Cover letter for a journal manuscript submission

Authors are typically requested to provide a cover letter when submitting a manuscript in a journal for publication. Writing a clear and persuasive cover letter is very important. The cover letter is used to inform the scope, novelty, and research impact of the manuscript. Editors often view the cover letter to decide if the manuscript is suitable to the readership of the journal and can be considered for further evaluation through the peer review process. The authors are advised to carefully review the scope of the journal and the guidelines for authors on the journal’s website. An effective cover letter typically consists of the following information:

• Details of the manuscript, such as the title, word length, number of tables/figures, and type of manuscript (e.g., review or original research article)
• A brief description of the work (avoid jargon and acronyms)
• The reason(s) you are submitting to the particular journal 
• Novelty and research impact of the work
• A statement mentioning that the work was carried out with integrity and followed the necessary ethical approvals
• Any conflicts of interests
• A statement mentioning that the work has not been published or under consideration in other journals
• A statement indicating that all authors have given their consent for submission in the particular journal
• Sometimes authors are requested to suggest potential reviewers for the manuscript

Below are resources that can help you write an effective cover letter.

Articles:

• Gump, S. (2004). Writing successful covering letters for unsolicited submissions to academic journals. Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 35(2), 92-102. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/scp.2004.0007
• Barry, D. (2011). Cover letter and submission form preparation. Getting Published in the Life Sciences, 293. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118041673.ch22

Videos: 

• American Chemical Society (2011). Publishing Your Research 101 – Episode 2: Writing Your Cover Letter
• Editage Insights (2014). What makes a great submission package?
• Cell Press (2018). Publishing with Cell Press Part 1: Before Manuscript Submission
• McKee, K.L. (2020). How to Write a Cover Letter for a Journal Paper Submission

Books:

• Silvia, P. J. (2015). Write it up: Practical strategies for writing and publishing journal articles. American Psychological Association. ISBN: 978-1433818141. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/14470-000. IIT Gandhinagar Library Call Number: 808.02 SIL (Browse shelf)
• APA (2020), Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition. ISBN: 978-1-4338-3217-8

Websites

• APA Style (n.d.), Cover Letters, American Psychological Association
• Springer (n.d.), Cover letters
• Stanford University (n.d.), Write a Persuasive Cover Letter (for Your Research Paper Submission)