How to write a cover letter for journal submission?

When you submit your article to The Primary Education Journal, you need to include a cover letter. This is a great opportunity to highlight to the journal editor what makes your research new and important. The cover letter should explain why your work is perfect for their journal and why it will be of interest to the journal’s readers.

When writing for publication, a well-written cover letter can help your paper reach the next stage of the manuscript submission process – being sent out for peer review. So it’s worth spending time thinking about how to write a cover letter to the journal editor, to make sure it’s going to be effective.

To help you, we’ve put together a guide to explain how to write a cover letter for journal article submission. You will receive cover letter instructions of what you should include and what you shouldn’t. If you need further help to write a cover letter for a journal, you can download and use our sample template as a guide. 

What should my cover letter include?

Before you start to write, please check the instructions for authors (IFAs) of journal. You should also check the IFAs for any specific information on what to include.

Key points to include in your letter to the editor:

• Editor’s name (you can find this on the journal page).
• Your manuscript’s title.
• Name of the journal you are submitting to.
• Statement that your paper has not been previously published and is not currently under consideration by another journal.
• Brief description of the research you are reporting in your paper, why it is important, and why you think the readers of the journal would be interested in it.
• Contact information for you and any co-authors.
• Confirmation that you have no competing interests to disclose.