How to Write a Journal Submission Cover Letter

You are submitting a research paper to a journal?
Or you are interested in the journal submission process?
And you may have questions such as:
✔ Why is the journal submission cover letter important?
✔ What should a journal submissions cover letter include (and exclude)?
✔ How to write a journal submission cover letter?

A strong journal submissions cover letter can impact an editor’s decision. It helps to convince editors to consider your research paper further and ultimately to determine whether to publish it in their journal. So, writing a cover letter is an essential part of this journal submission process.

This video gives full answers to all the questions above. At first, it focuses on the specific content that should be included in a submission cover letter. Then it shows you how to carry out by giving an in-depth analysis of a sample cover letter.

💡 Note:

* Inclusions in a Cover Letter for a Journal Submission:
- Follow your target journal’s instructions for authors.
- Failure to include required statements will lead to an automatic rejection.

* Essential information:
Editor’s name
Journal name
Manuscript’s title
Article type (review, research, case study, etc.)
Submission date
Brief background of your study and the research question
Brief overview of methodology
Principle findings and significance to scientific community
Corresponding author information
Prior/ current publishing status

* What you should NOT do:
Don’t use too much jargon or acronyms
Don’t over-embellish
Don’t name drop (focus on fittable contents).
Don’t write too much (should only make an introduction and brief overview).
Don't try to be entertaining

* Structure:
- Use formal language
- Structure for email cover letter will differ from that of PDF or hard copy

📌 Instruction to write a Cover Letter for a Journal Submission:

* The address:
[Journal Name]
[Journal Address]
[Submission Date: Month Day, Year]

Dear Dr./Mr./Ms. [Journal Editor’s last name]

- Include any graduate degrees in the addressee’s name:
[Journal Editor’s First and Last Name][, Graduate Degree (if any)]
- Or use the relevant title employed by the journal (if don’t know editor’s name)
[Title]

* Para.1:
Use 2–3 sentences to introduce your paper, including:
[paper title] [ journal title] [paper type] [One or two sentence “pitch” that summarize the study design, where applicable, your research question, your major findings, and the conclusion]

* Para. 2:
Use 2–5 sentences tell about the purpose of the research and contribution to this journal, including:
[context that prompted your research] [Reader Profile] [Journal Name]
[discuss achievements of previous literature and their gaps in knowledge] [identify the aspects of the journal’s Aim and Scope that align with your paper]
[show further and broader use of the work in this area of research].

* Para 3:
Do similar works that inspired or influenced your paper, including:
[Authors] [title of the journal it is published in]
- List 1-3 [Author(s) who wrote papers related to your research, title of paper, and journal it is published in]
=> Always check the formatting of the given journal for the guidelines on how to list the references.

* Para. 4:
Talk about Potential reviewers/Additional statements often required]
[Name, institution, email, expertise]
[Name, institution, email, expertise]
=> Include 3-5 reviewers since it is likely that the journal will use at least one of your suggestions.

* Para. 5:
- Ask for any frequently requested additional information to close out your cover letter.
- Write: “Thank you…”
- Write: “Sincerely,”
- Write the name of the lead author of the study and any authors that were included in this study

[Your Name]

Additional Contact [should the corresponding author not be available]

🎬 Video Chapters:
00:00: Intro
01:08: What to include
01:28: Common Elements
03:22: Structure
03:38: Sample Cover Letter
11:04: Outro