Journal Selection and Identification: Cover Letters for Journal Submission

This guide offers tips on how to select and identify potential journals to publish your research in.

Tips on Writing Cover Letters

A cover letter intended to be submitted with your article manuscript is not a formality. Care should be taken when writing such a letter. When writing a cover letter, keep these tips in mind:

Include a statement that your research has not been published elsewhere or is not under consideration for publication elsewhere
Keep it concise - at maximum, a page long
Do not copy and paste your abstract; write a clear paragraph explaining why your research is important and why that journal's readers would find it interesting
Make sure you are including all the information that the Instructions for Authors page on the journal's website asks you to
Publishers sometimes have their own templates - use those as a guide
Proofread, proofread, proofread! Make sure you letter is free of typos and is addressed to the correct editor and journal

Information above was taken from the sources below.

Image by Mehmed_Nurrohmad on Pixabay.

Key Information to Include in Your Cover Letter
A template of information that should be included in a cover letter. From Taylor & Francis.
Cover Letters
Information that should be included in a cover letter, with an example of a poor cover letter. From Springer.
Writing a Journal Cover Letter
A short guide to a good cover letter, along with a template. From American Journal Experts (AJE).
How to Write a Cover Letter
A cover letter template from Wiley.
Submitting Your Manuscript: Write the Right Cover Letter
A short guide to what should be included in a cover letter. From Cell Press.
Cover Letter and Submission Form Preparation
A chapter from "Getting Published in the Life Sciences" (2011) that includes guidance on how to prepare a cover letter as well as a sample template.