-3 Sentences]: A statement that the manuscript has not been previously published nor is under consideration by any other journal. If there are multiple authors, a statement that they have all approved the content of the paper. Occasionally, you might include if you have publicly presented the research elsewhere. Paragraph 5 [1-2 Sentences]: A selection of reviewers, if requested. Paragraph 6 [1-2 Sentences]: A thank you for the editor’s time and consideration. Sincerely, Your Name |
Remember, your first draft does not have to be your last. Make sure to get feedback from different readers, especially if this is one of your first publications. It is not uncommon to go through several stages of revisions. Check out the Writing Center’s handout on editing and proofreading and video on proofreading to help with this last stage of writing.
We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.
American Psychological Association. n.d. “Cover Letter.” APA Style. Accessed April 2019. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/research-publication/cover-letters.
Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2009. Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Press.
BioScience Writers (website). 2012. “Writing Cover Letters for Scientific Manuscripts.” September 29, 2012. https://biosciencewriters.com/Writing-Cover-Letters-for-Scientific-Manuscripts.aspx .
Jones, Caryn. n.d. “Writing Effective Cover Letters for Journal Submissions: Tips and a Word Template.” Think Science. Accessed August 2019. https://thinkscience.co.jp/en/articles/writing-journal-cover-letters.html .
Kelsky, Karen. 2013. “How To Write a Journal Article Submission Cover Letter.” The Professor Is In (blog), April 26, 2013. https://theprofessorisin.com/2013/04/26/how-to-write-a-journal-article-submission-cover-letter/ .
Kelsky, Karen. 2013. “Of Cover Letters and Magic (A Follow-up Post).” The Professor Is In (blog), April 29, 2013. http://theprofessorisin.com/2013/04/29/of-cover-letters-and-magic-a-followup-post/ .
Mudrak, Ben. n.d. “Writing a Cover Letter.” AJE . https://www.aje.com/dist/docs/Writing-a-cover-letter-AJE-2015.pdf .
Wordvice. n.d. “How to Write the Best Journal Submission Cover Letter.” Accessed January 2019. https://wordvice.com/journal-submission-cover-letter/ .
You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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When submitting a manuscript, authors will need to additionally submit a cover letter. The purpose of this letter is to highlight the importance and relevance of your research. To assist with preparing your cover letter to include all points, you can download and use our sample cover letter as a guide.
A good cover letter will help "sell" your manuscript to the journal editor. it is not enough to send a manuscript to a journal editor like this:.
Dear Editor-in-Chief,
I am sending you our manuscript entitled "Large Scale Analysis of Cell Cycle Regulators in bladder cancer" by Researcher et al. We would like to have the manuscript considered for publication in Pathobiology.
Please let me know of your decision at your earliest convenience.
With my best regards,
Sincerely yours,
A Researcher, PhD
Then, write a letter that explains why the Editor would want to publish your manuscript:
Common phrases:
All cover letters should contain these sentences:
Submission checklist Before submitting your manuscript, thoroughly check its quality one more time. Evaluate it critically-could anything be done better?
Be sure that:
When you need to submit a cover letter with your manuscript, you'll probably write it just before submission. Like many other authors, you may find yourself wondering what to write and taking longer than you expected, causing last-minute delays and stress.
To help you write effective cover letters—and to write them quickly and easily—in this article we offer some tips on layout and appropriate wording. Also, you can download our template cover letter (Word file) to help you save time writing and help you remember to include standard author statements and other information commonly required by journals.
If you are submitting a revised paper to the same journal, note that the response letter to the reviewers is different from the cover letter used at initial submission. You can find tips and a template on writing effective response letters to the reviewers in our previous article .
Many journals require a cover letter and state this in their guidelines for authors (alternatively known as author guidelines, information for authors, guide for authors, guidelines for papers, submission guide, etc.). For some journals, a cover letter is optional or may not be not required, but it's probably a good idea to include one.
Cover letters can be helpful to journal staff in the following ways.
1. Cover letters that include standard statements required by the journal allow the journal staff to quickly confirm that the authors have (or say they have) followed certain ethical research and publishing practices.
These statements assert that the authors followed standard practices, which may include (i) adhering to ethical guidelines for research involving humans ( Declaration of Helsinki ), involving animals ( ARRIVE guidelines ), or falling under institutional guidelines; (ii) obtaining ethics approval from institutional review boards or ethics committees; (iii) obtaining informed consent or assent from participants; (iv) complying with authorship criteria (e.g., ICMJE criteria ); (v) confirming no duplicate submissions have been made; and (vi) recommending reviewers for your paper, which may include specifying peers that you prefer not be contacted.
2. Cover letters can summarize your manuscript quickly for the journal editor, highlighting your most important findings and their implications to show why your manuscript would be of interest.
Some journals, such as Nature, state that while a cover letter is optional, it provides "an excellent opportunity to briefly discuss the importance of the submitted work and why it is appropriate for the journal." Some publishers, such as Springer , recommend that you write a cover letter to help "sell" your manuscript to the journal editor.
3. Cover letters that contain all of the information required by the journal (as stated in the guideline for authors) can indicate that you have spent time carefully formatting the manuscript to fit the journal's style. This creates a good first impression. Addressing the letter to a named editor at the journal also shows that you took the time to write your letter (and by extension, your manuscript) with care and considered the fit with the journal beyond just impact factor.
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Cover letters should be short—preferably no more than 1 page—and they often use single line spacing. The content can be broadly divided into six sections:
Let's look at some tips for each section. And don't forget to download the template , which shows these tips already in place.
Common phrases in this paragraph:
Although the cover letter is not, strictly speaking, a part of your manuscript, it can affect how your submission is perceived by the journal editor. A cover letter that is tailored to the journal, introduces your work persuasively, and is free from spelling and grammatical errors can help prime the editor to view your submission positively before he or she even looks over your manuscript.
We hope our tips and Word template can help you create professional, complete cover letters in a time-effective way. Our specialist editors, translators, and writers are available to help create or revise the content to be error-free and, as part of our additional comprehensive Guidelines for Authors service , we can ensure the cover letter includes all of the statements required by the journal.
Lastly, just as a reminder for members of ThinkSCIENCE's free annual rewards program , remember to claim your reward of free editing or translation of one cover letter alongside editing or translation of a full paper before the end of the March!
Our monthly newsletter offers valuable tips on writing and presenting your research most effectively, as well as advice on avoiding or resolving common problems that authors face.
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It may seem obvious, but a journal editor's first serious impression of a submitted manuscript lies not only with the article title but also, rather simply, with the cover letter . The cover letter is your first "formal" interaction with a journal, and it embodies a request, so to speak, to consider your article for publication. But it also provides you with an excellent opportunity to present the significance of your scientific contribution.
I've worked as an editor for primary research and review manuscripts alike, and despite their many similarities, there are distinctions to writing the cover letter for each. Here are some helpful tips for writing a suitable cover letter for Cell Press scientific journals.
1. Let's start with content. We look for letters that start by succinctly explaining what was previously known in a given field and then state the authors' motivation for wishing to publish. Following that, the conceptual advance , timeliness, and novelty should be immediately conveyed. What sets apart this scientific contribution? What is the significance of the work, and where does the article lead us? Will this research be of interest to a broad readership?
2. Get to the point. We want a concise letter that quickly gets to the main point and the take-home message; this sets the stage for your manuscript. Succinctly explain the topic of discussion, and quickly convey the key conclusions. Do not submit a long dissertation. Generally, one page suffices and is preferred.
3. Do not rehash the abstract of the paper. Copying and pasting the abstract into your cover letter verbatim is a big no-no. Instead, we seek a synthesis of the key points—possibly, and depending on style, the summary might resemble a brief story pitch in an elevator! But importantly, you need to venture beyond the summary: write a sentence that takes you further than the obvious conclusions. How does the content move the field forward? Are the implications far-reaching?
4. Get excited! Authors' excitement about their scientific contributions can undoubtedly inspire the editor who's reading the cover letter. Overall, the sentiment of "you're gonna love reading this paper!" should seep through—make that happen!
5. Include a wish list of reviewers. Relevant information on potential reviewers (including their field of expertise) can be included and is definitely a plus, as it can be quite helpful to the editor. By contrast, please don't provide a long list of excluded reviewers (three maximum), and most certainly do not suggest excluding authors from entire continents on the map! Also, save the editor some time by specifying which author should be the lead contact , and indicate their affiliation.
6. Keep it simple ... and humble. In terms of style, consider sincerity and simplicity . The letter should be humble and forthcoming; don't be ostentatious or florid. Claims of priority, if not fully supported, tend to be a turnoff. In addition, statements indicating that the article or related findings have been presented at X number of conferences and are "tremendously" well received by the scientific community—or otherwise—do not add much to the cover letter. They might instead suggest right off the bat that a lot of cooing and convincing of the journal editor will be required. So let the "science" speak for itself. Also, a statement declaring that the article is original and isn't being considered elsewhere can only add to your cause!
7. Proofread your letter by checking the spelling, grammar, and syntax. A well-written letter indicates that you take your submission seriously and that you are an author who pays attention to detail.
8. Check every detail. Avoid mistakes such as directing the cover letter to the editor(s) of a different journal, or to a different journal altogether. This might suggest that you've submitted your article elsewhere, that it might have been poorly received, and perhaps that the Cell Press journal you're submitting to isn't your first choice. It could also suggest that you don't pay sufficient attention to detail. Sadly, these sorts of errors continue to surprise me and happen more often than I would like.
There are subtle differences in writing a cover letter for a primary research journal versus a reviews journal, such as the Trends journals at Cell Press.
Many different article formats exist within both the primary research journals and the Trends journals. Make sure it's very clear which type of format you're submitting. As the Editor of Trends in Molecular Medicine , I find that this detail is not always specified by the author(s) in the cover letter. Knowing what type of manuscript you are submitting can help you fully nail down the cover letter in terms of the intent, scope, and take-home message of the article. It also recapitulates your prior agreement with the editor regarding article format: is it a review or an opinion piece?
Along these lines, the content of your cover letter will differ for a review or opinion piece as opposed to an original research contribution. For both, the timeliness and novelty need to strongly come across. However, for a research article, the specific advance relative to previous experimental findings needs to be clearly indicated. For a Trends article, the synthesis and conceptual advance should be particularly stated in terms of what is new and has been trending in the field for the last one to five years. For an opinion piece, take a strong and novel stance on a hypothesis or idea. Projecting into the future, beyond the main take-home message of the paper, is also a strong consideration for Trends articles.
I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the journal that you are submitting to—browse through the journal website and do your homework on author guidelines and the scope of the journal prior to submission! In the case of Trends journals, know who the editor is. Each Trends journal is run by a single editor, so beginning your cover letter with "Dear Madam" when the editor is male, or "Dear Sir" when the editor is female, may not create a favorable impression. While such mistakes are usually overruled by the content and quality of the science, it certainly helps to have your cover letter completely in order!
Keep on writing—we love hearing from you and receiving your submissions! For more tips on writing cover letters for scientific manuscripts, check out this page . Also read more from Cell Press Editor in Chief Emilie Marcus on when—and when not—to submit your paper .
Posted by Catarina Sacristán Catarina is the Editor of Trends in Molecular Medicine . She received her PhD in immunology from Tufts University, followed by postdoctoral research in Mexico and at NYU. She also did a stint in cardiovascular research at a biomedical engineering firm. She enjoys thinking about immunology, genetics, signaling, imaging, virology, metabolism, neuroscience, cancer, therapeutics, and more. She came to Cell Press from The Journal of Experimental Medicine . A movie buff, she also loves to read, write, ski, horseback ride. and dance.
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Anthony Newman
Lora Heisler
Submitting your manuscript without a cover letter or an incomplete one can impact the outcome of your submission. Strong cover letters efficiently introduce your work to the editor, but also communicates why your paper is of interest to the journal audience and contributory to overall science.
In this Researcher Academy module, experts Anthony Newman and Lora Heisler give you important insights about writing strong and persuasive cover letters. This webinar will give an exhaustive check list on writing an effective cover letter which brings attention to your paper and helps it get published.
You will come away with the knowledge of what cover letters are, how they support your manuscript and how you can write an airtight cover letter, covering your research scope, objectives and goals.
Senior Publisher, Life Sciences, Elsevier
Anthony Newman is a Senior Publisher with Elsevier and is based in Amsterdam. Each year he presents numerous Author Workshops and other similar trainings worldwide. He is currently responsible for fifteen biochemistry and laboratory medicine journals, he joined Elsevier over thirty years ago and has been Publisher for more than twenty of those years. Before then he was the marketing communications manager for the biochemistry journals of Elsevier. By training he is a polymer chemist and was active in the surface coating industry before leaving London and moving to Amsterdam in 1987 to join Elsevier.
Chair in Human Nutrition, The Rowett Institute, The Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen.
Lora Heisler, Ph.D. is Chair in Human Nutrition at the Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, where she is Head of the Obesity and Food Choice research theme. Professor Heisler has enjoyed being an active member of various journal editorial boards for more than a decade. She was appointed as Deputy Editor of Elsevier’s journal Molecular Metabolism in 2018. Professor Heisler received her B.A. from Boston University, M.Sc. from London School of Economics and Political Sciences and Ph.D. from Tufts University. She undertook postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California at San Francisco and Beth Israel Deaconess/Harvard Medical School. Professor Heisler began her independent research group at Harvard Medical School and then relocated to the University of Cambridge in the UK. Her active research group moved to the Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen in 2013 where they investigate the neurobiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
What should be included in a cover letter?
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1 Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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2 Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, School of Medicine, City University of New York, New York, USA
3 Endocrine Physiology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
A cover (covering) letter is a brief business letter introducing the scientific work alongside the submission process of a manuscript and is required by most scientific peer-review journals. A typical cover letter includes the name of the editor and the journal, date of submission, the characteristics of the manuscript, the importance of the work and its relevance to prospective audiences, declarations such as author agreements, conflicts of interest statement, funding source (s), and ethical statements. The letter also includes the contact information of the corresponding author (s) and may also include suggestions of potential reviewers. Spending enough time to draft an informative, comprehensive, and concise cover letter is quite worthwhile; a poorly drafted one would not persuade the editor that the submitted work is fit for publication and may lead to immediate rejection. Here, we provide a practical guide to draft a well-written, concise, and professional cover letter for a scientific medical paper.
The Cambridge dictionary defines a cover letter as “a letter that contains information about the thing it is sent with”. The cover letter is commonly known as a motivation letter submitted along with the curriculum vitae (CV) or a job application for employment ( 1 ) or academic position ( 2 ), and it is not clear why and how it was introduced into the scientific field ( 3 ). In scientific writing and publishing, a cover/covering letter is a letter to the editor’s target journal ( 4 ).
Providing a cover letter alongside the submission process is now required by most scientific journals. In fact, some high-quality and prestigious journals pay specific attention to the cover letter ( 3 ). Amongst the different steps of the publication process, the cover letter is the last step and is often overlooked ( 5 ). One of the most common complaints voiced by editors regarding submitted manuscripts is that the authors neglect to write a well-written cover letter, including a statement justifying the importance of their work ( 6 ). Missing this opportunity may have unintentional consequences, rejection without further consideration instead of being sent for external peer-review ( 5 , 6 ). Contrary to this view, some believe that the cover letter’s content overlaps with the manuscript’s abstract and gives mostly redundant information already found within the online submission system ( 3 ). The cover letter may also be a “misleading commercial advertisement” where it would not represent the content of the manuscript ( 3 ).
Although many editors may not read or seriously consider the cover letters of the submitted manuscripts ( 3 , 4 ), neglecting the importance of the cover letter may be a risk for the authors. Therefore, spending an adequate amount of time to write a coherent and persuasive cover letter is worth it. Following our previous publication on choosing a journal in a new series entitled Scientific Publishing in Biomedicine ( 7 ), here, we provided a practical guide to draft a well-written, professional, and concise cover letter needed to be accompanied by an original scientific paper, either with the initial submission or subsequently at revision/resubmitting stage. Since there are subtle differences in writing a cover letter for an original research paper versus a review article or an opinion, some points for drafting a cover letter for such papers are also discussed.
A cover letter is “a brief business letter”, which introduces the submitted manuscript to a prospective editor (s) ( 8 ). There are essentially two types of letters; the first is the one that is initially submitted with the manuscript (cover letter), and the second is when a revision is being submitted (revised letter). The first letter introduces the work at the initial manuscript submission ( 9 ), while the second one is needed following an invitation to revise and resubmit the manuscript. Here, the authors respond to the suggestions/criticisms of the reviewers ( 10 ). In this paper, “cover letter” and “second letter” refer to the first/submit letter and the revised letter, respectively.
A well-written cover letter is an effective tool for authors to sell their work to the journal editor and make a “good first impression”. A cover letter is a summary that highlights the main points, emphasizes the novelty, and communicates the potential implications of the submitted work ( 3 ). A cover letter allows the authors to persuade the editors regarding the novelty/originality and significance of the research in a less formal manner than in the manuscript itself ( 6 ). A well-written and informative cover letter helps the journal’s editor to be informed about the work and its significance. Regardless of the novelty and significance of the submitted manuscript, editors may miss those points without providing insights in a cover letter ( 5 ).
3.1. first cover letter (submit letter).
One point of view is that the cover letter’s content should be covered in the manuscript’s abstract ( 3 ). A typical cover letter includes the name of editor (s) and the journal, date of submission, the characteristics of the manuscript (i.e., title, type of the manuscript, e.g., review, original, case report), the importance of the work and its relevance to the readership of the journal, verification of the originality of the work, the authors’ confirmation that the manuscript is currently submitted only to this journal, declarations and ethical statements, suggested potential reviewers, and contact information of the corresponding author of the submitted work ( 5 , 6 ). Other manuscript characteristics, including the length and number of tables and figures, can also be indicated. If the manuscript belongs to a special issue or is being submitted upon an official invitation from the journal’s editorial office, it should also be addressed. The main contents of the first cover letter are described in Table 1 .
Variables | Values |
---|---|
Editor (s)’ name and position (in bold print); Date of submission (MM-DD-YYYY) | |
First paragraph (manuscript’s characteristics) | Title of the manuscript (in bold print); Type of the manuscript, Name of the journal; Address if the manuscript belongs to a special issue or is being submitted upon an invitation; The length of the manuscript, the number of tables and figures |
Second paragraph | The line of research presented in the manuscript; Novelty/significance/implication statement (s) (i.e., brief explanation regarding the research background of the study, the question answered in the study, the importance of study findings, and the take-home-message); Address to potential readers (i.e., indicating why the journal’s readers would be interested in this study) |
Third paragraph (declarations/obligatory statements) | Author agreement statement; Conflict of interest statement; Funding source declaration; Ethical standards or other statements required by the journal; Permission statement (if the manuscript contains previously published materials); Statement regarding English native editing (if applicable); Potential reviewers |
“Sincerely,” or “Best regards,” or …; Sign of corresponding author (s) (with full name and academic position); Contact information of corresponding author and co-authors (if required by the journal) (i.e., affiliation, postal address, email address) |
The most critical element of a cover letter is a “statement of novelty/significance/implication.” The authors are advised to carefully write a brief and concise description of their work’s impact toward communicating its significance ( 6 ). The authors are strongly advised not to copy the abstract into the cover letter and instead explain in their own words the significance of the work and the reason for submitting it to the journal ( 11 ). If this information is lacking, the editors may rely on the reviewers who may not appreciate the significance of the work and just focus on the technical issues rather than the scientific value of the work ( 5 ). Providing a clear and robust statement of novelty and significance would be more critical for editors and potential reviewers with diverse and interdisciplinary backgrounds ( 6 ).
The statements are expected to answer the following questions: (1) why is the work important? (e.g., emphasizing a new measurement, a new diagnostic method or criterion, a newly discovered biological process); and (2) how does the work advance current knowledge in the field? The best approach to answer this question is by describing the current state of knowledge in the field and clarifying how the work provides an added value by answering a previously unanswered question, finding the solution to a problem, or improving existing methods ( 5 ). Checking the recently published papers on similar topics in the journal provides new insights for the authors to clarify in the cover letter as to how the manuscript follows the publication trends of the journal and will add something new that would be relevant to the trend ( 12 ).
The cover letter is also expected to emphasize why the manuscript will attract the journal’s readers ( 5 ). The authors also need to consider the journal’s Aims and Scope to underscore how the manuscript would fit within the journal’s scope and attract potential readers ( 13 ). Instead of stating simply that the manuscript is “of interest to the field” or “novel,” the authors should address specific aspects of the journal’s Aims and Scope statement, e.g., “We believe that this manuscript is appropriate for publication by [journal name] since it… [reference to the journal’s aims and scope] ( 11 ).
For a review, opinion, or a trends paper, emphasizing the timeline and novelty is needed, as stated by Sacristán, the editor of trends in molecular medicine: “The synthesis and conceptual advance should be particularly stated in terms of what is new and has been trending in the field for the last one to five years”. She also recommends that the authors need to provide a future perspective beyond the main take-home message of the manuscript for a trends paper and take a strong and novel stance on a hypothesis or idea for a cover letter of an opinion manuscript ( 14 ).
The cover letter must contain some predefined statements, including the “author agreement” statement ( 13 ). An “author agreement” is a statement to confirm that “all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript being submitted” ( 8 ). Furthermore, “the authors warrant that the manuscript is their original work, has not received prior publication and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere” ( 8 ). Some journals may request the corresponding author to confirm that he/she will take responsibility for informing co-authors of editorial decisions, reviews received, and any changes or revisions made; additionally, the editor (s) should be informed about any closely related manuscript (s) simultaneously submitted for consideration to the same or another journal ( 15 ). The authors also should declare if any part of the submitted work has been previously published elsewhere, even as an abstract ( 16 ); e.g., “there is some overlap in the content of the introduction section, which we have noted in the text”.
Depending on the journal’s policy, other statements, including “conflict of interest statement”, “funding source declarations”, and “permission note”, may also be required to be included in the cover letter ( 8 , 11 ). As indicated by Elsevier, a conflict of interest statement, known as a disclosure statement, is a declaration from the author that “there is no financial/personal interest or belief that could affect their objectivity”. The publisher emphasizes that the authors should declare and state the potential conflict’s source and nature in cases where a conflict of interest exists. A funding source declaration is defined by the publisher as “a declaration of any funding or research grants (and their sources) received in the course of study, research or assembly of the manuscript”. Elsevier also defines the permission note as a statement that declares that “permission has been received to use any material in the manuscript such as a figure, which is not original content” ( 8 , 17 ). Other statements like “Statement of English native editing” may also be added.
Furthermore, informing the editor (s) regarding any information that will support the submission (e.g., original or confirmatory data, supplementary materials, relevance, topicality) can be helpful ( 8 ). Other operational information, typically provided within checkboxes of the journal’s submission system, is not required to be included in the cover letter ( 5 ).
The second cover letter, which accompanies the revised version of the manuscript, must be a model of clarity and must address every issue posed by the editor and reviewers ( 10 ). If the revised manuscript is sent for the second round of peer-review, the reviewer (s) will see the letter. The content of the header and footer sections of the revised letter is similar to that of the submitted cover letter. The letter should be directed to the editor as addressed in the first letter unless the authors are informed that a new editor will process the revised version ( 10 ). The first paragraph should start with an “expression of polite gratitude”, e.g., “we would like to thank you for the opportunity to revise and resubmit our manuscript.” The “manuscript ID” or “identification number,” usually assigned by the journal in the first submission, should be addressed in the first paragraph ( 10 ).
The second paragraph usually “signals attention to the reviewers’ comments” by providing an explicit reference to the comments made by the reviewers and the editor. Furthermore, it may contain a positive statement regarding the results, methodology, conclusions, etc., in which case the authors need to acknowledge reviews’ insights ( 10 , 18 ). For example, “We sincerely appreciate all the valuable comments and suggestions made, which helped us improve the revised version of our manuscript” or “we found the reviewers’ comments helpful in guiding us to revise the manuscript.” Such statements will help the authors in creating a polite, formal tone throughout the letter. The paragraph should be followed by providing the editor with a roadmap or a summary of the revisions, addressing “the response to comments attachment.” A point-by-point response to the specific comments of the reviewers must be provided. If the authors disagree with a point raised by a reviewer, a rebuttal or counterstatement may be in order. A scientific and polite approach should spell out why the authors disagree, never losing sight of the reviewer’s opinion ( 19 ).
The footer section (closing salutation) of the letter returns to polite formalities, using statements like “we hope that the revised version of our manuscript is now acceptable to the reviewers, and suitable for publication in the [name of journal], we look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience” ( 10 ).
Although it is not a rule, the cover letter’s content can be organized within a cover letter header (opening salutation), three main paragraphs (the body of cover letter), and a cover letter footer (closing salutation), as described in Table 1 .
The cover letter should be initiated by addressing the editor (s) and the target journal; however, the author’s affiliation and contact information may also be included at the top of page ( 4 ). The name of the editor (s) can be easily found on the journal’s information page. If it is known, the authors must address the editor who will receive the manuscript and handle the peer-review process ( 13 ). If there are several co-editors, the person the author feels has the most appropriate background, and specialty of the topic should be addressed. In cases where such information is lacking, authors can mention all editors by name or address the letter to “dear editors” ( 12 ); however, it has been recommended to avoid writing “dear editor” ( 16 ). Also, the submission date and the journal’s name where the manuscript will be submitted are required ( 13 ).
In the first paragraph of the cover letter body, to introduce the submitted work, the title and the type of manuscript, authors’ name, journal name, and manuscript length are presented ( 4 ). In addition, it is mentioned that whether the manuscript is submitted upon an invitation or belongs to a special issue. The importance of the study, including novelty, potential implications, and its take-home message, are addressed in the second paragraph of the cover letter body. In addition, it is explained why the work would be attractive for journal readers. The third paragraph of the cover letter body includes some statements including authorship agreement, conflicts of interest, funding source, and ethical considerations. If required, potential reviewers are also suggested here.
Within the closing salutation, the authors can appreciate the editor for taking the time to read the cover letter and considering the submitted work for potential publication.
The authors need to spend plenty of time crafting their cover letters. They are advised to avoid too many details and keep it within one page (less than 200 words), like an introduction or a brief overview ( 4 , 11 ). The authors should check the guide for authors and cover letter suggestions provided by the journal, including all the requirements, e.g., specific disclosures, statements, and potential reviewers. Some publishers (e.g., Springer, https://www.springer.com/gp/authors-editors/journal-author/cover-letters/1398, Taylor & Francis, https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-your-research/making-your submission/writing-a-journal-article-cover-letter/) provide sample cover letters that the authors can use. Figure 1 provides a sample for a cover letter.
If the authors address previously published papers in the cover letter, then appropriate citation should be considered. The authors should carefully check the letter for any spelling and grammatical errors ( 11 , 20 ). They should make sure that they correctly spell the name of the journal’s editor (s) ( 4 ). Being careless regarding the editor’s name or the change of a journal’s name in a cover letter of a resubmitted manuscript, can be embarrassing and make a bad impression ( 4 ). It is suggested that the cover letter be written on the authors’ institutional letterhead to display professionalism and reliability ( 20 , 21 ).
When authors suggest a number of potential reviewers, they should avoid suggesting their friends and colleagues, as this would be viewed as a conflict of interest. Collaborators whom the authors have published with in the past five years should not be suggested either; an editor may easily be informed of such associations by a quick search of PubMed or other databases ( 22 ). The authors should avoid using complex sentence structures, jargon, and acronyms and keep the text straightforward and easy to read ( 11 , 20 ). The authors should also avoid including unrelated personal information or glorifying their past research papers or any of their academic accolades ( 20 ). They must not be rude towards the editors or complement the editor’s accomplishments ( 4 ). The novelty statement should not exaggerate or overstate the findings of the work; furthermore, any conclusion stated should be completely supported by the data provided in the manuscript ( 23 ). Finally, authors are recommended not to write a generic cover letter that could be used for any manuscript and could be sent to any journal ( 21 ).
In summary, a cover letter should highlight the novelty, importance, take-home message, and goodness-of-fit of the manuscript to the journal. These are critical information that can persuade an editor that the submitted work merits publication consideration in the journal. The cover letter should not be general but should be custom-written for the target journal. Although the submitted manuscript may usually pass through the peer-review process and get published regardless of the cover letter, a well-written, informative, and concise cover letter increases the chance of gaining acceptance.
Authors' Contribution: Study concept and design, Zahra Bahadoran and Asghar Ghasemi; Drafting of the manuscript, Zahra Bahadoran, Parvin Mirmiran, and Asghar Ghasemi; Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, Khosrow Kashfi and Parvin Mirmiran.
Conflict of Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest.
Funding/Support: This study was supported by the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (grant number 28127).
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You may be required to submit a cover letter with your submission. Individual journals may have specific requirements regarding the cover letter's contents, so please consult the individual journal's Guide for Authors.
A cover letter is a simple, brief business letter, designed to introduce your manuscript to a prospective Editor. If the Guide for Authors does not specify what to include in your cover letter, you may wish to include some of the following items:
Please note: When your manuscript is received at Elsevier, it's considered to be in its 'final form' ready to be reviewed, so please check your manuscript carefully before you submit it to the Editor. A guide to the publication process and getting your article published in an Elsevier journal is available on the Elsevier Publishing Campus .
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The cover letter is a formal way to communicate with journal editors and editorial staff during the manuscript submission process. Most often, a cover letter is needed when authors initially submit their manuscript to a journal and when responding to reviewers during an invitation to revise and resubmit the manuscript. For more information on the peer review process and possible manuscript decisions, see Section 12.7 of the Publication Manual .
Because cover letters are separate documents from the manuscript file, all correspondence during the publication process must include the complete manuscript title, the authors’ names, and the manuscript number (assigned by the journal when the manuscript is first received). Although any author may correspond with the journal editor or editorial staff, most correspondence is handled by the corresponding author , who serves as the main point of contact and responds to questions about the published article. All authors should decide prior to submission who will serve as the corresponding author.
Cover letters are covered in the seventh edition APA Style Publication Manual in Section 12.11
Authors usually must include a cover letter when they first submit their manuscript to a journal for publication . The cover letter is typically uploaded as a separate file into the online submission portal for the journal (for more information on using an online submission portal, see Section 12.10 of the Publication Manual ).
The cover letter should be addressed to the journal editor; any interim correspondence is addressed to the editor or associate editor with whom you have been in communication.
In your submission cover letter, include the following information:
Check the journal’s website for the current editor’s name and for any other journal-specific information to include in your cover letter.
Also include a cover letter with manuscripts being resubmitted to a journal after receiving an invitation to revise and resubmit. Ensure the cover letter contains the complete manuscript title, the authors’ names, and the manuscript number (assigned by the journal when the manuscript was first received). In the cover letter for the resubmission, thank the editors and reviewers for their feedback and outline the changes you made (or did not make) to the manuscript to address the feedback.
The cover letter for a revised and resubmitted manuscript summarizes the changes to the manuscript. Along with the cover letter and revised manuscript, authors should also provide a response to reviewers , which is a detailed document explaining how they responded to each comment.
These sample cover letters demonstrate how authors can communicate with the journal editor at the initial manuscript submission and following an invitation to revise and resubmit a manuscript for publication.
Writing a manuscript: cover letter.
Sample Cover Letter
Dr. John Smith, Editor-in-Chief Journal of Ophthalmology
Dear Dr. Smith:
We are submitting our manuscript entitled “Taking antioxidants plus zinc reduces the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration for high-risk patients,” for consideration for publication as an Original Article in Journal of Ophthalmology . This work has not been previously published and is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. All authors have contributed significantly and have read and approved the submitted work.
Results from our randomized, controlled trial of drug X demonstrate significant improvement in patient symptoms. Drug X is a simple, cost-effective treatment that clinicians can implement easily and quickly into routine practice.
[Any required text: disclosures, funding, author participation, IRB/ACUC approval]
Thank you for your consideration of this manuscript. We look forward to hearing from you.
A. Thomas Jones, MD Associate Professor
Free tips and resources for first time authors looking for publishing deals.
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Writing a Strong Cover letter for Manuscript Submission
When you send your manuscript to a publisher or literary agent, you will need to include the following information;
– A letter of motivation
– A biography of the author
– A synopsis of your manuscript
– Selection of sample chapters
The first thing the editor or literary agent will see when they open the envelope for submission is your cover letter. It is so often overlooked by aspiring writers, and yet, if the letter you wrote is not up to par, then chances are the editor or literary agent will not continue to read the rest of your submission.
So what information to include in your cover letter for manuscript submission? Well, in general terms, there are three important things in your letter should focus on you, your book, and why your book is worthy of publication.
Summerdale publications Stewart Ferris reports that “when writing about himself, the goal of a paragraph that summarizes the highlights of what qualifies you to write this book. The editor has to know if you have had success before publishing, if you have the necessary preparation for writing his book, and if you write more books on the subject. ”
Then you need to think about what information to include in your cover letter that is directly related to the manuscript or book in question itself. You want to focus just maybe a paragraph of your letter on the content of the book itself, to give the reader a taste of what is to come in the synopsis, and finally in the complete manuscript. Focus briefly on the “who, where, when and what is happening” on the story line.
You must also include the reasons why his book should be published in his letter. Think about why the publisher would not be taking a big risk on the introduction of his book. Maybe you have some contacts that allow easy campaign to promote the book. Or maybe you’ve completed a large piece of market research that shows that there is real demand for your book. In addition, you may be aware of ways that could lead to a rapid and reliable market for his book – which can be a university professor with a guarantee that your book will become an essential text for your university, once published by example.
Finally, remember that your writing is on permanent display throughout the presentation of manuscripts. So try to include a sentence or two that summarize the essence of your beautiful book.
If you send your manuscript by e-mail, your cover letter comes before your story that the main body of your e-mail, and always acts as your introduction. Your cover letter should be single-spaced, written in standard block or semi-block format, and a double space between paragraphs. If you mail your manuscript, you should consider writing your cover letter on plain white 8 ½ “by 11” paper.
As mentioned earlier, the number of parts in a letter may vary. But regardless of how many sections there are, some information that is normally specified in the cover letter includes the title of your story and your word count history. If you send your manuscript by mail, as opposed to e-mail, you can also specify that the self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) is closed and there is no need to return the manuscript .
What not to include in your cover letter for manuscript submission is a detailed description of its history. I also noticed some recent submission guidelines where publishers have emphasized the authors not to include photos of themselves with their offers. Make sure to always read the most recent guidelines published and send only what publishers require that you send. Disobeying submission guidelines can sometimes mean an automatic rejection of its short history.
Not all publishers will be required to send letters with his manuscript short story, but when a letter is necessary, try to think of your cover letter as well as a courtesy, the introduction of a tool, rather than an argument of sale. Let your cover letter to introduce, and let your story speak for itself. This is more acceptable and less rejected.
The numbered requirements which you posted tell you exactly what the company wants you do. Generally the type preferred is Times New Roman. You should be able to format your word processor to create the book’s pages as the company is asking. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to determine how many pages you’ll have, and, if your manuscript is completed, you can just print it. The paper which you use in your printer would naturally be good quality and the proper size. The normal font size is 10 point, but you can control that, too, in your word processor.
How do i correctly send my story to these publishers? How do i make my novel in this format? For example, what does it mean by typewritten pages?
How should I write my story, the font size, are the pages supposed to be back and front written or what?
How do i write it in this structure they gave me?
This is what they said to me… FORMAT FOR SUBMISSIONS 1. Submissions should consist of a book-length manuscript with a contemporary setting that will be suitable for readers ages 12 to 18.
2. Manuscripts should be no shorter than 100 typewritten pages and no longer than 224 typewritten pages. Include a brief plot summary with your covering letter.
3. Each manuscript should have a cover page listing the title of the novel; the author’s name, address, and telephone number.
4. Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced on 8-1/2″ x 11″ good quality white paper, and pages should be numbered consecutively. The type should be at least 10 point. The author should retain a copy of any manuscript submitted.
Writer’s Market: What else do I need? I’m purchasing the 2009 version of WM, but having never submitted any of my writing as a freelancer before, what else do I need to know that’s not included in this book? For example, will it tell me how to write a query letter, the dos and don’ts of my manuscript, and so on? At this point I have no idea if I should be sticking to a certain number of pages, what the format of my manuscript should be, and so on.
Basically, I’m trying to find out if the WM only gives listings, or if it will guide me step-by-step through the submission process.I would appreciate any guidance regarding websites or other publications for the first time writer, if you feel that WM does not cover some of the things I need to know.
Thanks in advance!
It does cover the basics, including how to format a manuscript and write a querry letter. Each book has articles on the publishing industry, submission process, and some author interviews.
consider joining absolutewrite.com/forum (the watercooler) for more assistance. It’s a large and knowledgable group with a wealth of information to share.
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Author guidelines.
Last updated: June 25, 2024
Scope of the journal, manuscript types, submit with fast format, document templates and format, acceptable software, file designations, and tex/latex, cover letter, manuscript text components, supporting information, research data policy, language and editing services, preparing graphics, figure and illustration services, prior publication policy, editorial policies, providing potential reviewer names, manuscript transfer, proofs via acs direct correct, publication date and patent dates, asap publication, post-publication policies, sharing your published article.
Manuscripts are submitted in response to an invitation, which may come at the advice of the editorial board or in response to an author’s proposal. Authors wishing to submit a proposal for an article or a commentary should follow the instructions given in detail below. Proposals will be reviewed by the editorial board, who may consult the editorial advisory board or other experts, and final decisions regarding a subsequent invitation to submit will be forwarded by the Editor-in-Chief. The editorial board will not consider proposals from authors whose work has been recently highlighted in the journal (typically, the past two years), except under special circumstances. Key to a successful proposal is a convincing statement that addresses the following questions: Why this topic? Why these authors? Why now?
When responding to an invitation, authors should closely follow the instructions presented in the Preparation of Manuscripts section below to expedite the review and publication of their work. Each submission must include the author’s postal and e-mail addresses and telephone numbers.
All manuscripts, whether specifically solicited by the Editor-in-Chief or invited in response to a proposal, are sent to competent readers for criticism both of scientific content and of readability.
Accounts of Chemical Research is a journal of concise articles describing recent research developments in chemistry, biochemistry, materials science, nanoscience, and related fields. Each Account is directed not only to specialists in the field but also to a broad range of scientists who wish to keep abreast of the best current research in fields other than their own. Readability by the nonexpert is therefore essential. Most manuscripts are submitted after invitation by the Editor-in-Chief, but unsolicited proposals, which may result in an invitation to submit a manuscript, are also considered.
A typical Account discusses a topic of intense interest to the author and focuses primarily on the author’s own experimental or theoretical results. Unpublished data may be included, but only to a minor extent. Articles should present salient experimental discoveries and theoretical results, interpret their significance, establish perspective with respect to earlier work and to contemporary research by other investigators, evaluate the present state of the subject, and cast a glance to the future.
A good introduction, including a historical orientation, is critical. Terms and concepts unique to the research area must be carefully explained or defined. A short section of concluding remarks should discuss the broader significance of the work, view it in perspective, and mention applications or future prospects. Accounts looks with favor on styles of presentation somewhat less formal than those that prevail in much scientific writing. Comprehensive reviews do not fall within the mission of Accounts .
Commentaries examine critically a question of current interest and draw new generalizations or new perspectives from the evidence. These brief opinions include theoretical implications, mechanistic interpretation, significance of data, or definitive experiments and should not be laudatory or for establishing priority. Controversial commentaries are welcome, as are ones expressing opinions contrasting with those in published Accounts . Commentaries are substantially shorter than articles, and biographical data are not included. The author should be an expert in the field.
While this document will provide basic information on how to prepare and submit the manuscript as well as other critical information about publishing, we also encourage authors to visit the ACS Researcher Resources for additional information on everything that is needed to prepare (and review) manuscripts for ACS journals and partner journals, such as
All ACS journals and partner journals have simplified their formatting requirements in favor of a streamlined and standardized format for an initial manuscript submission. Read more about the requirements and the benefits these serves authors and reviewers here .
Manuscripts submitted for initial consideration must adhere to these standards:
The templates facilitate the peer review process by allowing authors to place artwork and tables close to the point where they are discussed within the text. Learn more about document templates here .
General information on the preparation of manuscripts may also be found in the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication .
See the list of Acceptable Software and appropriate File Designations to be sure your file types are compatible with ACS Paragon Plus. Information for manuscripts generated from TeX/LaTeX is also available.
A cover letter must accompany every manuscript submission. During the submission process, you may type it or paste it into the submission system, or you may attach it as a file.
Manuscripts are limited to 5000 words. This includes the text, author names, biographical sketches, tables, and figure legends. Do not include the conspectus, author addresses, key references, or references in your count. Authors will be expected to abide by this rule and to submit a statement from the corresponding author indicating the word count of the article and how it was obtained. Articles with word counts over 5000 words will be returned to the authors for editing before going through the review process.
Commentaries are substantially shorter than articles; brevity and clarity are essential. Biographical data are not included.
The conspectus is an enhanced and expanded one-page abstract of approximately 400–500 words that follows the structure of the manuscript and includes one helpful and eye-catching graphic. It is highlighted to stand out from the article and serves two principal purposes:
The conspectus should summarize the reason for the work, the most significant results, and the conclusions. Each conspectus should include motivation (why every chemist should care about the problem and its results), techniques used, results and discoveries, and conclusions and implications.
The first section of an Account, after the Conspectus, should be a Key References section. This should be formatted as a bulleted list of 2-4 references of recent original research papers from the authors’ lab . These papers should be the ones that are most representative of the Account – they should answer the question, “If I wanted to learn more about the work described here, which papers would be best to read?” They should not be review articles.
For each entry in the Key References section, insert a brief note explaining the significance of the paper. This note should be no more than 40 words, and describe in 1-2 sentences the connection between the referred to paper and the Account.
KEY REFERENCES
The articles cited in the Key References section should also be the first 2-4 references in the reference section of the Account. Do not include the key references in your word count.
This information is provided to the reviewers during the peer-review process (for Review Only) and is available to readers of the published work (for Publication). Supporting Information must be submitted at the same time as the manuscript. See the list of Acceptable Software by File Designation and confirm that your Supporting Information is viewable .
If the manuscript is accompanied by any supporting information files for publication, these files will be made available free of charge to readers. A brief, nonsentence description of the actual contents of each file, including the file type extension, is required. This description should be labeled Supporting Information and should appear before the Acknowledgement and Reference sections. Examples of sufficient and insufficient descriptions are as follows:
Examples of sufficient descriptions: “Supporting Information: 1 H NMR spectra for all compounds (PDF)” or “Additional experimental details, materials, and methods, including photographs of experimental setup (DOC)”.
Examples of insufficient descriptions: “Supporting Information: Figures S1-S3” or “Additional figures as mentioned in the text”.
When including supporting information for review only, include copies of references that are unpublished or in-press. These files are available only to editors and reviewers.
CRediT is a high-level taxonomy used to identify and acknowledge the roles played by contributors to scientific scholarly output. During original submission and/or revision, there are 14 standard roles from which the submitting author can select to describe the specific contributions of each author. At this time, CRediT is optional for authors. Please note that author CRediT information will not transfer if the manuscript is transferred to a non-pilot journal. Click here to learn more about the ACS CRediT pilot .
All ACS journals strongly encourage authors to make the research data underlying their articles publicly available at the time of publication.
Research data is defined as materials and information used in the experiments that enable the validation of the conclusions drawn in the article, including primary data produced by the authors for the study being reported, secondary data reused or analyzed by the authors for the study, and any other materials necessary to reproduce or replicate the results.
The ACS Research Data Policy provides additional information on Data Availability Statements, Data Citation, and Data Repositories.
A well-written paper helps share your results most clearly. ACS Publications’ English Editing Service is designed to help scientists communicate their research effectively. Our subject-matter expert editors will edit your manuscript for grammar, spelling, and other language errors so your ideas are presented at their best.
The quality of illustrations in ACS journals and partner journals depends on the quality of the original files provided by the authors. Figures are not modified or enhanced by journal production staff. All graphics must be prepared and submitted in digital format.
Graphics should be inserted into the main body whenever possible. Please see Appendix 2 for additional information.
Any graphic (figure chart, scheme, or equation) that has appeared in an earlier publication should include a credit line citing the original source. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to re-use this material.
The impact of your research is not limited to what you can express with words. Tables and figures such as graphs, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and other visuals can play a significant role in effectively communicating your findings. Our Artwork Editing and Graphical Abstract services generate publication-ready figures and Table of Contents (TOC) graphics that conform to your chosen journal’s specifications. For figures, this includes changes to file type, resolution, color space, font, scale, line weights, and layout (to improve readability and professional appearance). For TOC graphics, our illustrators can work with a rough sketch or concept or help extract the key findings of your manuscript directly for use as a visual summary of your paper.
Manuscripts, graphics, supporting information, and required forms, as well as manuscript revisions, must all be submitted in digital format through ACS Paragon Plus , which requires an ACS ID to log in. Registering for an ACS ID is fast, free, and does not require an ACS membership. Please refer to Appendix 1 for additional information on preparing your submission
Accounts of Chemical Research authors may deposit an initial draft of their manuscript in a preprint service such as ChemRxiv , bioRxiv , arXiv , prior to submission to the journal. Please note any use of a preprint server in the cover letter, and as appropriate, state how the manuscript has been adjusted/updated between deposition and submission. All other prior/redundant publication is forbidden. Upon publication in Accounts of Materials Research, authors are advised to add a link from the preprint to the published paper via the Digital Object Identifier (DOI). For further details, please contact the Editorial Office. For the ACS Publications policy on theses and dissertations, click here .
Authors who do not have a specific invitation from the editor should first submit a proposal in electronic form via the ACS Paragon Plus Environment . Proposal authors should upload a single document in place of a manuscript that contains the following:
Submission of supporting information is not required. However, if the authors wish to upload additional materials, such as a key unpublished manuscript that might help inform the editorial board, it may be uploaded in PDF format as supporting information.
Preparation of copy.
The instructions of The ACS Style Guide , 3rd edition (2006)—available from Oxford University Press, Order Department, 201 Evans Road, Cary, NC 27513; http://pubs.acs.org/page/4authors/tools/index.html —are generally applicable. An optional electronic manuscript template is available in several word processing versions. Please note: if the author chooses not to use the template, the text of the manuscript should be double-spaced.
Use at least one given name—“John S. Smith” rather than “J. S. Smith”—for each author. When there is more than one author, all authors and their addresses should be listed (do not include the addresses in the word count). Use an asterisk to indicate the person to whom correspondence should be addressed. Place references and footnotes (double-spaced) at the end of the manuscript. Tables may be included near the desired point of placement in the file or at the end. Illustrations (figures, schemes, charts, structural formulas, and so on) may be embedded in the manuscript file (preferably) or submitted as separate graphic files.
For more information, including information regarding acceptable Word processing packages, see the website .
In general, published material cannot be reprinted without permission of the copyright holder, even if it is from an article previously written by the author. (However, permission to reprint artwork from ACS journals can be taken for granted, unless another party holds copyright, as long as the appropriate credit is given in the figure caption as detailed below). To reprint materials from non-ACS journals, it is the obligation of the author to secure permission from the publisher (and author, if requested by the publisher) and to be certain that the permission includes ALL formats, including, but not limited to, print, electronic, CD ROM, and World Wide Web. Failure to obtain the proper permissions results in publication delays.
Note: Rightslink versus the Publisher Request Form: If you are using material from other publishers, check their Web sites first to see if they use Rightslink or if they will accept written permission requests. Most publishers are now using the Rightslink permission system (including Wiley, Elsevier, AAAS, ACS). Once you open an account in Rightslink, you may use that same account with all publishers that use Rightslink, and you will receive your permissions much faster. Ask for permission in both print and electronic formats. Upload the completed permission forms with the File Designation “Other Files for Editors Only.” The link to the Permissions/Rightslink webpage can be found here .
The fact that such permission has been granted should be appropriately acknowledged in the manuscript (commonly as part of a caption) by citing the reference, year of publication, and publisher as well as any other information specified in the letter granting permission. (For example: Reprinted with permission from ref 42. Copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics.) If permission to use a previously published figure is received, the legend to the original figure (with proper permission statement added) can be included in the Accounts of Chemical Research article. The author should retain in his or her own files documentation that grants copyright permission. Any questions regarding permission to reprint or fees for permission to reprint a figure or scheme should be directed to the ACS Copyright Office ( [email protected] ).
Empirical and structural formulas and mathematical and chemical equations should be arranged to fill adequately the width of a single column. Avoid complicated superscripts and subscripts, and use fractional exponents instead of root signs. Structural formulas should be submitted as graphics and should fill space economically, using bonds and arrows vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, whenever possible. Do not use chemical structures when a simple formula will suffice, e.g., (CH 3 ) 2 NCH 2 CONH 2 .
References must include article titles. References and all notes regardless of their nature (except those in tables) should be numbered in one consecutive series. Use the superscript number corresponding to the original reference to avoid repetition of references. Reference numbers in the text should be prepared as superscripts without parentheses, and in the references and notes section following the text, the reference numbers should be formatted as Arabic numerals on baseline as shown in the examples 1–4. Do not include bibliographic references to classified documents and reports or to unpublished material not generally available to the scientific public. The accuracy of the references is the responsibility of the author. Because hyperlinks are now added to many references in the Web edition of the journal, reference accuracy is critical. Bibliographic references should be arranged and punctuated as shown:
1. Doe, J. S.; Smith, J.; Roe, P. Stereochemistry of Diels–Alder Reactions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1968 , 90 , 8234–8265.
For work published online (ASAP) and work submitted for publication (e.g., submitted; in press), the DOI should be furnished in addition to the standard bibliographic information. Authors are given instruction for citing work by DOI in an email communication when manuscript proofs are made available. A DOI is assigned to each manuscript and should be in the form http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ar000000a. DOI is an accepted form of citation before and after the article appears in an issue.
2. Doe, J. S.; Smith, J.; Roe, P. Stereochemistry of Diels–Alder Reactions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012 , DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja300123a.
Include the initials of authors, article title, and the journal abbreviation used in the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI) 1907–2004 Cumulative and its supplements. Inclusive pagination as indicated in example 1 is required.
References to all other publications should include author(s), title, volume, publisher, address, date of publication, and pages, thus:
3. Smith, A. B. Textbook of Organic Chemistry ; D. C. Jones: New York, 1961; pp 123–126.
4. Wawzonek, S. Potentiometry: Oxidation–Reduction Potentials. In Techniques of Chemistry ; Weissburger, A., Rossiter, B. W., Eds.; Wiley-Interscience: New York, 1971; Vol. IIA, Chapter 1.
Authorship Typically, an Account has 1-3 authors; please let us know in advance if you envision more than five coauthors. Be sure to include only those authors who work on THIS manuscript—not everyone who worked on previously published work on this project from your lab. Please note that preparation of figures and proofreading do not constitute authorship; this type of assistance can be acknowledged.
Biographical Information should be submitted for each author and include date and place of birth, universities attended and degrees obtained, principal professional posts held, present title, a line or two about other major research interests, and anything else professionally relevant that is of special interest. This information must be included with the manuscript submission.
All manuscripts, whether specifically solicited by the Editor-in-Chief or invited in response to a proposal, are sent to competent readers for criticism both of scientific content and of readability. Although the Editor-in-Chief is fully responsible for decisions about the manuscript, the author is invited and encouraged to recommend appropriate reviewers for his or her work at the time of submission. The name of a reviewer will not be disclosed to an author without the reviewer’s consent.
Articles are not acceptable if they substantially duplicate a contemporary review or book chapter on the same subject by the same author, unless (a) the review or book is far more comprehensive than the Account or (b) the point of view is wholly different (for example, if one article emphasizes synthesis and another problems of structure). The author is expected to inform the Editor-in-Chief of the existence of other reviews or book chapters on the same subject recently published or planned for the near future by that author.
Please suggest 5-6 reviewers. Authors are encouraged to avoid suggesting reviewers from the authors’ institutions. Do not suggest reviewers who may have a real or perceived conflict of interest . Whenever possible, suggest academic email addresses rather than personal email addresses.
If your submission is declined for publication by this journal, the editors might deem your work to be better suited for another ACS Publications journal or partner journal and suggest that the authors consider transferring the submission. Manuscript Transfer simplifies and shortens the process of submitting to another ACS journal or partner journal, as all the coauthors, suggested reviewers, manuscript files, and responses to submission questions are copied by ACS Paragon Plus to the new draft submission. Authors are free to accept or decline the transfer offer.
Note that each journal is editorially independent. Transferring a manuscript is not a guarantee that the manuscript will be accepted, as the final publication decision will belong to the editor of the next journal.
Correction of the galley proofs is the responsibility of the Corresponding Author. The Corresponding Author of an accepted manuscript will receive e-mail notification and complete instructions when page proofs are available for review via ACS Direct Correct . Extensive or important changes on page proofs, including changes to the title or list of authors, are subject to review by the editor.
It is the responsibility of the Corresponding Author to ensure that all authors listed on the manuscript agree with the changes made on the proofs. Galley proofs should be returned within 48 hours in order to ensure timely publication of the manuscript.
Accepted manuscripts will be published on the ACS Publications Web site as soon as page proofs are corrected and all author concerns are resolved. The first date on which the document is published on the Web is considered the publication date.
Publication of manuscripts on the Web may occur weeks in advance of the cover date of the issue of publication. Authors should take this into account when planning their patent and intellectual property activities related to a document and should ensure that all patent information is available at the time of first publication, whether ASAP or issue publication.
All articles published ahead of print receive a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, which is used to cite the manuscript before and after the paper appears in an issue. Additionally, any supplemental information submitted along with the manuscript will automatically be assigned a DOI and hosted on Figshare to promote open data discoverability and use of your research outputs.
Manuscripts will be published on the “ASAP Articles” page on the web as soon as page proofs are corrected and all author concerns are resolved. ASAP publication usually occurs within a few working days of receipt of page proof corrections, which can be several weeks in advance of the cover date of the issue.
The American Chemical Society follows guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when considering any ethical concerns regarding a published article, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern.
Additions and Corrections may be requested by the author(s) or initiated by the Editor to address important issues or correct errors and omissions of consequence that arise after publication of an article. All Additions and Corrections are subject to approval by the Editor, and should bring new and directly relevant information and corrections that fix scientific facts. Minor corrections and additions will not be published. Readers who detect errors of consequence in the work of others should contact the corresponding author of that work.
Additions and Corrections must be submitted as new manuscripts via ACS Paragon Plus by the Corresponding Author for publication in the “Addition/Correction” section of the Journal. The corresponding author should obtain approval from all coauthors prior to submitting or provide evidence that such approval has been solicited. The manuscript should include the original article title and author list, citation including DOI, and details of the correction.
Articles may be retracted for scientific or ethical reasons and may be requested by the article author(s) or by the journal Editor(s), but are ultimately published at the discretion of the Editor. Articles that contain seriously flawed or erroneous data such that their findings and conclusions cannot be relied upon may be retracted in order to correct the scientific record. When an article is retracted, a notice of Retraction will be published containing information about the reason for the Retraction. The originally published article will remain online except in extraordinary circumstances (e.g. where deemed legally necessary, or if the availability of the published content poses public health risks).
Expressions of Concern may be issued at the discretion of the Editor if:
Upon completion of any related investigation, and when a final determination is made about the outcome of the article, the Expression of Concern may be replaced with a Retraction notice or Correction.
At ACS Publications, we know it is important for you to be able to share your peer reviewed, published work with colleagues in the global community of scientists. As sharing on sites known as scholarly collaboration networks (SCNs) is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s scholarly research ecosystem, we would like to remind you of the many ways in which you, a valued ACS author, can share your published work .
Publishing open access makes it easy to share your work with friends, colleagues, and family members. In addition, ACS Publications makes it easy to share your newly published research with ACS Articles on Request (see below). Don’t forget to promote your research and related data on social media, at conferences, and through scholarly communication networks. Increase the impact of your research using the following resources: Altmetrics , Figshare , ACS Certified Deposit
When your article is published in an ACS journal or partner journal, corresponding authors are provided with a link that offers up to 50 free digital prints of the final published work. This link is valid for the first 12 months following online publication, and can be shared via email or an author’s website. After one year, the access restrictions to your article will be lifted, and you can share the Articles on Request URL on social media and other channels. To access all your Articles on Request links, log in to your ACS Researcher Resources account and visit the “My Published Manuscripts” page.
Article , journal , and commercial reprints are available to order.
We’ve developed ACS’ publishing and editorial policies in consultation with the research communities that we serve, including authors and librarians. Browse our policies below to learn more.
ACS editors have provided Ethical Guidelines for persons engaged in the publication of chemical research—specifically, for editors, authors, and reviewers. Each journal also has a specific policy on prior publication .
As a U.S.-based non-profit organization, the American Chemical Society (ACS) is required to comply with U.S. sanctions laws and regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). While these laws and regulations permit U.S.-based publishers like ACS to engage in publishing-related activities with authors located in sanctioned regions in many cases, ACS may be prohibited under U.S. law from engaging in publishing-related activities in some cases, including, but not limited to, instances where an author or the institution with which an author is affiliated is located in a particular sanctioned region or has been designated by OFAC as a Specially Designated National (SDN) pursuant to certain U.S. sanctions programs. ACS reserves the right to refrain from engaging in any publishing-related activities that ACS determines in its sole discretion may be in violation of U.S. law.
Authors must emphasize any unexpected, new, and/or significant hazards or risks associated with the reported work. This information should be in the Experimental Section of a full article and included in the main text of a letter. Statement examples can be found in the Safety Statement Style Sheet and additional information on communicating safety information from the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication is freely available here .
A statement describing any financial conflicts of interest or lack thereof is published in each ACS journal and partner journal article.
During the submission process, the Corresponding Author must provide a statement on behalf of all authors of the manuscript, describing all potential sources of bias, including affiliations, funding sources, and financial or management relationships, that may constitute conflicts of interest. If the manuscript is accepted, the statement will be published in the final article.
If the manuscript is accepted and no conflict of interest has been declared, the following statement will be published in the final article: “The authors declare no competing financial interest.”
In publishing only original research, ACS is committed to deterring plagiarism, including self-plagiarism. ACS Publications uses CrossCheck's iThenticate software to screen submitted manuscripts for similarity to published material. Note that your manuscript may be screened during the submission process.
Further information about plagiarism can be found in Part B of the Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research . See also the press release regarding ACS' participation in the CrossCheck initiative.
Authors are required to obtain the consent of all their coauthors prior to submitting a manuscript. The submitting author accepts the responsibility of notifying all coauthors that the manuscript is being submitted.
During manuscript submission, the submitting author must provide contact information (full name, email address, institutional affiliation, and mailing address) for all of the coauthors. Because all of the author names are automatically imported into the electronic Journal Publishing Agreement , the names must be entered into ACS Paragon Plus. (Note that coauthors are not required to register in ACS Paragon Plus.) Author affiliation should reflect where the work was completed, even if the author has since left that institution. Authors may include a note with a current address if their institution has changed since the work was completed.
To expedite the processing of your manuscript, please format your author and affiliation information according the guidelines in this link: https://pubsapp.acs.org/paragonplus/submission/author-address-information.pdf .
Criteria for authorship can be found in Part B of the Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research . Artificial intelligence (AI) tools do not qualify for authorship. The use of AI tools for text or image generation should be disclosed in the manuscript within the Acknowledgment section with a description of when and how the tools were used. For more substantial use cases or descriptions of AI tool use, authors should provide full details within the Methods or other appropriate section of the manuscript.
If any change in authorship is necessary after a manuscript has been submitted, confirmation is required that all of the authors (including those being added or removed) have been notified and have agreed to the change. To provide this confirmation, authors are asked to complete and sign an authorship change form and provide the completed form to the appropriate editorial office.
Authors with a single name: If you, or any of your coauthors, have only one name, please follow these steps for proper submission to ACS Paragon Plus:
If your paper is accepted, the asterisk (*) will be removed from the published version of the paper.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all patent activities and intellectual property issues are satisfactorily resolved prior to first publication (ASAP or in issue). Acceptance and publication will not be delayed for pending or unresolved issues of this nature.
Authors submitting manuscript revisions are required to provide their own personal, validated ORCID iD before completing the submission, if an ORCID iD is not already associated with their ACS Paragon Plus user profiles. This ID may be provided during original manuscript submission or when submitting the manuscript revision. All authors are strongly encouraged to register for an ORCID iD, a unique researcher identifier. The ORCID iD will be displayed in the published article for any author on a manuscript who has a validated ORCID iD associated with ACS when the manuscript is accepted.
ORCID iDs should not be typed into the manuscript. ACS publishes only those ORCID iDs that have been properly verified and linked before the manuscript is accepted . After your ORCID iD is linked, it will be displayed automatically in all subsequently accepted manuscripts for any/all ACS journals. We do not publish ORCID iDs provided during proof review or via other communications after a manuscript is accepted for publication.
With an ORCID iD, you can create a profile of your research activities to distinguish yourself from other researchers with similar names, and make it easier for your colleagues to find your publications. If you do not yet have an ORCID iD, or you wish to associate your existing ORCID iD with your ACS Paragon Plus account, you may do so by clicking on “Edit Your Profile” from your ACS Paragon Plus account homepage and following the ORCID-related links. Learn more at www.orcid.org .
To obtain forms and guidelines for completing the Journal Publishing Agreement or obtaining permissions from copyright owners, and to explore a Copyright Learning Module for chemists, click here .
Authors are required to report funding sources and grant/award numbers. Enter ALL sources of funding for ALL authors in BOTH the Funder Registry Tool in ACS Paragon Plus and in your manuscript to meet this requirement.
ACS offers options by which authors can fulfill the requirements for open access and deposition into repositories for funded research. Visit our ACS Open Science site to see how to fulfill requirements for specific funders and to find out if you are eligible to publish under a Read + Publish agreement between ACS and your institution. You can also find out more about Open Access Compliance and ACS Open Science initiatives .
During manuscript submission, ACS journal authors have the option to submit a statement sharing information related to diversity and inclusion that is relevant for their paper. If supplying a diversity and inclusion statement, the corresponding author must provide this on behalf of all authors of the manuscript during the submission process. These statements include but are not limited to analysis of citation diversity and acknowledgment of indigenous land on which research was conducted. Statements expressing political beliefs are not permitted and may be removed by the journal office. All statements are subject to final review by the Editor.
Digital graphics pasted into manuscripts should have the following minimum resolutions:
Graphics must fit a one- or two-column format. Single-column graphics can be sized up to 240 points wide (3.33 in.) and double-column graphics must be sized between 300 and 504 points (4.167 in. and 7 in.). The maximum depth for all graphics is 660 points (9.167 in.) including the caption (allow 12 pts. For each line of caption text). Lettering should be no smaller than 4.5 points in the final published format. The text should be legible when the graphic is viewed full-size. Helvetica or Arial fonts work well for lettering. Lines should be no thinner than 0.5 point.
Color may be used to enhance the clarity of complex structures, figures, spectra, and schemes, etc., and color reproduction of graphics is provided at no additional cost to the author. Graphics intended to appear in black and white or grayscale should not be submitted in color.
Table of contents (toc)/abstract graphic.
Consult the Guidelines for Table of Contents/Abstract Graphics for specifications.
Our team of subject-matter experts and graphical designers can also help generate a compelling TOC graphic to convey your key findings. Learn more about our Graphical Abstract service .
A caption giving the figure number and a brief description must be included below each figure. The caption should be understandable without reference to the text. It is preferable to place any key to symbols used in the artwork itself, not in the caption. Ensure that any symbols and abbreviations used in the text agree with those in the artwork.
Charts (groups of structures that do not show reactions) may have a brief caption describing their contents.
Each table must have a brief (one phrase or sentence) title that describes the contents. The title should be understandable without reference to the text. Details should be put in footnotes, not in the title. Tables should be used when the data cannot be presented clearly in the narrative, when many numbers must be presented, or when more meaningful inter-relationships can be conveyed by the tabular format. Tables should supplement, not duplicate, information presented in the text and figures. Tables should be simple and concise.
Each scheme (sequences of reactions) may have a brief caption describing its contents.
Chemical structures should be produced with the use of a drawing program such as ChemDraw.
Accounts of Chemical Research authors are encouraged to submit images to be considered for use on the journal’s front cover or Supplementary Covers at the time of the submission of their revised manuscript. If your article is accepted for publication, your suggestion may also be selected for use on one of the journal’s covers. Images chosen for the front cover will be published at no cost to the author. If your art is selected for front cover, ACS will send you information about how to request one complimentary 18” by 24” printed poster featuring your work. Images chosen for the front cover will be published at no cost to the author.
Cover image submissions should be scientifically and visually exciting. Colorful images without text or structures are preferred. The cover image should not resemble a graphical abstract or data figure, but rather should be an artistic and scientifically accurate representation of the manuscript. For examples of cover art designs, please refer to recent issues .
Image files should be submitted as TIF, JPG, PNG or EPS files with a resolution of at least 300 dpi for pixel-based images. Images should be 8.19 in × 10.00 in. (or 20.80 cm × 25.40 cm). Please note that the journal title will cover the top 2 in. (5.08 cm) of the image. Authors should submit the cover image, along with a short, clear legend (less than 50 words) explaining the image, as supplementary files to ACS Paragon Plus with their revised manuscript.
If you wish to be considered only for the front cover, and not a paid supplementary cover, please respond NO accordingly to the Journal Covers question in ACS Paragon Plus. For more information on the Supplementary Covers program, please see this webpage . All art submitted for consideration for a supplementary cover will also be considered for a front cover.
The Web editions of ACS journals allow readers to view multimedia attachments such as animations and movies that complement understanding of the research being reported.
WEOs should be uploaded in ACS Paragon Plus with ‘Web Enhanced Object’ selected as the file designation. Consult the list of compatible WEO formats .
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The submission period for our annual literary contest, the Robert Watson Literary Prizes, is June 1 to August 1 . If you are looking to submit work between November 1 – January 1, please see guidelines for our General Submissions .
Winners of the Fiction and Poetry Prizes will each receive a $1000 cash award and publication in The Greensboro Review .
Special Note on Entry Fees: Please subscribe (or purchase a one-year gift subscription) via UNC Press/Duke University Press , our publishing partners. Then, return to Submittable to submit to the contest for no additional charge. You will need an active subscription to have your work considered for publication and to be eligible to receive the award and prize money.
The Greensboro Review seeks new writing from authors representing a wide range of identities in terms of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, ability, age, class, citizenship, nationality, regionality, education, and publication history. We love featuring the work of previously unpublished writers and showcasing those whose work may be risk-taking or overlooked. Our journal remains faculty- and student-run, with new graduate student editors on staff each year, so writing you submit will always be read by fresh eyes from a variety of editorial aesthetics. With that in mind, the work you’ll find in our pages rarely conforms to any one theme, subject, or style—and we encourage you to read a recent issue to get a sense of what we publish. We look forward to reading your work!
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When writing for publication, a well-written cover letter can help your paper reach the next stage of the manuscript submission process - being sent out for peer review. So it's worth spending time thinking about how to write a cover letter to the journal editor, to make sure it's going to be effective.
A cover letter is often the first thing an editor reads when reviewing your submission. As your first pitch to the editor, the cover letter helps them gauge the suitability of your manuscript for publication in their journal. Imagine your work shaping the future of your field, gathering citations, and sparking discussions.
Learn how to write a cover letter for submitting a manuscript to a journal in APA style. See an example of a cover letter with details about the manuscript, the authors, the review process, and the ethical standards.
Learn how to write a persuasive cover letter for your manuscript submission to a journal. See an example of a poor cover letter and a structure for a good one.
When writing a cover letter for journal submission, it's important to use appropriate and professional language. Here are some common expressions that can be used in cover letters: "We are pleased to submit our manuscript…". "The research reported in this manuscript addresses a significant gap in the literature…".
An inquiry letter should have three main sections: introduction and top-line message, a captivating synthesis of the manuscript, and the inquiry followed by a wrap-up. A manuscript inquiry letter should catch the editor's attention and communicate that your research is something new and innovative, which has the potential to change the field.
Learn how to write a persuasive cover letter for your journal submission with this free guide and template from AJE. Find out what to include, how to format, and what to avoid in your cover letter.
A well-written, error-free letter reflects your commitment to quality, suggesting that the same level of care has been applied to your research and manuscript. In essence, the cover letter for your journal submission is your advocate, concierge, and first ambassador all rolled into one.
Keep all text left justified. Use spelling and grammar check software. If needed, use a proofreading service or cover letter editing service such as Wordvice to review your letter for clarity and concision. Double-check the editor's name. Call the journal to confirm if necessary.
Your cover letter should include. The objective and approach of your research. Any novel contributions reported. Why your manuscript should be published in this journal. Any special considerations about your submission. Related papers by you and/or your fellow authors (published or under consideration) Previous reviews of your submission.
7 Journal submission tips and hacks from the experts. 7.1 Be personal, use the editor's name. 7.2 Tell them what you want to publish. 7.3 Summarize the highlights of your work. 7.4 Sell yourself. 7.5 Don't forget your "must have" statements. 8 See it in action: Edanz video on writing cover letters. 9 Get a cover letter template.
3. Motivation for submitting to the journal: After the short summary, add a sentence regarding the suitability of your study for the journal.Write about how it matches the journal scope and why the readers will find it interesting. 4. Ethical approval: The cover letter for your research paper should mention whether the study was approved by the institutional review board, in case of any ...
This handout offers guidance on how to write a cover letter for submitting journal manuscripts for publication. What is a journal publication letter? A journal publication letter, also known as a journal article submission cover letter, is a cover letter written to a peer-reviewed journal to advocate for the publication of a manuscript.
Writing a Cover Letter. When submitting a manuscript, authors will need to additionally submit a cover letter. The purpose of this letter is to highlight the importance and relevance of your research. To assist with preparing your cover letter to include all points, you can download and use our sample cover letter as a guide.
Cover Letter for Journal Submission Checklist. Add your contact information, degree, name of the institution. List the editor's name, the name of the journal, address, and submission date. Greet the editor by name: Dear Mr./Mrs. XYZ. Say the title of your manuscript.
Then, write a letter that explains why the Editor would want to publish your manuscript: Common phrases: Please find enclosed our manuscript, "[manuscript title]" by [first author's name] et al., which we would like to submit for publication as a [publication type] in [name of the journal]. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing...
Cover letters can be submitted as normal text files, such as Word, or input directly in a field in the journal's online submission system. Let's look at some tips for each section. And don't forget to download the template, which shows these tips already in place. 1. Addressee's information and date of submission.
Proofread your letter by checking the spelling, grammar, and syntax. A well-written letter indicates that you take your submission seriously and that you are an author who pays attention to detail. 8. Check every detail. Avoid mistakes such as directing the cover letter to the editor (s) of a different journal, or to a different journal altogether.
Submitting your manuscript without a cover letter or an incomplete one can impact the outcome of your submission. Strong cover letters efficiently introduce your work to the editor, but also communicates why your paper is of interest to the journal audience and contributory to overall science. In this Researcher Academy module, experts Anthony Newman and Lora Heisler give you important ...
3.1. First Cover Letter (Submit Letter) One point of view is that the cover letter's content should be covered in the manuscript's abstract ().A typical cover letter includes the name of editor (s) and the journal, date of submission, the characteristics of the manuscript (i.e., title, type of the manuscript, e.g., review, original, case report), the importance of the work and its ...
You may be required to submit a cover letter with your submission. Individual journals may have specific requirements regarding the cover letter's contents, so please consult the individual journal's Guide for Authors. A cover letter is a simple, brief business letter, designed to introduce your manuscript to a prospective Editor.
Learn how to write a cover letter for submitting a manuscript to a journal and responding to reviewers. Find sample cover letters and guidance on what to include in your correspondence.
Learn how to write a cover letter for submitting a manuscript to a journal, including what to include and what to avoid. See a sample cover letter and tips for suggesting reviewers and editors.
Writing a Strong Cover letter for Manuscript Submission When you send your manuscript to a publisher or literary agent, you will need to include the following information; - A letter of motivation - A biography of the author - A synopsis of your manuscript - Selection of sample chapters The first thing the editor or
A cover letter must accompany every manuscript submission. During the submission process, you may type it or paste it into the submission system, or you may attach it as a file. ... During manuscript submission, the submitting author must provide contact information (full name, email address, institutional affiliation, and mailing address) for ...
Each story counts as one entry. Poetry entries can include any number of poems up to 10 pages, but we recommend 5 to 7 poems per submission. (Please note that we rarely publish individual poems longer than 2 pages.) Please include your name, mailing address, email, and phone number in your cover letter and on the first page of your manuscript.