#Cover letter for article submission professional
#Cover letter for article submission series

In this paper, “cover letter” and “second letter” refer to the first/submit letter and the revised letter, respectively.Ī well-written cover letter is an effective tool for authors to sell their work to the journal editor and make a “good first impression”. Here, the authors respond to the suggestions/criticisms of the reviewers ( 10). 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.

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). 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.Ī cover letter is “a brief business letter”, which introduces the submitted manuscript to a prospective editor (s) ( 8).

#Cover letter for article submission series

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. Therefore, spending an adequate amount of time to write a coherent and persuasive cover letter is worth it. The cover letter may also be a “misleading commercial advertisement” where it would not represent the content of the manuscript ( 3).Īlthough 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. 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). Missing this opportunity may have unintentional consequences, rejection without further consideration instead of being sent for external peer-review ( 5, 6).

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). Amongst the different steps of the publication process, the cover letter is the last step and is often overlooked ( 5). In fact, some high-quality and prestigious journals pay specific attention to the cover letter ( 3). Providing a cover letter alongside the submission process is now required by most scientific journals.

In scientific writing and publishing, a cover/covering letter is a letter to the editor’s target journal ( 4). 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). The Cambridge dictionary defines a cover letter as “a letter that contains information about the thing it is sent with”.

#Cover letter for article submission professional

Here, we provide a practical guide to draft a well-written, concise, and professional cover letter for a scientific medical paper. 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. The letter also includes the contact information of the corresponding author (s) and may also include suggestions of potential reviewers. 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. 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.