How to Write an Effective Covering Letter when submitting a Journal Article

How to Write an Effective Covering Letter When Submitting an Academic Article

Although there is a great deal of information available about how to write a covering letter when submitting a scholarly manuscript, composing an excellent letter to introduce advanced research remains a daunting task for many academics and scientists. The difficulty arises partly because a covering letter occupies an unusual position between formal professional communication and personal advocacy. You are writing to a journal editor in a professional capacity, but you are also being asked to explain why your own research deserves attention and publication.

Academic authors are generally trained to avoid unsupported claims, exaggerated language and overt self-promotion. A covering letter, however, requires a certain degree of confidence. You need to identify the most valuable aspects of your research and explain why an editor should invest time in considering the manuscript. Achieving this without sounding boastful, vague or repetitive requires careful judgement.

A good covering letter should therefore be viewed as a concise professional introduction to your manuscript. It is not a substitute for the abstract, nor is it simply an administrative formality. Its purpose is to help the editor understand what you are submitting, why the research matters and why the journal is an appropriate place to publish it.

1. Understand What the Covering Letter Is Supposed to Achieve

At the most basic level, your covering letter must state that you would like the editor to consider your manuscript for publication. However, a letter that does nothing more than announce the submission misses an important opportunity.

An effective covering letter should help answer several questions that will naturally occur to an editor:

• What is the manuscript about?
• What is new or particularly valuable about the research?
• Why is the work relevant to this journal?
• Why should the journal’s readers be interested?
• Are there any ethical, administrative or publication-history issues the editor needs to know about?

The editor should be able to read your letter quickly and form a clear impression of the manuscript’s contribution and suitability.

This is why simply copying the abstract into the covering letter is rarely effective. The abstract summarises the research. The covering letter positions that research for a particular publication.

2. Start by Thinking Like an Editor

One useful way to overcome the difficulty of beginning a covering letter is to reverse your perspective. Imagine that you are the acquisitions or journal editor considering the paper for publication.

What would make you want to read further?

You will probably already have a good idea of why your research is worthy of publication. Perhaps you discovered an unexpected relationship, produced new evidence concerning a controversial question, developed a more effective methodology or studied a population that previous researchers have largely overlooked.

These are the aspects to foreground.

A vague statement such as:

We believe that this is an important and novel study that will be of great interest to your readers.

does not give the editor much useful information. Almost every author believes that a submitted paper is important.

A more effective statement would explain exactly what makes the research distinctive:

Using longitudinal data collected from 1,850 participants over five years, our study identifies a previously unreported association between X and Y after controlling for the principal demographic and behavioural variables.

The second statement allows the editor to judge the potential significance of the work rather than simply being told that it is significant.

3. Revisit Your Manuscript Before Drafting the Letter

Once a manuscript has been written, revised and proofread several times, authors can become so familiar with it that its most interesting qualities are no longer obvious. Before drafting your covering letter, read the manuscript again from a slightly different perspective.

Do not read primarily to identify grammatical errors or methodological weaknesses. Instead, ask:

• What is the most fascinating result?
• What finding surprised us most?
• What problem does this research solve?
• What will another researcher be able to do or understand after reading this paper?
• Which part of the research would make an editor stop and pay attention?

Your introduction and conclusion are particularly useful places to look because they usually contain the manuscript’s research gap, principal contribution and broader implications.

You may be able to adapt some of this material for the covering letter, but avoid copying it word for word. Rewrite it for the editor and for the specific journal.

4. Research the Journal Before You Write

An excellent covering letter is almost always journal-specific.

Before writing, examine the journal’s aims and scope, author instructions and recent publications. Ideally, read or at least review the abstracts of several recent articles dealing with topics related to yours.

This research can tell you a great deal about the journal’s current priorities. It may reveal that the publication is particularly interested in:

• a developing theoretical debate;
• a particular research method;
• an emerging geographical area;
• interdisciplinary approaches;
• clinical or practical applications;
• a particular population or research problem.

If your manuscript connects naturally with one of these priorities, mention the relationship in your letter.

For example:

The manuscript aligns closely with the journal’s recent emphasis on X and extends this discussion by examining Y in a previously understudied population.

This demonstrates that you have selected the journal thoughtfully rather than submitting indiscriminately.

5. Consider the Journal’s Recent Publications

Taking a second look at recent issues can be especially productive. Scholarly journals are often more receptive to research that develops conversations already taking place in their pages, provided that the manuscript offers a genuinely new contribution.

You may discover, for example, that the journal recently published several papers about a particular phenomenon but none using your methodology. Alternatively, a recent article may have explicitly identified a research gap that your study addresses.

That connection can be mentioned briefly:

Our study builds on the journal’s recent discussion of X by testing the proposed relationship using a multi-site experimental design.

Do not force connections simply to flatter the journal or editor. Editors can usually recognise artificial praise. The relationship should be intellectually genuine.

6. Open the Letter Clearly and Professionally

The first paragraph should immediately identify the submission.

A straightforward opening is usually best:

Dear Dr Smith,

Please consider our manuscript, “Full Title of Manuscript,” for publication as an Original Research Article in the Journal of Example Research.

If relevant, you may add the approximate word count, number of figures or tables or supplementary materials, particularly if the journal requests this information.

There is generally no need to begin with a lengthy introduction about yourself. The manuscript is the reason for the correspondence, so it should appear immediately.

7. State the Contribution in Concrete Terms

After identifying the manuscript, explain what the research actually contributes.

This is where many covering letters become too abstract. Authors write that their findings are “significant,” “novel,” “timely” or “important” without explaining why.

Specificity is far more persuasive.

You might mention:

• the size or uniqueness of the dataset;
• a new method or analytical approach;
• a previously undocumented result;
• an unusually long follow-up period;
• evidence from an understudied population;
• a finding that challenges existing assumptions;
• an important practical implication.

Instead of advertising the manuscript, give the editor enough evidence to recognise its value independently.

8. Explain Why the Research Matters

Identifying the finding is only part of the task. The editor also needs to understand its implications.

Ask yourself what changes because of your research.

Does it:

• change how a theory should be interpreted?
• provide evidence that could influence practice?
• resolve inconsistent findings?
• introduce a more reliable research method?
• identify a previously overlooked risk?
• create opportunities for further investigation?

Connect the contribution to the readership of the journal.

For example:

These findings will be particularly relevant to the journal’s readership because they provide empirical evidence for a relationship that has previously been discussed primarily at a theoretical level.

This is more useful than simply stating that the paper will be “of broad interest.”

9. Distinguish the Covering Letter from the Abstract

There will inevitably be some overlap between the abstract and covering letter, but they should not perform identical functions.

The abstract normally tells readers:

• why the study was conducted;
• what methods were used;
• what was found;
• what the findings mean.

The covering letter should place greater emphasis on:

• why the findings deserve publication;
• why the paper belongs in this journal;
• what the journal’s audience gains from it;
• what the editor needs to know about the submission.

Think of the abstract as a miniature version of the article and the covering letter as a concise editorial introduction.

10. Highlight Methodological Strengths Selectively

You do not need to reproduce your methods section in the covering letter. However, a methodological feature may be worth mentioning when it strengthens the manuscript’s case for publication.

Examples include:

• a randomised controlled design;
• preregistered methods;
• an unusually large sample;
• data collected across multiple institutions or countries;
• a long observation period;
• a novel analytical method;
• independently validated results.

One concise sentence is usually enough.

The aim is to help the editor understand the strength of the evidence without overwhelming the letter with technical details.

11. Address Originality and Exclusive Submission

Many journals require authors to confirm that a manuscript is original and is not currently being considered by another publication.

A typical statement is:

This manuscript is original, has not been published previously and is not currently under consideration by another journal.

If all authors must approve the submission, you might add:

All authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to the journal.

Never make these declarations unless they are accurate.

12. Be Transparent About Preprints and Related Work

Modern publication practices mean that some manuscripts have already appeared as preprints, conference papers or preliminary reports before journal submission.

If the journal requests information about these versions, provide it openly.

For example:

A preliminary version of this analysis was presented at the 2025 International Conference on X. The present manuscript reports the complete dataset, additional analyses and revised conclusions.

If the manuscript has been deposited on a preprint server, mention this when required and follow the journal’s policy.

Transparency allows the editor to assess overlap appropriately and avoids unpleasant questions later in the publication process.

13. Include Ethics and Competing-Interest Information Where Required

Depending on the research and journal, the covering letter may also need to mention:

• ethical approval;
• informed consent;
• clinical trial registration;
• competing interests;
• funding;
• data availability;
• permissions for reproduced material.

Do not assume that every journal requires the same declarations. Check the author guidelines carefully.

Where ethical approval is particularly important, a concise statement may be useful:

The study received approval from the University Research Ethics Committee (Reference 12345), and all participants provided informed consent.

14. Handle Suggested Reviewers Professionally

Some journals invite authors to suggest suitable peer reviewers. If so, select researchers with genuine expertise who do not have conflicts of interest with you or your co-authors.

Depending on journal policy, reviewer suggestions may be entered into the submission portal rather than the covering letter. Follow the instructions provided.

If you are permitted to request the exclusion of particular reviewers, keep your explanation factual and professional. A genuine conflict of interest is a reasonable basis for exclusion. The fact that a scholar disagrees with your theoretical position is not necessarily one.

15. Keep the Letter Focused

Editors are busy. A covering letter should therefore provide useful information quickly.

For many submissions, a letter of approximately one page is sufficient. A practical structure is:

Paragraph 1: Identify the manuscript and article type.
Paragraph 2: Explain the principal contribution and findings.
Paragraph 3: Explain the fit with the journal and value to readers.
Paragraph 4: Provide required declarations and administrative information.
Closing: Thank the editor and provide corresponding-author details.

Complex manuscripts may require slightly more explanation, but length should always be justified by useful content.

16. Avoid Excessive Self-Promotion

There is an important difference between confidently presenting the value of your work and overselling it.

Expressions such as:

groundbreaking, revolutionary, world-leading, unprecedented and certain to transform the field

should be used with extreme caution.

Editors are more likely to respond positively to evidence:

This is the first study to compare X and Y using nationally representative longitudinal data.

That statement tells the editor exactly what is new. There is no need to label it revolutionary.

17. Avoid Excessive Humility as Well

The opposite problem can also weaken a covering letter.

Do not describe your work as a “small contribution” or apologise for submitting it. If you believe the manuscript is suitable for publication, present it confidently and professionally.

Academic courtesy does not require self-deprecation.

A balanced formulation might be:

We believe that the manuscript will be of particular interest to readers working on X because it provides new evidence concerning Y.

18. Personalise the Letter When Appropriate

If you know the editor’s name, address the letter correctly. Check the spelling of the editor’s name, academic title and preferred form of address.

If you have previously communicated with the editor about the manuscript, mention that context briefly.

For example:

Thank you for discussing this project with me at the International X Conference in June. Following our conversation, we have completed the additional analysis and are pleased to submit the resulting manuscript for consideration.

This type of personal reference can be helpful because it reminds the editor of an established scholarly conversation. However, it should only be used when the contact was genuine and relevant. Do not imply a closer relationship with an editor than actually exists, and do not assume that a previous conversation guarantees favourable treatment.

19. Proofread the Covering Letter as Carefully as the Manuscript

A covering letter may be short, but errors in it are highly visible. A misspelled editor’s name, the wrong journal title or an outdated manuscript title can immediately undermine the professional impression you are trying to create.

Before submitting the letter, check:

• the editor’s name and title;
• the journal name;
• the exact manuscript title;
• the article type;
• author names and affiliations;
• manuscript word count if mentioned;
• numbers of tables, figures and supplementary files;
• ethical approval details;
• declarations about originality and competing interests;
• corresponding-author contact information.

One particularly embarrassing mistake occurs when authors reuse a covering letter prepared for an earlier submission and forget to replace the previous journal’s name. Templates are useful, but every reused letter should be checked line by line before submission.

20. Avoid Generic Covering Letters

A generic covering letter may save a few minutes, but it rarely makes the strongest possible case for your manuscript. Editors can usually recognise standard wording immediately:

Please find attached our manuscript for consideration. We believe that it is suitable for your prestigious journal and will be of interest to your readers.

This kind of wording is polite but says almost nothing about the paper.

A more effective letter is tailored to the specific submission:

Our manuscript examines X using a five-year longitudinal dataset and addresses the unresolved question of Y. The study is particularly relevant to the Journal of Example Research because of the journal’s recent emphasis on Z and extends findings reported in its recent work on A and B.

The difference is substantial. The second version demonstrates knowledge of the journal and gives the editor a concrete reason to consider the manuscript.

21. Use the Journal’s Submission System as a Guide

Many online submission systems now request information that once appeared mainly in covering letters. You may be asked separately about:

• manuscript originality;
• competing interests;
• suggested reviewers;
• funding;
• ethical approval;
• preprints;
• data availability;
• previous submissions.

If the system already collects this information, there is usually no need to repeat every detail at length in the covering letter unless the journal explicitly asks you to do so.

The covering letter should complement the submission system rather than duplicate it unnecessarily. Use the available space to provide context and explain the significance and fit of your research.

22. A Practical Covering Letter Structure

A simple and effective covering letter can follow this structure:

Opening:
Identify the manuscript, article type and journal.

Contribution:
Explain the central finding or contribution in one or two concise sentences.

Journal fit:
Explain why the manuscript is suitable for the journal and why its readers will benefit.

Administrative declarations:
Confirm originality, author approval and any other information required by the journal.

Closing:
Thank the editor for considering the manuscript and provide the corresponding author’s details.

23. Sample Covering Letter for a Journal Article

Dear Dr Smith,

Please consider our manuscript, “The Effects of X on Y in Older Adults,” for publication as an Original Research Article in the Journal of Example Research.

Using longitudinal data from 1,850 participants followed over five years, we identify a previously unreported association between X and Y that remains significant after adjustment for the principal demographic and behavioural variables. These findings extend existing research by providing evidence from a large, multi-site population and suggest important implications for future work on Z.

The manuscript is closely aligned with the journal’s focus on X and Y and complements recent articles published in the journal concerning Z. We believe the study will be of particular interest to readers working in this area because it combines a large longitudinal dataset with a methodological approach not previously applied to this question.

This manuscript is original, has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere. All authors have reviewed and approved the submitted version. The study received appropriate ethical approval, and the authors declare no competing interests.

Thank you for considering our manuscript. We would be pleased to provide any additional information required.

Yours sincerely,
[Name]
[Affiliation]
[Email]

24. Common Covering Letter Mistakes

Even strong manuscripts can be introduced poorly. Common problems include:

• repeating the abstract almost word for word;
• using generic praise for the journal;
• making exaggerated claims about novelty or importance;
• failing to explain why the paper fits the journal;
• omitting declarations specifically requested by the journal;
• writing several pages when one would suffice;
• including irrelevant biographical information;
• criticising competing researchers or publications;
• suggesting inappropriate reviewers;
• forgetting to update a reused template.

Most of these problems are easy to avoid if you approach the covering letter as a separate publishing document rather than an afterthought completed immediately before submission.

25. Final Covering Letter Checklist

Before uploading or pasting your covering letter into the journal’s submission system, confirm that:

• the correct editor is addressed;
• the journal name is correct;
• the manuscript title exactly matches the submitted file;
• the article type is correctly identified;
• the principal contribution is stated clearly;
• the letter explains why the manuscript fits the journal;
• the value to the journal’s readers is clear;
• promotional language has been kept under control;
• required declarations have been included;
• preprints or related publications are disclosed where necessary;
• reviewer suggestions comply with journal policy;
• the letter is concise and professionally written;
• grammar, spelling and punctuation have been checked carefully.

Conclusion: Make the Editor’s Decision Easier

An effective covering letter does not guarantee acceptance, and it cannot compensate for weak research or a manuscript that falls outside a journal’s scope. What it can do is ensure that strong research is introduced clearly, professionally and persuasively.

The most successful letters help editors recognise the manuscript’s contribution quickly. They identify what is new, explain why the findings matter, demonstrate genuine alignment with the journal and provide the administrative information required for efficient processing.

Approach the covering letter as a professional conversation with the editor rather than a sales pitch. Be confident without exaggeration, specific rather than generic and concise without omitting important information. Research the journal, identify the strongest aspects of your paper and explain the relationship between the two.

Above all, remember that an editor reviewing a new submission is deciding whether the manuscript deserves the next stage of attention. A carefully prepared covering letter can make that decision easier by showing from the very beginning that you understand both your research and the publication to which you are submitting it.

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If you are preparing an article for an academic or scientific journal, you may also be interested in the Guide to Journal Publication, available through our Tips and Advice on Publishing Research in Journals website.