Similarly, you should alert the editor if your paper contains new data that have been combined with previously published data. Your last paragraph should include a final statement assuring the editor that the work you have submitted has not been a) simultaneously submitted elsewhere and b) previously published in part or in whole. History will record whether your work was the first of its kind, not you. In the era of twitter and social media, this has become an increasingly popular phrase to throw about in scientific discourse, but it should be avoided in both your manuscript and your cover letter. ” or “To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration…” in the body of their manuscript. Many researchers include statements like “Here we show for the first time. You should do the same thing in this paragraph to the editor. Finally, you gave them a take home message (i.e., this is why you should care). Next, you summarized your Methods (i.e., this is what we did), and you provided your Results (i.e., this is what we found). You provided the reader with some scientific context (i.e., this is what the field currently knows). Think about what you did in your Abstract. You should think of your second paragraph as a shorter version of your Abstract. End with a sentence stating why this finding will be of interest of to the readers of the particular journal that you have chosen. ” Then, in a sentence or two, communicate the overall importance of what you have found and how it will impact the field – do not include details about your methods here (which you will save for the second paragraph). A reasonable opening sentence would be as follows: “We are submitting a manuscript titled “” that we wish to have considered for publication in. Your first sentence will always contain the title of your work. If this information is not provided by the journal, then you can simply begin with “Dear Editor:” as your salutation. Your cover letter should begin with a salutation addressing the Editor by name, (e.g., Dear Dr. The cover letter is your chance to showcase the importance your science. So you can see the importance of writing a compelling cover letter. But if the answer to the initial editorial question is no, then there is no need to advance the paper for peer review. If the answer to the initial editorial question is “yes, this sounds like an interesting and significant study,” then the editor will send it out for peer review and reviewers will evaluate the scientific merit of the work. Indeed, at this stage, the editor is giving you the benefit of the doubt that you have conducted sound research. Put simply, the editor will read your cover letter (and perhaps your abstract) and ask, “If everything the authors are telling me about their work is true, is the science of significant importance to the field and well-matched for our journal?” At this editorial stage, the editor makes no judgment about the quality of your work. At many journals, you must pass an initial hurdle even before your paper is sent out for peer review: editorial screening. The manuscript cover letter is not a mere formality. Like the Specific Aims page of a grant, the cover letter is an opportunity to succinctly describe what you have done, describe how your findings will impact the field, and communicate why these findings are particularly relevant to the particular journal that you have chosen. Most scientific journals require a manuscript cover letter that I must submit along with my manuscript. This guide outlines how to write a successful cover letter for your science manuscript. I make my final edits, and voila, I am done! Am I ready to submit? Not so fast. A year and a half of planning, executing and writing have resulted in this important document. I just finished passing around my nearly-finished manuscript with my co-authors and they have provided feedback.
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