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Cover letters

A good cover letter can help to “sell” your manuscript to the journal editor. As well as introducing your work to the editor you can also take this opportunity to explain why the manuscript will be of interest to a journal’s readers, something which is always as the forefront editors’ mind. As such it is worth spending time writing a coherent and persuasive cover letter.

The following is an example of a poor cover letter:

Dear Editor-in-Chief, I am sending you our manuscript entitled “Large Scale Analysis of Cell Cycle Regulators in bladder cancer” by Researcher et al. We would like to have the manuscript considered for publication in Pathobiology. Please let me know of your decision at your earliest convenience. With my best regards, Sincerely yours, A Researcher, PhD

Instead, check to see whether the journal’s Instructions for Authors have any cover letter requirements (e.g. disclosures, statements, potential reviewers). Then, write a letter that explains why the editor would want to publish your manuscript. The following structure covers all the necessary points that need to be included.

• If known, address the editor who will be assessing your manuscript by their name. Include the date of submission and the journal you are submitting to.
• First paragraph: include the title of your manuscript and the type of manuscript it is (e.g. review, research, case study). Then briefly explain the background to your study, the question you sought out to answer and why.
• Second paragraph: you should concisely explain what was done, the main findings and why they are significant.
• Third paragraph: here you should indicate why the readers of the journal would be interested in the work. Take your cues from the journal’s aims and scope. For example if the journal requires that all work published has broad implications explain how your study fulfils this. It is also a good idea to include a sentence on the importance of the results to the field.
• To conclude state the corresponding author and any journal specific requirements that need to be complied with (e.g. ethical standards).

TIP: All cover letters should contain these sentences:

• We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.
• All authors have approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to [insert the name of the target journal].

Submission checklist

Before submitting your manuscript, thoroughly check its quality one more time. Evaluate it critically—could anything be done better?

Be sure that:

• The manuscript follows the Instructions for Authors
• All files are in the correct file format and of the appropriate resolution or size
• The spelling and grammar are correct
• You have contact information for all authors
• You have written a persuasive cover letter

Cover Letter Template for Springer Journals

[Your Name]
[Your Institution]
[Address]
[City, Postal Code, Country]
[Email Address]
[Date]

Dear [Editor’s Name / Editors],

On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to submit our manuscript entitled
”[Title of Manuscript]” as a [type of manuscript: Research Article / Review / Case Study]
for consideration in [Target Journal].

In this study, we [briefly explain the background of your study and the research question you aimed to answer].
This work addresses [state the problem or gap] and was motivated by [explain why it is important].

We conducted [concise explanation of the methods], and our findings demonstrate that
[main results]. These results are significant because [explain the novelty and broader implications].

We believe that our manuscript will be of particular interest to the readership of [Target Journal],
as it [explain how it aligns with the journal’s aims and scope, e.g., broad implications, relevance, or application].
We also believe that our results will contribute to advancing the field of [insert field].

We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration
by another journal. All authors have approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to [Target Journal].

The corresponding author for this manuscript is [Your Full Name, contact email].
We have complied with all journal-specific requirements, including [insert ethical standards / disclosures].

Thank you for considering our manuscript. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Institution]

CoverLetter

This study explores the proposal of a framework that enables the effective utilization of quantum annealing for practical matching optimization problems, aiming to enhance optimization performance. Our approach reduces the problem size by appropriately handling pairs with low matching potential. This enables more efficient exploration of the solution space while minimizing the impact on matching quality. Through experiments on randomized problem instances reveal the effects of problem size reduction and approximation performance, underscoring the effectiveness of our processing procedure, particularly in large-scale matching. Additionally, in a proof-of-concept experiment conducted in Sendai City with recruited participants, we confirmed that our framework can be applied in practical situations and demonstrated its effectiveness in making matching decisions.

author contribution

Y.M. performed the experiments and analyzed the results. T.T. proposed the problem formulation and assisted in the interpretation of the results. R.S. coordinated with stakeholders in Sendai City and facilitated the social implementation of the project. R.H. conceived and directed the project, managed its design and research direction, and led industry-academia-government collaboration, including external negotiations. M.O. conceived the idea of the analysis and supervised this work. All authors participated in discussions of the results and contributed to the final manuscript.