What goes in a cover letter
Keep it to one page. Editors appreciate brevity more than almost anything else.
Four paragraphs
This structure covers what almost every journal expects. Add or remove statements according to the guidelines.
| Paragraph | Contents |
|---|---|
| Opening | Manuscript title, article type, and that you are submitting it for consideration |
| The work | The question, what you did and the main finding, in two or three sentences |
| The fit | Why it suits this journal and its readers |
| Statements | Originality, not under review elsewhere, all authors approve, conflicts, anything else required |
The statements editors expect
That the work is original and has not been published. That it isn't under consideration at another journal. That all authors have approved the submission. Any conflicts of interest, or that there are none.
Mention preprints, related papers under review, and prior conference presentations of the same work. Disclosure up front avoids problems later.
Address it properly
Use the editor-in-chief's or handling editor's name if the journal lists one, with their title. "Dear Editor" is acceptable when no name is given. Get the journal's name exactly right.
Suggested and opposed reviewers
Some journals ask for these in the letter or the submission form. Suggest people with relevant expertise and no conflict of interest: not recent co-authors, colleagues at your institution or your former supervisor. You don't need to justify opposed reviewers at length; a brief reason is enough.
What to leave out
Claims that the work is "novel" or "groundbreaking" without saying how. A summary of every section. Your career history. Anything already in the manuscript that the editor doesn't need to make a decision.