Sometimes they don’t know they’re doing it or they’re just trying their best. The following may not be critical, but they’re common areas that authors mess up. It may mean an extra half-hour of work for you, but if it helps get you published, isn’t it worth that small investment of time?“ Try to tailor your manuscript’s novel and interesting points specifically to the your target journal’s aims and scope. You need to think of what the journal wants. “ A typical cover letter just repeats the abstract. Get a colleague to read your cover letter before you send it.Oxford English spelling, correct page numbering, use of templates, and much more. It’s pretty unlikely your work is “groundbreaking” or “trailblazing,” though it may by the “first time ever” that a certain approach was taken with a certain population. Avoid superlatives – about the journal, yourself and your own work.It is not enough to simply say “Dear Editor” or “To whom it may concern.” Include the name, title and position of the editor you are addressing. Address the cover letter to the relevant person.Do this…Īll of the following are critical. If not, they’re still easily fixed with a little help. These are easily fixed if you’re a skilled English writer. Most “problems with journal cover letters relate to simply not spending enough time and care on it. What to do and what to avoid in your journal cover letter With a grasp of those, there are many ways to polish your cover letter into a valuable sales tool for your work. On the other end of the spectrum are PLOS ONE’s guidelines, which give specifics on what to include, including selecting Academic Editors from its directory.Īlways check the guidelines first to be sure you give the journal what it wants. Many journals don’t have a prescribed format for the cover letter. It’s how you express them and the quality of your message that mean the different between a dry overview and an attractive promotion of your work. Closing line (Sincerely, etc.) and the name and contact details for the manuscript’s corresponding author.(optional, depending on the journal) Funding information.(optional, depending on the journal and on if you want to do this) Recommended reviewers.Why your manuscript is a great fit for this journal.Briefly, what methods you used and what your key findings were.Why you performed the study (rationale).Background information regarding your work – what is already known about the subject matter?.Indication you’re submitting your manuscript, along with its title, and the category of manuscript you’re submitting (Original Report, Review, Case Study, etc.) based on what the journal accepts.Your cover letter needs certain basic elements. Read on.ĩ Get a cover letter template What do you put in a journal cover letter? We also have some journal cover letter templates and examples for you, so you don’t have to start from zero. Putting in that extra effort, just like on a job application, lets you sell your research, avoid quick rejections, and more likely make it to peer review. If your manuscript doesn’t have a cover letter and the 12 other articles on the editor’s desk do, it’s likely that your paper will be looked at last. They use cover letters to help them filter out the most interesting and appropriate submissions first.Ĭover letters also help identify articles completely out of the journal’s scope and that would be better off getting a quick letter of rejection. The truth is, most journal editors just don’t have the time to thoroughly read every submitted article in full to decide if it’s suitable for their journal. They’re a valuable step to getting your research noticed, published, and all the good things that come after that. They need great cover letters.Ĭover letters for journal submission are an underrated part of the submission process. Even great manuscripts often stand out based on the title or its contents alone.
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