Thread by @dsquintana

I think cover letters for manuscript submissions are more important than many people think.

Here’s how I approach mine, from my (limited) experience as an author and associate editor.

Don’t start with “Dear Editor”. Spend 30 seconds googling the name and title of the Editor.

Also, forget buzzwords or telling the Editor how great their journal is—they’ve heard it all before.

Get the perfunctory stuff (i.e., title of paper) out of the way quickly first, they already know this.

Don’t rehash the abstract verbatim, but summarise the main outcome. Another way of thinking of this is, “How would I tweet the main point of this paper?”

If the manuscript isn’t the usual type of paper that the journal publishes, spend a sentence or two explaining why it would still be of interest to the readership.

Also use this approach if there’s a common misunderstanding or limitation associated with your research area that could send your paper straight to the desk rejection pile. Address this head on.

Your manuscript cover letter shouldn’t be longer than a page, keep it succinct. Remember, these cover letters are sometimes read on smartphone screens

If you can, preprint your paper a week or two before submission, then mention the download numbers (and altmetrics if the Editor is active on Twitter) to demonstrate to the Editor that there is *already* interest in the work.

Carefully read the instructions for authors. Sometimes you need to include specific statements, like that this manuscript is not under consideration at other journals etc. For some, a sloppy cover letter is indicative of a sloppy manuscript, so get this right.

Sure, some editors ignore cover letters. But unless you know this for sure, do you want to take this chance? I don’t, so spend a bit of time putting them together.

Editors want to solve a specific problem: How can I fill my journal with manuscripts that the readership will find valuable?

Use your cover letter to show them that your manuscript will help solve their problem.