Cover Letters

* Check the journal’s Instructions for Authors
* Check to see whether the journal’s Instructions for Authors have any requirements for cover letters, e.g. disclosures, statements, potential reviewers.
* Then, write a letter that explains why the editor would want to publish your manuscript:

Common phrases:
* Please find enclosed our manuscript, “[manuscript title]” by [first author's name] et al., which we would like to submit for publication as a [publication type] in [name of the journal].
* To our knowledge, this is the first report showing…
* We believe our findings would appeal to the readership of [journal name].
* Please address all correspondence to:
* We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

All cover letters should include these sentences:
* We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.
* All authors have approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to [insert the name of the target journal].