The cover letter - How to submit the manuscript - Publishing the paper

How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

The cover letter
How to submit the manuscript
Publishing the paper

Finally, you should submit a cover letter with the manuscript (or provide equivalent information if an online submission system prompts you to do so). This letter, which is from the corresponding author, provides context for considering your paper. Most basically, it identifies the title of the article, the authors, and the journal to which the paper is being submitted. It may also identify the type of submission (for example, scientific paper or review article) and, if applicable, indicate the intended subject-matter section of the journal. Commonly, the letter must attest that the work is original and that the manuscript is not being considered by other journals. (Whereas one may apply to multiple graduate schools for admission and accept the best offer, standard practice is to submit a paper to one journal at a time. If the paper is not accepted, it can then be submitted to another journal.)

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The letter also may attest that all the listed authors qualify to be listed and that no one meeting the criteria for authors was excluded. In addition, it may indicate whether the authors have conflicts of interest and, if so, what these conflicts are. If some content of the paper has appeared previously (for example, in a conference abstract), the cover letter typically should state that. The letter also may do other things, such as mention a photograph or other image in the paper that may be well suited to appear on the cover of the journal.

Sometimes cover letters also suggest potential peer reviewers of the paper—or identify individuals whom the authors do not want as peer reviewers. Suggested reviewers should be scientists who can review the paper knowledgeably and without bias. They should not be people with conflicts of interest (for example, colleagues at the authors’ institution or mentors, close friends, or family members of the authors). They can, however—as may be inevitable in small fields—be people whom the authors have met at conferences or otherwise know casually. Only if serious reason exists to believe that someone will be biased or otherwise unsuitable should a request be made to exclude a potential reviewer. Such a request may be made if, for example, someone in the authors’ research area has had a major professional conflict with an author, is suspected of unscrupulous behavior, or is a spouse—or former spouse—of an author. Suggestions regarding reviewers are simply that: suggestions. The journal may follow them or not; commonly, they may use some reviewers suggested by authors plus some other reviewers. Journals often appreciate, and sometimes request or require, names and contact information of potential reviewers.

Explaining why the paper is believed to merit publication in the journal can also be useful in the cover letter. Doing so may be especially helpful if the relevance of the subject matter to the journal or the novelty or value of the research may not be immediately apparent. It also may be especially valuable if the journal is of broad scope, in which case the editor who first sees the paper might not be very familiar with the research topic and so might not readily recognize the importance of the contribution.

Some journals’ instructions to authors include guidance on what to include in the cover letter. If so, of course proceed accordingly.