tprest.blogg.se - Manuscript cover letter science

It's helpful to the journal editor to state if your work directly relates to a paper published by another author in the same journal.

Avoid using words like "esteemed" and "prestigious" to describe the journal: "We believe that these findings will be of interest to the readers of your esteemed/prestigious journal."

When stating that you think your work is a good fit for the journal, be sure not to use exaggerated flattery.

In fact, Nature guidelines state specifically to "avoid repeating information that is already present in the abstract and introduction." Instead, if you take sentences from your abstract as a base to work from, then try to craft a much shorter summary that clearly fits the journal's focus and that highlights the implications of your work for the journal's readers.

Avoid simply reproducing sentences verbatim from the abstract-which the journal editor will likely read next.

Conversely, if you are submitting to a publication with narrow scope, you can write about your findings in highly focused terms. For example, if you are submitting to a more general journal that has a diverse readership, underscore the possible impact your findings could have in multiple fields.

Be sure to tailor your statements so that they're in line with the readership of the journal.

(Journal editors may receive thousands of submissions annually, and many fulfill editing duties on top of their own research and teaching schedule, so you should strive to make their jobs easier by providing as concise a summary as possible.) This is your main chance to highlight the value of your work to the journal editor, so keep this short and focused.

In a new paragraph, summarize the purpose of your research (the research gap or problem it addresses), the main findings, and finally the implications of these findings.Addressing the letter to a named editor at the journal also shows that you took the time to write your letter (and by extension, your manuscript) with care and considered the fit with the journal beyond just impact factor. Cover letters that contain all of the information required by the journal (as stated in the guideline for authors) can indicate that you have spent time carefully formatting the manuscript to fit the journal's style. Some journals, such as Nature, state that while a cover letter is optional, it provides "an excellent opportunity to briefly discuss the importance of the submitted work and why it is appropriate for the journal." Some publishers, such as Springer, recommend that you write a cover letter to help "sell" your manuscript to the journal editor.ģ.

Cover letters can summarize your manuscript quickly for the journal editor, highlighting your most important findings and their implications to show why your manuscript would be of interest. These statements assert that the authors followed standard practices, which may include (i) adhering to ethical guidelines for research involving humans ( Declaration of Helsinki), involving animals ( ARRIVE guidelines), or falling under institutional guidelines (ii) obtaining ethics approval from institutional review boards or ethics committees (iii) obtaining informed consent or assent from participants (iv) complying with authorship criteria (e.g., ICMJE criteria) (v) confirming no duplicate submissions have been made and (vi) recommending reviewers for your paper, which may include specifying peers that you prefer not be contacted.Ģ. Cover letters that include standard statements required by the journal allow the journal staff to quickly confirm that the authors have (or say they have) followed certain ethical research and publishing practices. Cover letters can be helpful to journal staff in the following ways.ġ.