Title (Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, or Co-Editors-in-Chief)
Journal Name
Journal Address
Submission Date: Month Day, Year
Dear Dr./Mr./Ms. Editor’s last name or Managing Editor or Editor-in-Chief:
Paragraph 1 [1-2 Sentences]: Introduce the manuscript title under submission with a brief summary of the manuscript’s major point or findings and how they relate to the journal’s aims and scope.
Paragraph 2 [1-3 Sentences]: A statement that the manuscript has neither been previously published nor is under consideration by any other journal. If there are multiple authors, a statement that they have all approved the content of the paper. Occasionally, you might note if you have publicly presented the research elsewhere.
Paragraph 3 [1-2 Sentences]: A thank you for the editor’s time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Corresponding Author
Institution Title
Institution/Affiliation Name
Institution Address
Email address
Telephone with country code
Fax, if available with country code
Additional Contact, if the corresponding author is not available for a multi-authored work
Institution Title
Institution/Affiliation Name
Institution Address
Email address
Telephone with country code
Fax, if available with country code
Journal Editor’s First and Last Name, Graduate Degree Title: Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, or Co-Editors-in-Chief Journal Name Journal Address Submission Date: Month Day, Year Dear Dr./Mr./Ms. Editor’s last name or Managing Editor or Editor-in-Chief: Paragraph 1 [1-2 Sentences]: Introduce the manuscript title under submission with a brief summary of the manuscript’s major point or findings. Paragraph 2 [ 2-3 Sentences]: Explain how the manuscript relates to recent publications in the journal. Paragraph 3 [2-5 Sentences]: Provide context for the research. Explain how the research relates to the journal’s aim and scope. Describe how the manuscript/research appeals to the journal’s audience. Paragraph 4 [1-3 Sentences]: A statement that the manuscript has not been previously published nor is under consideration by any other journal. If there are multiple authors, a statement that they have all approved the content of the paper. Occasionally, you might include if you have publicly presented the research elsewhere. Paragraph 5 [1-2 Sentences]: A selection of reviewers, if requested. Paragraph 6 [1-2 Sentences]: A thank you for the editor’s time and consideration. Sincerely, Your Name |
Remember, your first draft does not have to be your last. Make sure to get feedback from different readers, especially if this is one of your first publications. It is not uncommon to go through several stages of revisions. Check out the Writing Center’s handout on editing and proofreading and video on proofreading to help with this last stage of writing.
We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.
American Psychological Association. n.d. “Cover Letter.” APA Style. Accessed April 2019. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/research-publication/cover-letters.
Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2009. Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Press.
BioScience Writers (website). 2012. “Writing Cover Letters for Scientific Manuscripts.” September 29, 2012. https://biosciencewriters.com/Writing-Cover-Letters-for-Scientific-Manuscripts.aspx .
Jones, Caryn. n.d. “Writing Effective Cover Letters for Journal Submissions: Tips and a Word Template.” Think Science. Accessed August 2019. https://thinkscience.co.jp/en/articles/writing-journal-cover-letters.html .
Kelsky, Karen. 2013. “How To Write a Journal Article Submission Cover Letter.” The Professor Is In (blog), April 26, 2013. https://theprofessorisin.com/2013/04/26/how-to-write-a-journal-article-submission-cover-letter/ .
Kelsky, Karen. 2013. “Of Cover Letters and Magic (A Follow-up Post).” The Professor Is In (blog), April 29, 2013. http://theprofessorisin.com/2013/04/29/of-cover-letters-and-magic-a-followup-post/ .
Mudrak, Ben. n.d. “Writing a Cover Letter.” AJE . https://www.aje.com/dist/docs/Writing-a-cover-letter-AJE-2015.pdf .
Wordvice. n.d. “How to Write the Best Journal Submission Cover Letter.” Accessed January 2019. https://wordvice.com/journal-submission-cover-letter/ .
You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Craft your cover letter for journal submission the right way with our expert tips! Learn how to grab editors’ attention and stand it out.
When it comes to submitting a manuscript for publication in a journal, many authors focus solely on the quality of their research and the clarity of their writing. While these are important factors, it’s easy to overlook the role that a well-crafted cover letter can play in the submission process. A cover letter can be the key to getting your manuscript noticed by the editor and ultimately accepted for publication. In this article, we’ll explore the importance of a cover letter for journal submissions and provide tips for crafting an effective one.
A cover letter for journal submission is a document that accompanies a manuscript when it is submitted for publication in an academic or scientific journal. The purpose of the cover letter is to introduce the author and their work to the editor of the journal and to provide any additional information that may be relevant to the manuscript or the submission process. Furthermore, its purpose is to introduce the manuscript to the editor and provide additional information about the research and its significance. The cover letter should be concise and focused, typically no more than one page.
A cover letter should include several key elements to effectively introduce your manuscript. It’s important to personalize the letter for the specific journal, use a professional tone, and proofread carefully for errors. To make sure your cover letter is effective, there are several key elements that you should include:
Your cover letter should start with the date of submission, followed by the name and address of the editor or editorial staff who will be reviewing your manuscript. This information should be current and accurate to ensure your submission is directed to the right person.
The opening salutation of your cover letter should be professional and courteous, addressing the editor or editorial staff by name, starting with “Dear…”. Don´t forget to include the title and position of the editor you are addressing.
Your cover letter should have a clear statement of the purpose of your research and the journal to which you are submitting your manuscript. You should also include any administrative information required by the journal, such as the type of manuscript (e.g. original research, review article, case report) and the number of words or pages.
One of the most important elements of your cover letter is a summary of the main findings and implications of your research. This summary should be concise and focused, highlighting the most important aspects of your research and why it is significant to the field.
Many journals require specific statements or information to be included in the cover letter. This may include a statement that the manuscript has not been previously published or is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, or a list of potential conflicts of interest or funding sources that may have influenced the research.
If you have had previous contact with the journal, such as submitting a previous manuscript or attending a conference sponsored by the journal, it is important to mention this in your cover letter. This information can help establish a connection between you and the editor, which may increase the chances of your manuscript being accepted.
It is important to disclose any potential conflicts of interest or financial disclosures that may have influenced the research. This information can help ensure transparency and maintain the integrity of the research.
Your cover letter should include a statement indicating that all authors have read and approved the manuscript and that the work is original and not plagiarized. This information can help establish the credibility of the research and the integrity of the authorship.
Suggested Reviewers are generally considered a best practice and are often recommended by journals. Providing a list of suggested reviewers can help to ensure that the manuscript is reviewed by individuals who have the appropriate expertise and background to evaluate the work, and can help to speed up the review process by reducing the time needed for the editor to identify potential reviewers. This can help expedite the review process and increase the likelihood of your manuscript being accepted.
An important consideration when submitting a manuscript for publication is concurrent or duplicate submissions. Concurrent submissions occur when a manuscript is submitted to more than one journal at the same time. Duplicate submissions occur when a manuscript is submitted to the same journal more than once.
In the cover letter, you should clearly state whether the manuscript has been submitted elsewhere or whether it has been previously published. If the manuscript is under consideration elsewhere, you should provide the name of the journal and the date of submission. If the manuscript has been previously published, you should provide the citation for the publication.
When closing a cover letter for journal submission, it’s important to maintain a professional and courteous tone. A common closing salutation is “Sincerely,” followed by your name. However, some alternatives that are also appropriate include “Best regards,” “Thank you for your time and consideration,” or “Respectfully.” Whichever salutation you choose, make sure it matches the tone of your letter and conveys your appreciation for the editor’s consideration.
A request to exclude reviewers is a common feature of a cover letter for journal submission, particularly in cases where the author has concerns about potential conflicts of interest or bias that could affect the review process.
When making a request to exclude reviewers, the author should provide a clear and concise explanation of the reasons for the request and should provide specific details about any potential conflicts of interest or concerns that they may have. It is also important to note that some journals may have specific guidelines or policies regarding requests to exclude reviewers, and authors should familiarize themselves with these guidelines before making a request.
In general, it is recommended that authors provide a minimum of three to five potential reviewers who are not affiliated with the author or their institution, in order to provide a broad range of expertise and perspectives. When making a request to exclude reviewers, it is also important to provide alternative suggestions for potential reviewers who could be considered in their place.
A well-crafted cover letter can help your manuscript stand out and increase your chances of being accepted for publication. Here are some tips for writing an effective journal submission cover letter.
One of the most important tips for writing a journal submission cover letter is to proofread it carefully. Typos, spelling errors, and grammatical mistakes can detract from the professional image you want to project. Make sure to read the letter multiple times and have someone else read it over as well to catch any errors you may have missed.
Another important tip is to keep the cover letter brief and to the point. The cover letter should provide a brief introduction of the manuscript and the key findings, as well as any other information that is necessary for the editor to understand the importance and relevance of the manuscript. The letter should be no more than one page in length.
It can be helpful to review examples of cover letters for journal submissions to get an idea of the style, tone, and content that is appropriate. You can search for examples online or ask colleagues who have submitted manuscripts for publication for their advice. When reviewing examples, pay attention to the language used, the level of detail provided, and the overall organization and structure of the letter. This can help you craft a cover letter that is professional, informative, and effective.
A cover letter is an important component of manuscript submission for publication in a journal. Using a template can help ensure that your cover letter includes all the necessary information and follows the proper format. Here is a guide to creating a cover letter template for a journal article submission.
The header should include your contact information, including your name, affiliation, and contact details (address, phone number, and email address), the date of submission, and the name and address of the journal.
The opening paragraph should provide a brief introduction to the manuscript and its key findings. This paragraph should also mention the purpose of the manuscript and why it is relevant to the journal’s readership. You may also want to mention any previous correspondence or contact with the journal.
The body of the cover letter should include several paragraphs that provide more detail about the manuscript. This may include a summary of the methods used, key results and findings, and implications for future research. You may also want to mention any notable limitations or challenges encountered during the research process.
It is also important to address any specific requirements or requests from the journal, such as a particular format for tables or figures, or specific information to be included in the manuscript. You should also mention any funding sources or conflicts of interest that may be relevant.
The closing paragraph should reiterate the significance of the manuscript and its contribution to the field. You may also want to mention any potential reviewers for the manuscript or suggest reviewers who would be appropriate. Finally, you should include a polite and professional closing, such as “Sincerely” or “Best regards”, followed by your name and signature.
When writing a cover letter for journal submission, it’s important to use appropriate and professional language. Here are some common expressions that can be used in cover letters:
“We are pleased to submit our manuscript…”
“The research reported in this manuscript addresses a significant gap in the literature…”
“We believe this manuscript will be of interest to your readership because…”
“Our findings have important implications for future research in this field.”
“We would like to thank the reviewers and editors for their time and consideration.”
“We look forward to hearing from you regarding the status of our manuscript.”
“Thank you for your time and consideration.”
These expressions can be used to convey important information in a professional and concise manner. When using these expressions, it’s important to tailor them to the specific journal and to make sure they are appropriate for the content of your cover letter.
Submitting a journal article can be a challenging and sometimes frustrating process. However, by following some tips and hacks from the experts, you can increase your chances of success. Here are some tips and hacks to help you submit your article to a journal:
Before submitting your article, make sure you choose the right journal. Consider factors such as the journal’s scope, readership, and impact factor. Make sure your article fits with the journal’s focus and aims.
Read the journal’s submission guidelines carefully and follow them closely. Pay attention to formatting, length, and other requirements. Failure to follow the guidelines could result in your article being rejected without review.
Before submitting your article, get feedback from colleagues or mentors. Ask them to read your manuscript and provide constructive criticism. This can help you identify potential weaknesses and improve the quality of your article.
Your abstract is often the first thing that editors and reviewers will read. Make sure it is clear, concise, and provides a compelling summary of your article. Highlight the key findings and implications of your research.
Use clear and concise language when writing your article. Avoid jargon, technical terms, and complex language that could be difficult for readers to understand. Write in a way that is accessible to a broad audience.
If your article is rejected or requires revisions, make sure you carefully address all reviewer comments. Be thorough and professional in your responses. This can increase your chances of acceptance in future rounds of review.
Keep records of all correspondence with the journal, including submission dates, reviewer comments, and decisions. This can help you stay organized and keep track of the progress of your article.
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Journal cover letters are your chance to lobby on behalf of your manuscript. This AJE Journal Cover Letter Guide offers some useful tips for getting them right. It also includes a free journal cover letter template.
Updated on September 20, 2018
The cover letter accompanying your journal submission is your chance to lobby on behalf of your manuscript. The letter is far from just a formality and should be written with the same care as your manuscript's text (if not more). Ultimately, your cover letter is designed to influence the decision of the editor to send your manuscript out for peer review. The letter will argue that your manuscript is a good fit for the journal you are submitting it to and highlight your most important findings. Let us help you produce the most effective cover letter possible.
Getting ready to submit your manuscript? Download our comprehensive Free Journal Cover Letter Writing Guide with Template .
Address the editor formally by name, if known. Include your contact information, as well. This information is probably available through the journal's online submission system, but it is proper to provide it in the cover letter, too.
Begin your cover letter with a paragraph that states the name of the manuscript and the names of the authors. You can also describe what type of manuscript your submission is (research article, review, case report, etc.). In this first paragraph and the next, describe the rationale behind your study and the major findings from your research. You can refer to prior work that you have published if it is directly related.
Next, write a short paragraph that explains why your manuscript would be a good fit for the journal. Do not simply state that your manuscript is “of interest to the field” or “novel.” Address specific aspects of the journal's Aims & Scope statement. If the journal expresses interest in research with a clinical application, be sure to highlight the importance of your work in terms of clinical implications. If the journal mentions that it focuses on nanostructured materials, explain how your work involved such materials. Even if your work is not a perfect fit for the journal, be sure to address some of the Aims & Scope statement, and explain why your manuscript would be of interest to the journal's readers.
Finally, close with a brief paragraph indicating the following:
Together, this information provides assurance to the editor that your manuscript merits consideration for publication in their journal and that you are interested specifically in their journal. Sometimes great science will be reviewed regardless of the cover letter, but a well written cover letter is useful for the vast majority of scientists who want to make their research stand out.
Best of luck with your research! If you have any questions about your cover letter, write us anytime.
Ben Mudrak, PhD
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Download a Microsoft Word template for a standard journal cover letter (also available with instructions in Chinese , Japanese , Korean , Portuguese , and Spanish ).
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1 Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Khosrow kashfi.
2 Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, School of Medicine, City University of New York, New York, USA
3 Endocrine Physiology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
A cover (covering) letter is a brief business letter introducing the scientific work alongside the submission process of a manuscript and is required by most scientific peer-review journals. A typical cover letter includes the name of the editor and the journal, date of submission, the characteristics of the manuscript, the importance of the work and its relevance to prospective audiences, declarations such as author agreements, conflicts of interest statement, funding source (s), and ethical statements. The letter also includes the contact information of the corresponding author (s) and may also include suggestions of potential reviewers. Spending enough time to draft an informative, comprehensive, and concise cover letter is quite worthwhile; a poorly drafted one would not persuade the editor that the submitted work is fit for publication and may lead to immediate rejection. Here, we provide a practical guide to draft a well-written, concise, and professional cover letter for a scientific medical paper.
The Cambridge dictionary defines a cover letter as “a letter that contains information about the thing it is sent with”. The cover letter is commonly known as a motivation letter submitted along with the curriculum vitae (CV) or a job application for employment ( 1 ) or academic position ( 2 ), and it is not clear why and how it was introduced into the scientific field ( 3 ). In scientific writing and publishing, a cover/covering letter is a letter to the editor’s target journal ( 4 ).
Providing a cover letter alongside the submission process is now required by most scientific journals. In fact, some high-quality and prestigious journals pay specific attention to the cover letter ( 3 ). Amongst the different steps of the publication process, the cover letter is the last step and is often overlooked ( 5 ). One of the most common complaints voiced by editors regarding submitted manuscripts is that the authors neglect to write a well-written cover letter, including a statement justifying the importance of their work ( 6 ). Missing this opportunity may have unintentional consequences, rejection without further consideration instead of being sent for external peer-review ( 5 , 6 ). Contrary to this view, some believe that the cover letter’s content overlaps with the manuscript’s abstract and gives mostly redundant information already found within the online submission system ( 3 ). The cover letter may also be a “misleading commercial advertisement” where it would not represent the content of the manuscript ( 3 ).
Although many editors may not read or seriously consider the cover letters of the submitted manuscripts ( 3 , 4 ), neglecting the importance of the cover letter may be a risk for the authors. Therefore, spending an adequate amount of time to write a coherent and persuasive cover letter is worth it. Following our previous publication on choosing a journal in a new series entitled Scientific Publishing in Biomedicine ( 7 ), here, we provided a practical guide to draft a well-written, professional, and concise cover letter needed to be accompanied by an original scientific paper, either with the initial submission or subsequently at revision/resubmitting stage. Since there are subtle differences in writing a cover letter for an original research paper versus a review article or an opinion, some points for drafting a cover letter for such papers are also discussed.
A cover letter is “a brief business letter”, which introduces the submitted manuscript to a prospective editor (s) ( 8 ). There are essentially two types of letters; the first is the one that is initially submitted with the manuscript (cover letter), and the second is when a revision is being submitted (revised letter). The first letter introduces the work at the initial manuscript submission ( 9 ), while the second one is needed following an invitation to revise and resubmit the manuscript. Here, the authors respond to the suggestions/criticisms of the reviewers ( 10 ). In this paper, “cover letter” and “second letter” refer to the first/submit letter and the revised letter, respectively.
A well-written cover letter is an effective tool for authors to sell their work to the journal editor and make a “good first impression”. A cover letter is a summary that highlights the main points, emphasizes the novelty, and communicates the potential implications of the submitted work ( 3 ). A cover letter allows the authors to persuade the editors regarding the novelty/originality and significance of the research in a less formal manner than in the manuscript itself ( 6 ). A well-written and informative cover letter helps the journal’s editor to be informed about the work and its significance. Regardless of the novelty and significance of the submitted manuscript, editors may miss those points without providing insights in a cover letter ( 5 ).
3.1. first cover letter (submit letter).
One point of view is that the cover letter’s content should be covered in the manuscript’s abstract ( 3 ). A typical cover letter includes the name of editor (s) and the journal, date of submission, the characteristics of the manuscript (i.e., title, type of the manuscript, e.g., review, original, case report), the importance of the work and its relevance to the readership of the journal, verification of the originality of the work, the authors’ confirmation that the manuscript is currently submitted only to this journal, declarations and ethical statements, suggested potential reviewers, and contact information of the corresponding author of the submitted work ( 5 , 6 ). Other manuscript characteristics, including the length and number of tables and figures, can also be indicated. If the manuscript belongs to a special issue or is being submitted upon an official invitation from the journal’s editorial office, it should also be addressed. The main contents of the first cover letter are described in Table 1 .
Variables | Values |
---|---|
Editor (s)’ name and position (in bold print); Date of submission (MM-DD-YYYY) | |
First paragraph (manuscript’s characteristics) | Title of the manuscript (in bold print); Type of the manuscript, Name of the journal; Address if the manuscript belongs to a special issue or is being submitted upon an invitation; The length of the manuscript, the number of tables and figures |
Second paragraph | The line of research presented in the manuscript; Novelty/significance/implication statement (s) (i.e., brief explanation regarding the research background of the study, the question answered in the study, the importance of study findings, and the take-home-message); Address to potential readers (i.e., indicating why the journal’s readers would be interested in this study) |
Third paragraph (declarations/obligatory statements) | Author agreement statement; Conflict of interest statement; Funding source declaration; Ethical standards or other statements required by the journal; Permission statement (if the manuscript contains previously published materials); Statement regarding English native editing (if applicable); Potential reviewers |
“Sincerely,” or “Best regards,” or …; Sign of corresponding author (s) (with full name and academic position); Contact information of corresponding author and co-authors (if required by the journal) (i.e., affiliation, postal address, email address) |
The most critical element of a cover letter is a “statement of novelty/significance/implication.” The authors are advised to carefully write a brief and concise description of their work’s impact toward communicating its significance ( 6 ). The authors are strongly advised not to copy the abstract into the cover letter and instead explain in their own words the significance of the work and the reason for submitting it to the journal ( 11 ). If this information is lacking, the editors may rely on the reviewers who may not appreciate the significance of the work and just focus on the technical issues rather than the scientific value of the work ( 5 ). Providing a clear and robust statement of novelty and significance would be more critical for editors and potential reviewers with diverse and interdisciplinary backgrounds ( 6 ).
The statements are expected to answer the following questions: (1) why is the work important? (e.g., emphasizing a new measurement, a new diagnostic method or criterion, a newly discovered biological process); and (2) how does the work advance current knowledge in the field? The best approach to answer this question is by describing the current state of knowledge in the field and clarifying how the work provides an added value by answering a previously unanswered question, finding the solution to a problem, or improving existing methods ( 5 ). Checking the recently published papers on similar topics in the journal provides new insights for the authors to clarify in the cover letter as to how the manuscript follows the publication trends of the journal and will add something new that would be relevant to the trend ( 12 ).
The cover letter is also expected to emphasize why the manuscript will attract the journal’s readers ( 5 ). The authors also need to consider the journal’s Aims and Scope to underscore how the manuscript would fit within the journal’s scope and attract potential readers ( 13 ). Instead of stating simply that the manuscript is “of interest to the field” or “novel,” the authors should address specific aspects of the journal’s Aims and Scope statement, e.g., “We believe that this manuscript is appropriate for publication by [journal name] since it… [reference to the journal’s aims and scope] ( 11 ).
For a review, opinion, or a trends paper, emphasizing the timeline and novelty is needed, as stated by Sacristán, the editor of trends in molecular medicine: “The synthesis and conceptual advance should be particularly stated in terms of what is new and has been trending in the field for the last one to five years”. She also recommends that the authors need to provide a future perspective beyond the main take-home message of the manuscript for a trends paper and take a strong and novel stance on a hypothesis or idea for a cover letter of an opinion manuscript ( 14 ).
The cover letter must contain some predefined statements, including the “author agreement” statement ( 13 ). An “author agreement” is a statement to confirm that “all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript being submitted” ( 8 ). Furthermore, “the authors warrant that the manuscript is their original work, has not received prior publication and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere” ( 8 ). Some journals may request the corresponding author to confirm that he/she will take responsibility for informing co-authors of editorial decisions, reviews received, and any changes or revisions made; additionally, the editor (s) should be informed about any closely related manuscript (s) simultaneously submitted for consideration to the same or another journal ( 15 ). The authors also should declare if any part of the submitted work has been previously published elsewhere, even as an abstract ( 16 ); e.g., “there is some overlap in the content of the introduction section, which we have noted in the text”.
Depending on the journal’s policy, other statements, including “conflict of interest statement”, “funding source declarations”, and “permission note”, may also be required to be included in the cover letter ( 8 , 11 ). As indicated by Elsevier, a conflict of interest statement, known as a disclosure statement, is a declaration from the author that “there is no financial/personal interest or belief that could affect their objectivity”. The publisher emphasizes that the authors should declare and state the potential conflict’s source and nature in cases where a conflict of interest exists. A funding source declaration is defined by the publisher as “a declaration of any funding or research grants (and their sources) received in the course of study, research or assembly of the manuscript”. Elsevier also defines the permission note as a statement that declares that “permission has been received to use any material in the manuscript such as a figure, which is not original content” ( 8 , 17 ). Other statements like “Statement of English native editing” may also be added.
Furthermore, informing the editor (s) regarding any information that will support the submission (e.g., original or confirmatory data, supplementary materials, relevance, topicality) can be helpful ( 8 ). Other operational information, typically provided within checkboxes of the journal’s submission system, is not required to be included in the cover letter ( 5 ).
The second cover letter, which accompanies the revised version of the manuscript, must be a model of clarity and must address every issue posed by the editor and reviewers ( 10 ). If the revised manuscript is sent for the second round of peer-review, the reviewer (s) will see the letter. The content of the header and footer sections of the revised letter is similar to that of the submitted cover letter. The letter should be directed to the editor as addressed in the first letter unless the authors are informed that a new editor will process the revised version ( 10 ). The first paragraph should start with an “expression of polite gratitude”, e.g., “we would like to thank you for the opportunity to revise and resubmit our manuscript.” The “manuscript ID” or “identification number,” usually assigned by the journal in the first submission, should be addressed in the first paragraph ( 10 ).
The second paragraph usually “signals attention to the reviewers’ comments” by providing an explicit reference to the comments made by the reviewers and the editor. Furthermore, it may contain a positive statement regarding the results, methodology, conclusions, etc., in which case the authors need to acknowledge reviews’ insights ( 10 , 18 ). For example, “We sincerely appreciate all the valuable comments and suggestions made, which helped us improve the revised version of our manuscript” or “we found the reviewers’ comments helpful in guiding us to revise the manuscript.” Such statements will help the authors in creating a polite, formal tone throughout the letter. The paragraph should be followed by providing the editor with a roadmap or a summary of the revisions, addressing “the response to comments attachment.” A point-by-point response to the specific comments of the reviewers must be provided. If the authors disagree with a point raised by a reviewer, a rebuttal or counterstatement may be in order. A scientific and polite approach should spell out why the authors disagree, never losing sight of the reviewer’s opinion ( 19 ).
The footer section (closing salutation) of the letter returns to polite formalities, using statements like “we hope that the revised version of our manuscript is now acceptable to the reviewers, and suitable for publication in the [name of journal], we look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience” ( 10 ).
Although it is not a rule, the cover letter’s content can be organized within a cover letter header (opening salutation), three main paragraphs (the body of cover letter), and a cover letter footer (closing salutation), as described in Table 1 .
The cover letter should be initiated by addressing the editor (s) and the target journal; however, the author’s affiliation and contact information may also be included at the top of page ( 4 ). The name of the editor (s) can be easily found on the journal’s information page. If it is known, the authors must address the editor who will receive the manuscript and handle the peer-review process ( 13 ). If there are several co-editors, the person the author feels has the most appropriate background, and specialty of the topic should be addressed. In cases where such information is lacking, authors can mention all editors by name or address the letter to “dear editors” ( 12 ); however, it has been recommended to avoid writing “dear editor” ( 16 ). Also, the submission date and the journal’s name where the manuscript will be submitted are required ( 13 ).
In the first paragraph of the cover letter body, to introduce the submitted work, the title and the type of manuscript, authors’ name, journal name, and manuscript length are presented ( 4 ). In addition, it is mentioned that whether the manuscript is submitted upon an invitation or belongs to a special issue. The importance of the study, including novelty, potential implications, and its take-home message, are addressed in the second paragraph of the cover letter body. In addition, it is explained why the work would be attractive for journal readers. The third paragraph of the cover letter body includes some statements including authorship agreement, conflicts of interest, funding source, and ethical considerations. If required, potential reviewers are also suggested here.
Within the closing salutation, the authors can appreciate the editor for taking the time to read the cover letter and considering the submitted work for potential publication.
The authors need to spend plenty of time crafting their cover letters. They are advised to avoid too many details and keep it within one page (less than 200 words), like an introduction or a brief overview ( 4 , 11 ). The authors should check the guide for authors and cover letter suggestions provided by the journal, including all the requirements, e.g., specific disclosures, statements, and potential reviewers. Some publishers (e.g., Springer, https://www.springer.com/gp/authors-editors/journal-author/cover-letters/1398, Taylor & Francis, https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-your-research/making-your submission/writing-a-journal-article-cover-letter/) provide sample cover letters that the authors can use. Figure 1 provides a sample for a cover letter.
If the authors address previously published papers in the cover letter, then appropriate citation should be considered. The authors should carefully check the letter for any spelling and grammatical errors ( 11 , 20 ). They should make sure that they correctly spell the name of the journal’s editor (s) ( 4 ). Being careless regarding the editor’s name or the change of a journal’s name in a cover letter of a resubmitted manuscript, can be embarrassing and make a bad impression ( 4 ). It is suggested that the cover letter be written on the authors’ institutional letterhead to display professionalism and reliability ( 20 , 21 ).
When authors suggest a number of potential reviewers, they should avoid suggesting their friends and colleagues, as this would be viewed as a conflict of interest. Collaborators whom the authors have published with in the past five years should not be suggested either; an editor may easily be informed of such associations by a quick search of PubMed or other databases ( 22 ). The authors should avoid using complex sentence structures, jargon, and acronyms and keep the text straightforward and easy to read ( 11 , 20 ). The authors should also avoid including unrelated personal information or glorifying their past research papers or any of their academic accolades ( 20 ). They must not be rude towards the editors or complement the editor’s accomplishments ( 4 ). The novelty statement should not exaggerate or overstate the findings of the work; furthermore, any conclusion stated should be completely supported by the data provided in the manuscript ( 23 ). Finally, authors are recommended not to write a generic cover letter that could be used for any manuscript and could be sent to any journal ( 21 ).
In summary, a cover letter should highlight the novelty, importance, take-home message, and goodness-of-fit of the manuscript to the journal. These are critical information that can persuade an editor that the submitted work merits publication consideration in the journal. The cover letter should not be general but should be custom-written for the target journal. Although the submitted manuscript may usually pass through the peer-review process and get published regardless of the cover letter, a well-written, informative, and concise cover letter increases the chance of gaining acceptance.
Authors' Contribution: Study concept and design, Zahra Bahadoran and Asghar Ghasemi; Drafting of the manuscript, Zahra Bahadoran, Parvin Mirmiran, and Asghar Ghasemi; Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, Khosrow Kashfi and Parvin Mirmiran.
Conflict of Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest.
Funding/Support: This study was supported by the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (grant number 28127).
A cover letter (sometimes referred to as a justification or letter to reviewers) is an excellent opportunity for you to promote your work to the editor and reviewers
Please note, these guidelines are relevant to all of our journals. Make sure that you check your chosen journal’s web pages for specific guidelines too.
This is a chance for you to explain the importance of the work submitted and why it is most suitable for the journal. Your cover letter will be sent to reviewers.*
Things to consider:
*NB: cover letters are not sent to reviewers for Chemical Science . Some journals may also have particular requirements to be included in the cover letter, please check the journal specific guidelines for further information.
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Home » Blog » Mastering the Effective Cover Letter for Journal Submission: A Comprehensive Guide
When it comes to submitting your scientific manuscript to a journal, think of your cover letter as your first handshake with the editor. It’s not just a courtesy; it’s an integral part of the submission process. An effective cover letter is your chance to make a strong first impression, to say, “Hey, I’ve got something valuable and exciting to share with your readers.” But it’s more than just a greeting; it’s a strategic tool to advocate for your manuscript.
A well-crafted and effective cover letter does several things. First, it introduces your work to the editor and provides a succinct overview of your study and its significance. It’s your opportunity to explain why your research fits perfectly within the scope of their journal, potentially solving a puzzle or advancing the field in a way that their readership will find compelling.
Moreover, this cover letter sets the stage for your manuscript, highlighting its strengths without overselling them. It addresses any potential concerns an editor might have, such as the study’s uniqueness or ethical considerations, head-on. By doing so, you’re not only showing transparency but also building trust with the journal’s editorial team.
But let’s not forget, the cover letter also serves as a platform to showcase your professionalism and attention to detail. A well-written, error-free letter reflects your commitment to quality, suggesting that the same level of care has been applied to your research and manuscript.
In essence, the cover letter for your journal submission is your advocate, concierge, and first ambassador all rolled into one. It champions your manuscript, ensuring it gets the consideration and review it deserves. So, mastering the effective cover letter is not just about following a format—it’s about understanding its role in your publication journey and leveraging it to set your research apart.
Crafting an effective cover letter for your journal submission is akin to mapping out a well-planned journey for your manuscript. It requires a clear structure, compelling content, and a strategic approach to guide the editor through your submission. Here’s what every winning cover letter should include:
Start with the basics: Mention the title of your manuscript and the journal you’re submitting to. Introduce your study briefly, emphasizing its relevance and why you believe it’s a good fit for the journal.
This is where you shine a spotlight on the importance of your research. What gap does it fill? How does it advance the field? Make it clear why your work matters and should be read by the journal’s audience.
Demonstrate your familiarity with the journal by explaining how your manuscript aligns with its aims and scope. This shows respect for the editor’s work and positions your study as a valuable addition to their publication.
Highlight the main findings of your research and its theoretical or practical contributions to the field. Be succinct but persuasive, providing just enough detail to intrigue the editor and underscore the novelty and relevance of your work.
If there are unique circumstances or potential concerns with your submission (e.g., closely related publications, multi-part studies), address them upfront. Honesty and transparency can preempt misunderstandings and demonstrate your integrity as a researcher.
Wrap up your cover letter by reiterating your enthusiasm for the opportunity to publish in the journal and thanking the editor for considering your work. A courteous and professional closing leaves a positive, lasting impression.
Don’t forget to include your contact information, making it easy for the journal’s editorial team to reach you with questions or updates regarding your submission.
Remember, the goal of your effective cover letter is not to regurgitate the details of your manuscript but to complement it by highlighting its significance, novelty, and fit for the journal. Think of it as the opening argument in your case for publication, laying a solid foundation for the detailed evidence presented in your manuscript.
The opening lines of your effective cover letter for journal submission are where you set the tone and engage the editor. It’s more than just stating the title of your manuscript and your intent to submit; it’s about making a connection. Here’s how to personalize your introduction effectively:
Making a strong first impression with your introduction is crucial. It’s your chance to engage the editor from the get-go, setting the stage for the rest of your cover letter and, ultimately, your manuscript. By personalizing your introduction, you not only demonstrate respect for the journal and its editorial team but also start building a rapport that can positively influence the submission process.
In the heart of your cover letter lies the core of your manuscript: the significance of your research. This section is your opportunity to articulate the value and impact of your work. Here’s how you can effectively convey the importance of your study:
Begin by setting the scene. What is the current state of research in your field, and where does your work fit in? Identify the gap or challenge your study addresses, and explain how your research moves the needle. This demonstrates not only the relevance of your work but also its potential to make a meaningful contribution.
What makes your research stand out? Here, you can highlight the innovative aspects of your study, whether it’s a new methodology, findings that challenge existing theories, or the application of research in a novel context. Be clear about how your work advances knowledge in your field and the specific contributions it makes.
Beyond the academic sphere, what are the practical implications of your research? Whether it’s influencing policy, contributing to technological advancements, or addressing societal challenges, showcasing the broader impact of your work can significantly enhance its appeal to the journal.
Use language that conveys the excitement and significance of your research without delving into technical jargon. The goal is to make the editor understand and appreciate the value of your work, even if they’re not a specialist in your specific field.
Outlining the significance of your research is about painting a picture of a landscape enhanced by your study. It’s about showing where your research fits in the broader context and how it contributes to advancing knowledge and practice in your field. By doing so, you’re not just submitting a manuscript; you’re offering a new lens through which to view and understand an aspect of your discipline.
Ensuring your manuscript aligns with the journal’s scope is pivotal for its acceptance. This alignment signals to the editors and reviewers that your research is not only relevant but also contributes meaningfully to the journal’s mission. Here’s how to articulate this alignment in your cover letter:
Before you even pen that cover letter, dive deep into the journal’s website. Understand its aims, scope, and the audience it serves. This isn’t just about ensuring your research fits; it’s about tailoring your message to resonate with the journal’s editorial priorities.
Explicitly state how your research fits within the scope of the journal. This could mean highlighting the specific aspect of your study that addresses a gap the journal is keen on filling, or how your findings contribute to a particular theme or debate featured in the journal. Make these connections as clear as possible.
Incorporate keywords and phrases from the journal’s aims and scope into your cover letter. This does not mean keyword stuffing, but rather naturally integrating terms that resonate with the journal’s focus. This linguistic alignment can subtly signal that your research is a good fit.
Explain why your research matters to the journal’s readers. What will they learn or gain from your study? How does it advance the conversation in the field? This shows you understand the journal’s audience and have considered how your work adds value to their professional or academic pursuits.
If applicable, mention any articles previously published in the journal that relate to your work. This can demonstrate your engagement with the journal’s content and how your research builds upon or diverges from these discussions.
Aligning your study with the journal’s scope is not just a bureaucratic step; it’s a strategic move that shows respect for the journal’s mission and an understanding of its place in the academic community. By clearly articulating this alignment in your cover letter, you significantly increase the chances of your manuscript being viewed favorably by the editorial team.
Your cover letter should succinctly highlight the key findings of your research, showcasing the core achievements and their implications. This section is where you get to brag a bit about what your study has uncovered. Here’s how to do it effectively:
Begin by summarizing your main results in a few sentences. Focus on the outcomes that are most relevant and impactful to your field. Avoid getting bogged down in the details; instead, aim for clarity and brevity, giving the editor a clear snapshot of your findings.
After presenting your results, delve into their implications. How do they advance the field? Do they challenge existing theories or practices? Make sure to articulate the significance of your findings in a way that resonates with the broader academic community and aligns with the journal’s focus.
If your research introduces new methods, concepts, or insights, highlight these as key findings. Emphasizing the novelty of your work can help differentiate it from other submissions and pique the editor’s interest.
While it’s important to be precise, also ensure your description is accessible to those who might not be specialists in your specific area of research. Avoid jargon and technical terms when possible, or briefly explain them if they’re necessary to convey your findings.
Highlighting your manuscript’s key findings in the effective cover letter is crucial. It gives the editor a compelling reason to consider your manuscript for publication. By effectively summarizing and emphasizing the importance of your results, you can make a strong case for why your research deserves attention.
Preemptively addressing potential concerns in your effective cover letter can significantly influence the editorial process in your favor. It demonstrates foresight, thoroughness, and a commitment to transparency. Here’s how to approach this effectively:
Think about the potential weaknesses or questions reviewers might have about your study. These could relate to your methodology, the robustness of your data, or the generalizability of your findings. By anticipating these concerns, you can address them before they even arise.
If your research involved unconventional methodologies or controversial choices, provide a brief explanation in your cover letter. Explain why you chose this path and how it strengthens your study. This preemptive clarification can mitigate concerns and highlight your innovative approach.
No study is without its limitations, and acknowledging these upfront can be a strength. Briefly mention any significant limitations and, if possible, how you’ve mitigated them. This honesty builds trust and demonstrates a rigorous scientific approach.
If there’s a chance your manuscript might be seen as too similar to existing research, clarify what sets your work apart. Highlight the novel aspects of your study, whether it’s in your approach, the data you’ve uncovered, or the implications of your findings.
Addressing potential concerns upfront doesn’t mean your manuscript is flawed; rather, it shows that you’re engaged in a thoughtful, critical examination of your work. This approach can not only alleviate potential objections but also position your manuscript as a strong candidate for publication by showcasing your commitment to a rigorous scientific discourse.
Navigating the nuances of cover letter etiquette can make a significant difference in how your submission is received. Here are some key do’s and don’ts to ensure your cover letter reflects the best professional standards:
Adhering to these do’s and don’ts will not only help you craft a more effective cover letter but also demonstrate your professionalism and respect for the editorial process. Remember, the cover letter is an integral part of your submission package, and getting it right can significantly influence the first impression you make on the journal’s editorial team.
The conclusion of your cover letter is your final opportunity to make an impression on the editor and reinforce the significance of your submission. Here’s how to craft a conclusion that resonates:
Briefly restate why your manuscript is a good fit for the journal and its significance to the field. This is your chance to leave the editor with a strong sense of the value of your work and its potential impact.
Convey your enthusiasm for the possibility of publishing in the journal. Let the editor know you’re looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to their publication and the broader academic conversation. Additionally, affirm your willingness to revise your manuscript according to the feedback from the review process, demonstrating your commitment to excellence and collaboration.
Always end with a note of thanks for considering your submission. Acknowledging the editor’s time and effort shows respect and professionalism.
Make sure the editor knows how to reach you. Include your email address and phone number, even if it’s already provided elsewhere in your submission package.
A well-crafted conclusion can strengthen your cover letter, leaving a lasting positive impression on the editor. It encapsulates the essence of your submission, underscores your professionalism, and sets the stage for a constructive editorial relationship.
A well-crafted cover letter can be a key factor in getting your manuscript noticed, but certain missteps can undermine its effectiveness. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid:
One of the quickest ways to make a poor impression is to ignore the journal’s submission guidelines. These may include specific requirements for cover letters. Always tailor your cover letter to meet these guidelines precisely.
Generic cover letters that could apply to any journal not only miss the opportunity to highlight the fit between your manuscript and the journal but also suggest a lack of genuine interest. Be specific about why your work is right for this journal.
Your cover letter should succinctly summarize the main findings and contributions of your study. Failing to do so can leave the editor unclear about the significance of your work.
If there are obvious potential concerns with your manuscript (such as a small sample size or the preliminary nature of the results), failing to address these upfront can be a missed opportunity to frame these issues in the best light.
While it’s important to highlight the significance of your work, avoid overselling your findings or their implications. This can raise red flags for editors and reviewers.
A cover letter riddled with typos, grammatical errors, or formatting issues can undermine your manuscript’s credibility from the outset. Proofread carefully and consider having a colleague review it as well.
The tone of your effective cover letter should be professional yet accessible. Avoid overly technical language that might obscure the significance of your work to the journal editor.
By steering clear of these pitfalls, you can enhance the effectiveness of your cover letter, making a strong case for the publication of your manuscript.
Creating a cover letter that withstands the scrutiny of journal editors and reviewers requires insight and finesse. Here are expert tips to fortify your cover letter against potential revisions:
Customize your effective cover letter for each journal submission. Demonstrate your understanding of the journal’s audience, scope, and priorities. This personal touch can significantly increase your manuscript’s chances of being considered.
Clarity and conciseness are your allies. Avoid unnecessary jargon and lengthy explanations. Your goal is to communicate the essence and significance of your research succinctly.
Maintain a positive and confident tone throughout your cover letter. Focus on the strengths and contributions of your research, while being honest about its limitations.
Make sure to clearly articulate what is new and important about your research. This can be a key factor in catching the editor’s interest.
If your research involves sensitive subjects or potential ethical concerns, briefly outline how these were addressed. Demonstrating ethical rigor can preempt questions and concerns.
If there are aspects of your study that might raise questions (such as preliminary findings or a small sample size), address these proactively. Explain why these do not detract from the validity and relevance of your research.
Indicate your willingness to provide further details or clarification if needed. This shows your commitment to engaging with the review process constructively.
Convey your openness to reviewing and revising your manuscript based on the journal’s feedback. This flexibility can be favorable in the editorial decision-making process.
Crafting a cover letter with these expert tips in mind can set your submission apart, demonstrating not only the value of your research but also your professionalism as a researcher.
Before hitting the “submit” button, run through this final checklist to make sure your cover letter is polished and poised for success:
2. clarity and brevity : is your cover letter concise, clear, and to the point ensure it’s no longer than one page., 3. key findings highlighted : have you clearly highlighted the key findings and significance of your research make sure these stand out., 4. journal fit : have you articulated why your manuscript is a good fit for the journal’s scope and audience this alignment is crucial., 5. novelty and contribution : does your cover letter emphasize the novelty and contributions of your study make sure the unique aspects of your work are front and center., 6. anticipation of concerns : have you addressed any potential concerns or questions about your manuscript preemptive explanations can ease the review process., 7. ethical considerations : if applicable, have you outlined how ethical concerns were addressed in your study, 8. revision willingness : have you expressed your willingness to review and revise based on feedback this shows a collaborative spirit., 9. proofreading : is your cover letter free from typos and grammatical errors a well-proofed letter reflects your professionalism., 10. contact information : have you included your contact information, making it easy for the editor to reach you.
This checklist ensures that your cover letter not only presents your manuscript in the best possible light but also demonstrates your professionalism and readiness for the publication process.
With your cover letter refined and ready, you’re set to make a strong submission. Remember, the cover letter is your first impression on the journal’s editorial team—make it count!
When it comes to scientific manuscript editing and preparing for journal submission, the importance of a polished, professional cover letter cannot be overstated. It’s the first impression you make on the journal’s editorial team, a succinct pitch that highlights the significance and fit of your research. That’s where San Francisco Edit steps in, offering unparalleled expertise in crafting cover letters that open doors.
Our team understands the nuances of academic publishing across science, academia, research, and publishing sectors. We’re adept at articulating the importance of your work, aligning it with the journal’s scope, and presenting it in a way that’s both compelling and concise. Our editors are not just language experts; they have a deep understanding of the scientific process and what journal editors are looking for.
Choosing San Francisco Edit means entrusting your cover letter to specialists who can significantly increase the likelihood of your manuscript being accepted. We provide personalized advice, ensuring your letter is tailored to each specific journal, highlighting your research’s novelty and its potential contribution to the field. Our service is designed to navigate the complexities of journal submission, making the process smoother and more successful.
With San Francisco Edit, you’re not just getting an editing service; you’re gaining a partner in your publication journey. Our commitment to excellence and our detailed understanding of the academic landscape make us the best option for researchers seeking to make an impact with their work.
Contact us today to ensure your cover letter—and your manuscript—stands out in the crowded world of academic publishing.
What makes a cover letter for journal submission stand out.
A standout cover letter is concise, personalized, clearly articulates the manuscript’s significance and novelty, and demonstrates a good fit with the journal’s scope.
Your cover letter should be no longer than one page, succinctly covering all the key points without overloading the editor with unnecessary details.
Absolutely. A well-crafted cover letter can catch an editor’s attention, making them more inclined to consider your manuscript favorably.
Yes, addressing potential concerns upfront can demonstrate your thoroughness and mitigate any reservations the editor might have.
San Francisco Edit thoroughly researches each journal’s aims and scope, tailoring your cover letter to highlight how your manuscript aligns with the journal’s interests and contributes to the field.
Investing in professional editing for your cover letter can significantly enhance your manuscript’s chance of acceptance, making it a wise decision for serious researchers.
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Writing and formatting
The cover letter gives you the opportunity to present an overview of your manuscript to the editor.
You’re encouraged to submit previous communications as they can help expedite the review process. If you have any of the following, you can submit them as ‘Supplementary file for editors only’:
If you or any of your co-authors are NIH employees, you will have to submit a completed and signed NIH Publishing Agreement and Manuscript Cover Sheet according to NIH’s Employee Procedures .
A persuasive cover letter for journal article submission is a tool that, if used wisely, can convince journal editors to review a research paper. It's a crucial part of the manuscript submission package that outlines the importance of your research to the editors. If the benefits of a paper aren't clear to the editors from the content alone, a cover letter is an excellent opportunity to prove your research is worth reviewing.
In this article, we cover everything you should know when writing a cover letter for journal article submission .
Online submissions are prevalent when it comes to submitting articles nowadays. Cover letters are an additional means that should be viewed as an opportunity to convey essential information about the manuscript to the journal editors. It's what helps authors "sell" their work. Authors can use the cover letter to explain how the research interests the journal's audience as well.
A cover letter is important to the editors for several reasons.
Cover letters include short summaries of the manuscript and highlight its findings. It may so happen that the initial editor that screens the manuscript isn't the person from your field, and they may have a hard time determining the overall importance of the research. Yet, they are the ones who decide if the paper warrants peer review . In these instances, cover letters are important because they summarize how the study contributes to the journal and that particular specialism, so the editor can clearly see the aim and scope.
As crucial as a cover letter is, it's well worth spending time to write a persuasive and coherent letter. This part should be taken as seriously as the rest of the manuscript submission package.
A journal you are submitting your manuscript to may have its own set of instructions to follow along. Maybe your target journal requires authors to include potential reviewers, disclosures, or ethical practice statements. Forgetting to include the mandatory elements can have editors automatically reject an application, even if the research is of the best quality.
Publishers' main expectations are for the manuscript to follow the standard practices such as ethical standards for human-involving research, ethics approval from ethics committees, adhering to the authorship criteria, etc.
Authors that don't follow the rules or forget to include important information can be seen as careless and not detail-oriented, putting the quality of their whole research in question. This is certainly not a good first impression.
Before you start writing a cover letter, always check for journal-specific instructions for authors (IFA) on your journal's website. Sometimes, a journal doesn't require a cover letter, or it's an optional file. However, even though some journals may list it as optional, it's a good idea to submit a cover letter whenever you can.
Here’s what your cover letter should include:
Always add your full contact details, including your name, physical address, email address, and telephone number.
Check the journal website for information about the editor-in-chief. If you can find their name on the website, you want to place it in the upper left-hand of the cover letter page. Address them by name or with "Dear editor" in case no name is featured. Don't, however, address the editor with "Dear sir," as there's a high chance the editor may be a woman.
Be clear in stating the purpose of the letter ("I'm submitting a manuscript entitled [Name of the article] …") as well as the names of the authors and the type of the paper (research, review, case study, etc.)
Use terminology as the journal does. Check whether they refer to research papers as "Regular articles," or "Original submissions," or "Full papers," and refer to your manuscript as such.
Mention the aim and scope of your article right at the start. The editors need to know whether your work is relevant and how the audience in your area of specialism can benefit from it.
As you do that, let the editor know how you approach the problem in your research. This part should be focused and short, and all statements should align with the journal's readership. If your target journal publishes in a wide range of fields, try to explain how your article can impact multiple areas.
It's important not to repeat the sentences from the abstract, as this is the next file the editor will read. The summary should be short and prove how the research fits the journal's focus and what its implications are to the readers.
Make sure not to flatter the journal too much, and say, "We believe our findings will be of interest to your journal's readers" instead of "your prestigious journal's readers."
Mention if your research is related to some of your previously published work or to another paper published by another author in their journal.
Most journals have required statements that should be placed after you explain the methods and results of your findings. At this point, you want to make sure you reviewed the journal's guidelines for the information you need to provide.
Some journals may require you to state your previous relationship with the journal or whether your work is under consideration by another journal, in which case they will not accept your work. Common phrases in this section include “no conflict of interest” declaration, authorship, suggested reviewers, concurrent submissions, and requests to exclude specific reviewers.
In the end, you want to thank the editor-in-chief for taking the time to consider your manuscript. Remain collegial in the tone and make sure to leave the best impression as they move on to evaluating your manuscript. Don't use statements that give instructions to the editor such as "We look forward to you reviewing our manuscript" and similar. Finish the letter with "Sincerely," followed by your name.
The cover letter is an important asset in the manuscript submission package. It lets the editors realize the importance of your work and how the findings can benefit the journal's readership. Having a well-formatted and well-structured cover letter brings you a step closer to having your manuscript accepted.
So, if you want to get your manuscript accepted, you should take some time and write a strong cover letter. AKJournals has a language editing service that provides support to authors with their submission process. Our text editing service partner offers a range of text improving and translation services to make sure your cover letter and the rest of the manuscript submission package are suitable for the application.
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A cover letter to the editor for a manuscript submission is the author’s “pitch” as to why the research paper deserves publishing in a particular journal. If you think it is yet another document in the journal submission process for filling in author details and a mere description of the communicated research, think twice. If written succinctly, a cover letter can be a tipping point for your manuscript, leading to an outbound peer review or an outright desk rejection.
More often, the journal editors are burdened with the task of scrutinizing a huge number of manuscript submissions to select novel and high-quality research that align with the scope of the journal and the demographics of its readership. Through a well written cover letter, an editor can get a chance to know the value of the communicated research prior to reading it in full and can be convinced to proceed with the further review process. Thus, it is important to use this tool effectively to move past the editorial screening stage.
Here are the key elements “ TO DO ” when you write the cover letter for your next manuscript submission:
Begin the cover letter with the manuscript title and the journal name for article submission. Mention clearly the category of the article type (letter, article, brief, review) pertaining to the particular journal.
Briefly, in a couple of sentences, describe the background of the research to bring context to your work. Mention what has been missing or lacking in understanding of a research problem that has not been addressed so far in the published reports.
Describe how your work, communicated through the submitted manuscript, aims to bridge the existing gap in understanding the research problem. Highlight the novelty of your work by mentioning the major results or findings of your work which provide insightful conclusions that have not been published so far.
Explain how this new research work is an advancement over previously published works and relevant to the journal’s aim and scope. Mention if there are potential future applications of your current research and why the findings of your work might be of broad interest to the readership of the journal.
Confirm that the research presented in the study is original and that the manuscript is not currently being reviewed by another journal. The manuscript has been approved by all authors, who also consent unanimously to its submission to the journal.
As per the editorial policy, the information provided by the authors in the cover letter is treated as confidential and is accessible only by the editors and not open to referees. You can suggest the names of potential reviewers if you believe they can be the best reviewers for your manuscript being stalwarts in the same research field. Likewise, you can also request the editor to exclude certain individuals as referees who you believe may not do justice to reviewing your manuscript owing to potential conflict of interest.
You can alert the editors in the cover letter if you are aware of another group competing with similar work and seek an expedited review process. This can help the editors in determining editorial workflow accordingly.
While writing a cover letter is liberating and gives you the freedom to describe what is exciting about your research work rather than writing within the constraints of a particular journal’s format, you should still adhere to a few “ DON’Ts ” to err on the side of caution.
While writing the body of the cover letter, do not rehash the abstract of your manuscript that the editor will likely read next. In fact, the abstract of the article can be re-written according to the journal format more easily once you have done the cover letter.
Keep your cover letter to a maximum of one page. Use the limited space wisely and write concisely. Restrict usage of technical details, jargons and boastful claims that can only make the editor wary of your presented work. Also steer clear of expressing any kind of exaggeration/flattery for the journal even if that is the best place to publish your work.
Remind yourself always to follow the ethics of working in a scientific community and strictly avoid any kind of plagiarism.
Finally, writing a cover letter for a journal submission is your best chance of enabling a manuscript to go through the editorial process, getting peer reviewed and published in a coveted journal of your choice. Do your best to grab and use this opportunity to the fullest!
Additional reading:
Nature Immunology 9 , 107 (2008) “Editorial: Prelude to a good story” Available at https://doi.org/10.1038/ni0208-107
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It may seem obvious, but a journal editor's first serious impression of a submitted manuscript lies not only with the article title but also, rather simply, with the cover letter . The cover letter is your first "formal" interaction with a journal, and it embodies a request, so to speak, to consider your article for publication. But it also provides you with an excellent opportunity to present the significance of your scientific contribution.
I've worked as an editor for primary research and review manuscripts alike, and despite their many similarities, there are distinctions to writing the cover letter for each. Here are some helpful tips for writing a suitable cover letter for Cell Press scientific journals.
1. Let's start with content. We look for letters that start by succinctly explaining what was previously known in a given field and then state the authors' motivation for wishing to publish. Following that, the conceptual advance , timeliness, and novelty should be immediately conveyed. What sets apart this scientific contribution? What is the significance of the work, and where does the article lead us? Will this research be of interest to a broad readership?
2. Get to the point. We want a concise letter that quickly gets to the main point and the take-home message; this sets the stage for your manuscript. Succinctly explain the topic of discussion, and quickly convey the key conclusions. Do not submit a long dissertation. Generally, one page suffices and is preferred.
3. Do not rehash the abstract of the paper. Copying and pasting the abstract into your cover letter verbatim is a big no-no. Instead, we seek a synthesis of the key points—possibly, and depending on style, the summary might resemble a brief story pitch in an elevator! But importantly, you need to venture beyond the summary: write a sentence that takes you further than the obvious conclusions. How does the content move the field forward? Are the implications far-reaching?
4. Get excited! Authors' excitement about their scientific contributions can undoubtedly inspire the editor who's reading the cover letter. Overall, the sentiment of "you're gonna love reading this paper!" should seep through—make that happen!
5. Include a wish list of reviewers. Relevant information on potential reviewers (including their field of expertise) can be included and is definitely a plus, as it can be quite helpful to the editor. By contrast, please don't provide a long list of excluded reviewers (three maximum), and most certainly do not suggest excluding authors from entire continents on the map! Also, save the editor some time by specifying which author should be the lead contact , and indicate their affiliation.
6. Keep it simple ... and humble. In terms of style, consider sincerity and simplicity . The letter should be humble and forthcoming; don't be ostentatious or florid. Claims of priority, if not fully supported, tend to be a turnoff. In addition, statements indicating that the article or related findings have been presented at X number of conferences and are "tremendously" well received by the scientific community—or otherwise—do not add much to the cover letter. They might instead suggest right off the bat that a lot of cooing and convincing of the journal editor will be required. So let the "science" speak for itself. Also, a statement declaring that the article is original and isn't being considered elsewhere can only add to your cause!
7. Proofread your letter by checking the spelling, grammar, and syntax. A well-written letter indicates that you take your submission seriously and that you are an author who pays attention to detail.
8. Check every detail. Avoid mistakes such as directing the cover letter to the editor(s) of a different journal, or to a different journal altogether. This might suggest that you've submitted your article elsewhere, that it might have been poorly received, and perhaps that the Cell Press journal you're submitting to isn't your first choice. It could also suggest that you don't pay sufficient attention to detail. Sadly, these sorts of errors continue to surprise me and happen more often than I would like.
There are subtle differences in writing a cover letter for a primary research journal versus a reviews journal, such as the Trends journals at Cell Press.
Many different article formats exist within both the primary research journals and the Trends journals. Make sure it's very clear which type of format you're submitting. As the Editor of Trends in Molecular Medicine , I find that this detail is not always specified by the author(s) in the cover letter. Knowing what type of manuscript you are submitting can help you fully nail down the cover letter in terms of the intent, scope, and take-home message of the article. It also recapitulates your prior agreement with the editor regarding article format: is it a review or an opinion piece?
Along these lines, the content of your cover letter will differ for a review or opinion piece as opposed to an original research contribution. For both, the timeliness and novelty need to strongly come across. However, for a research article, the specific advance relative to previous experimental findings needs to be clearly indicated. For a Trends article, the synthesis and conceptual advance should be particularly stated in terms of what is new and has been trending in the field for the last one to five years. For an opinion piece, take a strong and novel stance on a hypothesis or idea. Projecting into the future, beyond the main take-home message of the paper, is also a strong consideration for Trends articles.
I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the journal that you are submitting to—browse through the journal website and do your homework on author guidelines and the scope of the journal prior to submission! In the case of Trends journals, know who the editor is. Each Trends journal is run by a single editor, so beginning your cover letter with "Dear Madam" when the editor is male, or "Dear Sir" when the editor is female, may not create a favorable impression. While such mistakes are usually overruled by the content and quality of the science, it certainly helps to have your cover letter completely in order!
Keep on writing—we love hearing from you and receiving your submissions! For more tips on writing cover letters for scientific manuscripts, check out this page . Also read more from Cell Press Editor in Chief Emilie Marcus on when—and when not—to submit your paper .
Posted by Catarina Sacristán Catarina is the Editor of Trends in Molecular Medicine . She received her PhD in immunology from Tufts University, followed by postdoctoral research in Mexico and at NYU. She also did a stint in cardiovascular research at a biomedical engineering firm. She enjoys thinking about immunology, genetics, signaling, imaging, virology, metabolism, neuroscience, cancer, therapeutics, and more. She came to Cell Press from The Journal of Experimental Medicine . A movie buff, she also loves to read, write, ski, horseback ride. and dance.
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You may be required to submit a cover letter with your submission. Individual journals may have specific requirements regarding the cover letter's contents, so please consult the individual journal's Guide for Authors.
A cover letter is a simple, brief business letter, designed to introduce your manuscript to a prospective Editor. If the Guide for Authors does not specify what to include in your cover letter, you may wish to include some of the following items:
Please note: When your manuscript is received at Elsevier, it's considered to be in its 'final form' ready to be reviewed, so please check your manuscript carefully before you submit it to the Editor. A guide to the publication process and getting your article published in an Elsevier journal is available on the Elsevier Publishing Campus .
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When you need to submit a cover letter with your manuscript, you'll probably write it just before submission. Like many other authors, you may find yourself wondering what to write and taking longer than you expected, causing last-minute delays and stress.
To help you write effective cover letters—and to write them quickly and easily—in this article we offer some tips on layout and appropriate wording. Also, you can download our template cover letter (Word file) to help you save time writing and help you remember to include standard author statements and other information commonly required by journals.
If you are submitting a revised paper to the same journal, note that the response letter to the reviewers is different from the cover letter used at initial submission. You can find tips and a template on writing effective response letters to the reviewers in our previous article .
Many journals require a cover letter and state this in their guidelines for authors (alternatively known as author guidelines, information for authors, guide for authors, guidelines for papers, submission guide, etc.). For some journals, a cover letter is optional or may not be not required, but it's probably a good idea to include one.
Cover letters can be helpful to journal staff in the following ways.
1. Cover letters that include standard statements required by the journal allow the journal staff to quickly confirm that the authors have (or say they have) followed certain ethical research and publishing practices.
These statements assert that the authors followed standard practices, which may include (i) adhering to ethical guidelines for research involving humans ( Declaration of Helsinki ), involving animals ( ARRIVE guidelines ), or falling under institutional guidelines; (ii) obtaining ethics approval from institutional review boards or ethics committees; (iii) obtaining informed consent or assent from participants; (iv) complying with authorship criteria (e.g., ICMJE criteria ); (v) confirming no duplicate submissions have been made; and (vi) recommending reviewers for your paper, which may include specifying peers that you prefer not be contacted.
2. Cover letters can summarize your manuscript quickly for the journal editor, highlighting your most important findings and their implications to show why your manuscript would be of interest.
Some journals, such as Nature, state that while a cover letter is optional, it provides "an excellent opportunity to briefly discuss the importance of the submitted work and why it is appropriate for the journal." Some publishers, such as Springer , recommend that you write a cover letter to help "sell" your manuscript to the journal editor.
3. Cover letters that contain all of the information required by the journal (as stated in the guideline for authors) can indicate that you have spent time carefully formatting the manuscript to fit the journal's style. This creates a good first impression. Addressing the letter to a named editor at the journal also shows that you took the time to write your letter (and by extension, your manuscript) with care and considered the fit with the journal beyond just impact factor.
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Cover letters should be short—preferably no more than 1 page—and they often use single line spacing. The content can be broadly divided into six sections:
Let's look at some tips for each section. And don't forget to download the template , which shows these tips already in place.
Common phrases in this paragraph:
Although the cover letter is not, strictly speaking, a part of your manuscript, it can affect how your submission is perceived by the journal editor. A cover letter that is tailored to the journal, introduces your work persuasively, and is free from spelling and grammatical errors can help prime the editor to view your submission positively before he or she even looks over your manuscript.
We hope our tips and Word template can help you create professional, complete cover letters in a time-effective way. Our specialist editors, translators, and writers are available to help create or revise the content to be error-free and, as part of our additional comprehensive Guidelines for Authors service , we can ensure the cover letter includes all of the statements required by the journal.
Lastly, just as a reminder for members of ThinkSCIENCE's free annual rewards program , remember to claim your reward of free editing or translation of one cover letter alongside editing or translation of a full paper before the end of the March!
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Author guidelines.
Last updated: June 25, 2024
Scope of the journal, manuscript types, submit with fast format, document templates and format, acceptable software, file designations, and tex/latex, cover letter, manuscript text components, supporting information, research data policy, language and editing services, preparing graphics, figure and illustration services, prior publication policy, editorial policies, providing potential reviewer names, manuscript transfer, proofs via acs direct correct, publication date and patent dates, asap publication, post-publication policies, sharing your published article.
Manuscripts are submitted in response to an invitation, which may come at the advice of the editorial board or in response to an author’s proposal. Authors wishing to submit a proposal for an article or a commentary should follow the instructions given in detail below. Proposals will be reviewed by the editorial board, who may consult the editorial advisory board or other experts, and final decisions regarding a subsequent invitation to submit will be forwarded by the Editor-in-Chief. The editorial board will not consider proposals from authors whose work has been recently highlighted in the journal (typically, the past two years), except under special circumstances. Key to a successful proposal is a convincing statement that addresses the following questions: Why this topic? Why these authors? Why now?
When responding to an invitation, authors should closely follow the instructions presented in the Preparation of Manuscripts section below to expedite the review and publication of their work. Each submission must include the author’s postal and e-mail addresses and telephone numbers.
All manuscripts, whether specifically solicited by the Editor-in-Chief or invited in response to a proposal, are sent to competent readers for criticism both of scientific content and of readability.
Accounts of Chemical Research is a journal of concise articles describing recent research developments in chemistry, biochemistry, materials science, nanoscience, and related fields. Each Account is directed not only to specialists in the field but also to a broad range of scientists who wish to keep abreast of the best current research in fields other than their own. Readability by the nonexpert is therefore essential. Most manuscripts are submitted after invitation by the Editor-in-Chief, but unsolicited proposals, which may result in an invitation to submit a manuscript, are also considered.
A typical Account discusses a topic of intense interest to the author and focuses primarily on the author’s own experimental or theoretical results. Unpublished data may be included, but only to a minor extent. Articles should present salient experimental discoveries and theoretical results, interpret their significance, establish perspective with respect to earlier work and to contemporary research by other investigators, evaluate the present state of the subject, and cast a glance to the future.
A good introduction, including a historical orientation, is critical. Terms and concepts unique to the research area must be carefully explained or defined. A short section of concluding remarks should discuss the broader significance of the work, view it in perspective, and mention applications or future prospects. Accounts looks with favor on styles of presentation somewhat less formal than those that prevail in much scientific writing. Comprehensive reviews do not fall within the mission of Accounts .
Commentaries examine critically a question of current interest and draw new generalizations or new perspectives from the evidence. These brief opinions include theoretical implications, mechanistic interpretation, significance of data, or definitive experiments and should not be laudatory or for establishing priority. Controversial commentaries are welcome, as are ones expressing opinions contrasting with those in published Accounts . Commentaries are substantially shorter than articles, and biographical data are not included. The author should be an expert in the field.
While this document will provide basic information on how to prepare and submit the manuscript as well as other critical information about publishing, we also encourage authors to visit the ACS Researcher Resources for additional information on everything that is needed to prepare (and review) manuscripts for ACS journals and partner journals, such as
All ACS journals and partner journals have simplified their formatting requirements in favor of a streamlined and standardized format for an initial manuscript submission. Read more about the requirements and the benefits these serves authors and reviewers here .
Manuscripts submitted for initial consideration must adhere to these standards:
The templates facilitate the peer review process by allowing authors to place artwork and tables close to the point where they are discussed within the text. Learn more about document templates here .
General information on the preparation of manuscripts may also be found in the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication .
See the list of Acceptable Software and appropriate File Designations to be sure your file types are compatible with ACS Paragon Plus. Information for manuscripts generated from TeX/LaTeX is also available.
A cover letter must accompany every manuscript submission. During the submission process, you may type it or paste it into the submission system, or you may attach it as a file.
Manuscripts are limited to 5000 words. This includes the text, author names, biographical sketches, tables, and figure legends. Do not include the conspectus, author addresses, key references, or references in your count. Authors will be expected to abide by this rule and to submit a statement from the corresponding author indicating the word count of the article and how it was obtained. Articles with word counts over 5000 words will be returned to the authors for editing before going through the review process.
Commentaries are substantially shorter than articles; brevity and clarity are essential. Biographical data are not included.
The conspectus is an enhanced and expanded one-page abstract of approximately 400–500 words that follows the structure of the manuscript and includes one helpful and eye-catching graphic. It is highlighted to stand out from the article and serves two principal purposes:
The conspectus should summarize the reason for the work, the most significant results, and the conclusions. Each conspectus should include motivation (why every chemist should care about the problem and its results), techniques used, results and discoveries, and conclusions and implications.
The first section of an Account, after the Conspectus, should be a Key References section. This should be formatted as a bulleted list of 2-4 references of recent original research papers from the authors’ lab . These papers should be the ones that are most representative of the Account – they should answer the question, “If I wanted to learn more about the work described here, which papers would be best to read?” They should not be review articles.
For each entry in the Key References section, insert a brief note explaining the significance of the paper. This note should be no more than 40 words, and describe in 1-2 sentences the connection between the referred to paper and the Account.
KEY REFERENCES
The articles cited in the Key References section should also be the first 2-4 references in the reference section of the Account. Do not include the key references in your word count.
This information is provided to the reviewers during the peer-review process (for Review Only) and is available to readers of the published work (for Publication). Supporting Information must be submitted at the same time as the manuscript. See the list of Acceptable Software by File Designation and confirm that your Supporting Information is viewable .
If the manuscript is accompanied by any supporting information files for publication, these files will be made available free of charge to readers. A brief, nonsentence description of the actual contents of each file, including the file type extension, is required. This description should be labeled Supporting Information and should appear before the Acknowledgement and Reference sections. Examples of sufficient and insufficient descriptions are as follows:
Examples of sufficient descriptions: “Supporting Information: 1 H NMR spectra for all compounds (PDF)” or “Additional experimental details, materials, and methods, including photographs of experimental setup (DOC)”.
Examples of insufficient descriptions: “Supporting Information: Figures S1-S3” or “Additional figures as mentioned in the text”.
When including supporting information for review only, include copies of references that are unpublished or in-press. These files are available only to editors and reviewers.
CRediT is a high-level taxonomy used to identify and acknowledge the roles played by contributors to scientific scholarly output. During original submission and/or revision, there are 14 standard roles from which the submitting author can select to describe the specific contributions of each author. At this time, CRediT is optional for authors. Please note that author CRediT information will not transfer if the manuscript is transferred to a non-pilot journal. Click here to learn more about the ACS CRediT pilot .
All ACS journals strongly encourage authors to make the research data underlying their articles publicly available at the time of publication.
Research data is defined as materials and information used in the experiments that enable the validation of the conclusions drawn in the article, including primary data produced by the authors for the study being reported, secondary data reused or analyzed by the authors for the study, and any other materials necessary to reproduce or replicate the results.
The ACS Research Data Policy provides additional information on Data Availability Statements, Data Citation, and Data Repositories.
A well-written paper helps share your results most clearly. ACS Publications’ English Editing Service is designed to help scientists communicate their research effectively. Our subject-matter expert editors will edit your manuscript for grammar, spelling, and other language errors so your ideas are presented at their best.
The quality of illustrations in ACS journals and partner journals depends on the quality of the original files provided by the authors. Figures are not modified or enhanced by journal production staff. All graphics must be prepared and submitted in digital format.
Graphics should be inserted into the main body whenever possible. Please see Appendix 2 for additional information.
Any graphic (figure chart, scheme, or equation) that has appeared in an earlier publication should include a credit line citing the original source. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to re-use this material.
The impact of your research is not limited to what you can express with words. Tables and figures such as graphs, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and other visuals can play a significant role in effectively communicating your findings. Our Artwork Editing and Graphical Abstract services generate publication-ready figures and Table of Contents (TOC) graphics that conform to your chosen journal’s specifications. For figures, this includes changes to file type, resolution, color space, font, scale, line weights, and layout (to improve readability and professional appearance). For TOC graphics, our illustrators can work with a rough sketch or concept or help extract the key findings of your manuscript directly for use as a visual summary of your paper.
Manuscripts, graphics, supporting information, and required forms, as well as manuscript revisions, must all be submitted in digital format through ACS Paragon Plus , which requires an ACS ID to log in. Registering for an ACS ID is fast, free, and does not require an ACS membership. Please refer to Appendix 1 for additional information on preparing your submission
Accounts of Chemical Research authors may deposit an initial draft of their manuscript in a preprint service such as ChemRxiv , bioRxiv , arXiv , prior to submission to the journal. Please note any use of a preprint server in the cover letter, and as appropriate, state how the manuscript has been adjusted/updated between deposition and submission. All other prior/redundant publication is forbidden. Upon publication in Accounts of Materials Research, authors are advised to add a link from the preprint to the published paper via the Digital Object Identifier (DOI). For further details, please contact the Editorial Office. For the ACS Publications policy on theses and dissertations, click here .
Authors who do not have a specific invitation from the editor should first submit a proposal in electronic form via the ACS Paragon Plus Environment . Proposal authors should upload a single document in place of a manuscript that contains the following:
Submission of supporting information is not required. However, if the authors wish to upload additional materials, such as a key unpublished manuscript that might help inform the editorial board, it may be uploaded in PDF format as supporting information.
Preparation of copy.
The instructions of The ACS Style Guide , 3rd edition (2006)—available from Oxford University Press, Order Department, 201 Evans Road, Cary, NC 27513; http://pubs.acs.org/page/4authors/tools/index.html —are generally applicable. An optional electronic manuscript template is available in several word processing versions. Please note: if the author chooses not to use the template, the text of the manuscript should be double-spaced.
Use at least one given name—“John S. Smith” rather than “J. S. Smith”—for each author. When there is more than one author, all authors and their addresses should be listed (do not include the addresses in the word count). Use an asterisk to indicate the person to whom correspondence should be addressed. Place references and footnotes (double-spaced) at the end of the manuscript. Tables may be included near the desired point of placement in the file or at the end. Illustrations (figures, schemes, charts, structural formulas, and so on) may be embedded in the manuscript file (preferably) or submitted as separate graphic files.
For more information, including information regarding acceptable Word processing packages, see the website .
In general, published material cannot be reprinted without permission of the copyright holder, even if it is from an article previously written by the author. (However, permission to reprint artwork from ACS journals can be taken for granted, unless another party holds copyright, as long as the appropriate credit is given in the figure caption as detailed below). To reprint materials from non-ACS journals, it is the obligation of the author to secure permission from the publisher (and author, if requested by the publisher) and to be certain that the permission includes ALL formats, including, but not limited to, print, electronic, CD ROM, and World Wide Web. Failure to obtain the proper permissions results in publication delays.
Note: Rightslink versus the Publisher Request Form: If you are using material from other publishers, check their Web sites first to see if they use Rightslink or if they will accept written permission requests. Most publishers are now using the Rightslink permission system (including Wiley, Elsevier, AAAS, ACS). Once you open an account in Rightslink, you may use that same account with all publishers that use Rightslink, and you will receive your permissions much faster. Ask for permission in both print and electronic formats. Upload the completed permission forms with the File Designation “Other Files for Editors Only.” The link to the Permissions/Rightslink webpage can be found here .
The fact that such permission has been granted should be appropriately acknowledged in the manuscript (commonly as part of a caption) by citing the reference, year of publication, and publisher as well as any other information specified in the letter granting permission. (For example: Reprinted with permission from ref 42. Copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics.) If permission to use a previously published figure is received, the legend to the original figure (with proper permission statement added) can be included in the Accounts of Chemical Research article. The author should retain in his or her own files documentation that grants copyright permission. Any questions regarding permission to reprint or fees for permission to reprint a figure or scheme should be directed to the ACS Copyright Office ( [email protected] ).
Empirical and structural formulas and mathematical and chemical equations should be arranged to fill adequately the width of a single column. Avoid complicated superscripts and subscripts, and use fractional exponents instead of root signs. Structural formulas should be submitted as graphics and should fill space economically, using bonds and arrows vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, whenever possible. Do not use chemical structures when a simple formula will suffice, e.g., (CH 3 ) 2 NCH 2 CONH 2 .
References must include article titles. References and all notes regardless of their nature (except those in tables) should be numbered in one consecutive series. Use the superscript number corresponding to the original reference to avoid repetition of references. Reference numbers in the text should be prepared as superscripts without parentheses, and in the references and notes section following the text, the reference numbers should be formatted as Arabic numerals on baseline as shown in the examples 1–4. Do not include bibliographic references to classified documents and reports or to unpublished material not generally available to the scientific public. The accuracy of the references is the responsibility of the author. Because hyperlinks are now added to many references in the Web edition of the journal, reference accuracy is critical. Bibliographic references should be arranged and punctuated as shown:
1. Doe, J. S.; Smith, J.; Roe, P. Stereochemistry of Diels–Alder Reactions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1968 , 90 , 8234–8265.
For work published online (ASAP) and work submitted for publication (e.g., submitted; in press), the DOI should be furnished in addition to the standard bibliographic information. Authors are given instruction for citing work by DOI in an email communication when manuscript proofs are made available. A DOI is assigned to each manuscript and should be in the form http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ar000000a. DOI is an accepted form of citation before and after the article appears in an issue.
2. Doe, J. S.; Smith, J.; Roe, P. Stereochemistry of Diels–Alder Reactions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012 , DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja300123a.
Include the initials of authors, article title, and the journal abbreviation used in the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI) 1907–2004 Cumulative and its supplements. Inclusive pagination as indicated in example 1 is required.
References to all other publications should include author(s), title, volume, publisher, address, date of publication, and pages, thus:
3. Smith, A. B. Textbook of Organic Chemistry ; D. C. Jones: New York, 1961; pp 123–126.
4. Wawzonek, S. Potentiometry: Oxidation–Reduction Potentials. In Techniques of Chemistry ; Weissburger, A., Rossiter, B. W., Eds.; Wiley-Interscience: New York, 1971; Vol. IIA, Chapter 1.
Authorship Typically, an Account has 1-3 authors; please let us know in advance if you envision more than five coauthors. Be sure to include only those authors who work on THIS manuscript—not everyone who worked on previously published work on this project from your lab. Please note that preparation of figures and proofreading do not constitute authorship; this type of assistance can be acknowledged.
Biographical Information should be submitted for each author and include date and place of birth, universities attended and degrees obtained, principal professional posts held, present title, a line or two about other major research interests, and anything else professionally relevant that is of special interest. This information must be included with the manuscript submission.
All manuscripts, whether specifically solicited by the Editor-in-Chief or invited in response to a proposal, are sent to competent readers for criticism both of scientific content and of readability. Although the Editor-in-Chief is fully responsible for decisions about the manuscript, the author is invited and encouraged to recommend appropriate reviewers for his or her work at the time of submission. The name of a reviewer will not be disclosed to an author without the reviewer’s consent.
Articles are not acceptable if they substantially duplicate a contemporary review or book chapter on the same subject by the same author, unless (a) the review or book is far more comprehensive than the Account or (b) the point of view is wholly different (for example, if one article emphasizes synthesis and another problems of structure). The author is expected to inform the Editor-in-Chief of the existence of other reviews or book chapters on the same subject recently published or planned for the near future by that author.
Please suggest 5-6 reviewers. Authors are encouraged to avoid suggesting reviewers from the authors’ institutions. Do not suggest reviewers who may have a real or perceived conflict of interest . Whenever possible, suggest academic email addresses rather than personal email addresses.
If your submission is declined for publication by this journal, the editors might deem your work to be better suited for another ACS Publications journal or partner journal and suggest that the authors consider transferring the submission. Manuscript Transfer simplifies and shortens the process of submitting to another ACS journal or partner journal, as all the coauthors, suggested reviewers, manuscript files, and responses to submission questions are copied by ACS Paragon Plus to the new draft submission. Authors are free to accept or decline the transfer offer.
Note that each journal is editorially independent. Transferring a manuscript is not a guarantee that the manuscript will be accepted, as the final publication decision will belong to the editor of the next journal.
Correction of the galley proofs is the responsibility of the Corresponding Author. The Corresponding Author of an accepted manuscript will receive e-mail notification and complete instructions when page proofs are available for review via ACS Direct Correct . Extensive or important changes on page proofs, including changes to the title or list of authors, are subject to review by the editor.
It is the responsibility of the Corresponding Author to ensure that all authors listed on the manuscript agree with the changes made on the proofs. Galley proofs should be returned within 48 hours in order to ensure timely publication of the manuscript.
Accepted manuscripts will be published on the ACS Publications Web site as soon as page proofs are corrected and all author concerns are resolved. The first date on which the document is published on the Web is considered the publication date.
Publication of manuscripts on the Web may occur weeks in advance of the cover date of the issue of publication. Authors should take this into account when planning their patent and intellectual property activities related to a document and should ensure that all patent information is available at the time of first publication, whether ASAP or issue publication.
All articles published ahead of print receive a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, which is used to cite the manuscript before and after the paper appears in an issue. Additionally, any supplemental information submitted along with the manuscript will automatically be assigned a DOI and hosted on Figshare to promote open data discoverability and use of your research outputs.
Manuscripts will be published on the “ASAP Articles” page on the web as soon as page proofs are corrected and all author concerns are resolved. ASAP publication usually occurs within a few working days of receipt of page proof corrections, which can be several weeks in advance of the cover date of the issue.
The American Chemical Society follows guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when considering any ethical concerns regarding a published article, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern.
Additions and Corrections may be requested by the author(s) or initiated by the Editor to address important issues or correct errors and omissions of consequence that arise after publication of an article. All Additions and Corrections are subject to approval by the Editor, and should bring new and directly relevant information and corrections that fix scientific facts. Minor corrections and additions will not be published. Readers who detect errors of consequence in the work of others should contact the corresponding author of that work.
Additions and Corrections must be submitted as new manuscripts via ACS Paragon Plus by the Corresponding Author for publication in the “Addition/Correction” section of the Journal. The corresponding author should obtain approval from all coauthors prior to submitting or provide evidence that such approval has been solicited. The manuscript should include the original article title and author list, citation including DOI, and details of the correction.
Articles may be retracted for scientific or ethical reasons and may be requested by the article author(s) or by the journal Editor(s), but are ultimately published at the discretion of the Editor. Articles that contain seriously flawed or erroneous data such that their findings and conclusions cannot be relied upon may be retracted in order to correct the scientific record. When an article is retracted, a notice of Retraction will be published containing information about the reason for the Retraction. The originally published article will remain online except in extraordinary circumstances (e.g. where deemed legally necessary, or if the availability of the published content poses public health risks).
Expressions of Concern may be issued at the discretion of the Editor if:
Upon completion of any related investigation, and when a final determination is made about the outcome of the article, the Expression of Concern may be replaced with a Retraction notice or Correction.
At ACS Publications, we know it is important for you to be able to share your peer reviewed, published work with colleagues in the global community of scientists. As sharing on sites known as scholarly collaboration networks (SCNs) is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s scholarly research ecosystem, we would like to remind you of the many ways in which you, a valued ACS author, can share your published work .
Publishing open access makes it easy to share your work with friends, colleagues, and family members. In addition, ACS Publications makes it easy to share your newly published research with ACS Articles on Request (see below). Don’t forget to promote your research and related data on social media, at conferences, and through scholarly communication networks. Increase the impact of your research using the following resources: Altmetrics , Figshare , ACS Certified Deposit
When your article is published in an ACS journal or partner journal, corresponding authors are provided with a link that offers up to 50 free digital prints of the final published work. This link is valid for the first 12 months following online publication, and can be shared via email or an author’s website. After one year, the access restrictions to your article will be lifted, and you can share the Articles on Request URL on social media and other channels. To access all your Articles on Request links, log in to your ACS Researcher Resources account and visit the “My Published Manuscripts” page.
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We’ve developed ACS’ publishing and editorial policies in consultation with the research communities that we serve, including authors and librarians. Browse our policies below to learn more.
ACS editors have provided Ethical Guidelines for persons engaged in the publication of chemical research—specifically, for editors, authors, and reviewers. Each journal also has a specific policy on prior publication .
As a U.S.-based non-profit organization, the American Chemical Society (ACS) is required to comply with U.S. sanctions laws and regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). While these laws and regulations permit U.S.-based publishers like ACS to engage in publishing-related activities with authors located in sanctioned regions in many cases, ACS may be prohibited under U.S. law from engaging in publishing-related activities in some cases, including, but not limited to, instances where an author or the institution with which an author is affiliated is located in a particular sanctioned region or has been designated by OFAC as a Specially Designated National (SDN) pursuant to certain U.S. sanctions programs. ACS reserves the right to refrain from engaging in any publishing-related activities that ACS determines in its sole discretion may be in violation of U.S. law.
Authors must emphasize any unexpected, new, and/or significant hazards or risks associated with the reported work. This information should be in the Experimental Section of a full article and included in the main text of a letter. Statement examples can be found in the Safety Statement Style Sheet and additional information on communicating safety information from the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication is freely available here .
A statement describing any financial conflicts of interest or lack thereof is published in each ACS journal and partner journal article.
During the submission process, the Corresponding Author must provide a statement on behalf of all authors of the manuscript, describing all potential sources of bias, including affiliations, funding sources, and financial or management relationships, that may constitute conflicts of interest. If the manuscript is accepted, the statement will be published in the final article.
If the manuscript is accepted and no conflict of interest has been declared, the following statement will be published in the final article: “The authors declare no competing financial interest.”
In publishing only original research, ACS is committed to deterring plagiarism, including self-plagiarism. ACS Publications uses CrossCheck's iThenticate software to screen submitted manuscripts for similarity to published material. Note that your manuscript may be screened during the submission process.
Further information about plagiarism can be found in Part B of the Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research . See also the press release regarding ACS' participation in the CrossCheck initiative.
Authors are required to obtain the consent of all their coauthors prior to submitting a manuscript. The submitting author accepts the responsibility of notifying all coauthors that the manuscript is being submitted.
During manuscript submission, the submitting author must provide contact information (full name, email address, institutional affiliation, and mailing address) for all of the coauthors. Because all of the author names are automatically imported into the electronic Journal Publishing Agreement , the names must be entered into ACS Paragon Plus. (Note that coauthors are not required to register in ACS Paragon Plus.) Author affiliation should reflect where the work was completed, even if the author has since left that institution. Authors may include a note with a current address if their institution has changed since the work was completed.
To expedite the processing of your manuscript, please format your author and affiliation information according the guidelines in this link: https://pubsapp.acs.org/paragonplus/submission/author-address-information.pdf .
Criteria for authorship can be found in Part B of the Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research . Artificial intelligence (AI) tools do not qualify for authorship. The use of AI tools for text or image generation should be disclosed in the manuscript within the Acknowledgment section with a description of when and how the tools were used. For more substantial use cases or descriptions of AI tool use, authors should provide full details within the Methods or other appropriate section of the manuscript.
If any change in authorship is necessary after a manuscript has been submitted, confirmation is required that all of the authors (including those being added or removed) have been notified and have agreed to the change. To provide this confirmation, authors are asked to complete and sign an authorship change form and provide the completed form to the appropriate editorial office.
Authors with a single name: If you, or any of your coauthors, have only one name, please follow these steps for proper submission to ACS Paragon Plus:
If your paper is accepted, the asterisk (*) will be removed from the published version of the paper.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all patent activities and intellectual property issues are satisfactorily resolved prior to first publication (ASAP or in issue). Acceptance and publication will not be delayed for pending or unresolved issues of this nature.
Authors submitting manuscript revisions are required to provide their own personal, validated ORCID iD before completing the submission, if an ORCID iD is not already associated with their ACS Paragon Plus user profiles. This ID may be provided during original manuscript submission or when submitting the manuscript revision. All authors are strongly encouraged to register for an ORCID iD, a unique researcher identifier. The ORCID iD will be displayed in the published article for any author on a manuscript who has a validated ORCID iD associated with ACS when the manuscript is accepted.
ORCID iDs should not be typed into the manuscript. ACS publishes only those ORCID iDs that have been properly verified and linked before the manuscript is accepted . After your ORCID iD is linked, it will be displayed automatically in all subsequently accepted manuscripts for any/all ACS journals. We do not publish ORCID iDs provided during proof review or via other communications after a manuscript is accepted for publication.
With an ORCID iD, you can create a profile of your research activities to distinguish yourself from other researchers with similar names, and make it easier for your colleagues to find your publications. If you do not yet have an ORCID iD, or you wish to associate your existing ORCID iD with your ACS Paragon Plus account, you may do so by clicking on “Edit Your Profile” from your ACS Paragon Plus account homepage and following the ORCID-related links. Learn more at www.orcid.org .
To obtain forms and guidelines for completing the Journal Publishing Agreement or obtaining permissions from copyright owners, and to explore a Copyright Learning Module for chemists, click here .
Authors are required to report funding sources and grant/award numbers. Enter ALL sources of funding for ALL authors in BOTH the Funder Registry Tool in ACS Paragon Plus and in your manuscript to meet this requirement.
ACS offers options by which authors can fulfill the requirements for open access and deposition into repositories for funded research. Visit our ACS Open Science site to see how to fulfill requirements for specific funders and to find out if you are eligible to publish under a Read + Publish agreement between ACS and your institution. You can also find out more about Open Access Compliance and ACS Open Science initiatives .
During manuscript submission, ACS journal authors have the option to submit a statement sharing information related to diversity and inclusion that is relevant for their paper. If supplying a diversity and inclusion statement, the corresponding author must provide this on behalf of all authors of the manuscript during the submission process. These statements include but are not limited to analysis of citation diversity and acknowledgment of indigenous land on which research was conducted. Statements expressing political beliefs are not permitted and may be removed by the journal office. All statements are subject to final review by the Editor.
Digital graphics pasted into manuscripts should have the following minimum resolutions:
Graphics must fit a one- or two-column format. Single-column graphics can be sized up to 240 points wide (3.33 in.) and double-column graphics must be sized between 300 and 504 points (4.167 in. and 7 in.). The maximum depth for all graphics is 660 points (9.167 in.) including the caption (allow 12 pts. For each line of caption text). Lettering should be no smaller than 4.5 points in the final published format. The text should be legible when the graphic is viewed full-size. Helvetica or Arial fonts work well for lettering. Lines should be no thinner than 0.5 point.
Color may be used to enhance the clarity of complex structures, figures, spectra, and schemes, etc., and color reproduction of graphics is provided at no additional cost to the author. Graphics intended to appear in black and white or grayscale should not be submitted in color.
Table of contents (toc)/abstract graphic.
Consult the Guidelines for Table of Contents/Abstract Graphics for specifications.
Our team of subject-matter experts and graphical designers can also help generate a compelling TOC graphic to convey your key findings. Learn more about our Graphical Abstract service .
A caption giving the figure number and a brief description must be included below each figure. The caption should be understandable without reference to the text. It is preferable to place any key to symbols used in the artwork itself, not in the caption. Ensure that any symbols and abbreviations used in the text agree with those in the artwork.
Charts (groups of structures that do not show reactions) may have a brief caption describing their contents.
Each table must have a brief (one phrase or sentence) title that describes the contents. The title should be understandable without reference to the text. Details should be put in footnotes, not in the title. Tables should be used when the data cannot be presented clearly in the narrative, when many numbers must be presented, or when more meaningful inter-relationships can be conveyed by the tabular format. Tables should supplement, not duplicate, information presented in the text and figures. Tables should be simple and concise.
Each scheme (sequences of reactions) may have a brief caption describing its contents.
Chemical structures should be produced with the use of a drawing program such as ChemDraw.
Accounts of Chemical Research authors are encouraged to submit images to be considered for use on the journal’s front cover or Supplementary Covers at the time of the submission of their revised manuscript. If your article is accepted for publication, your suggestion may also be selected for use on one of the journal’s covers. Images chosen for the front cover will be published at no cost to the author. If your art is selected for front cover, ACS will send you information about how to request one complimentary 18” by 24” printed poster featuring your work. Images chosen for the front cover will be published at no cost to the author.
Cover image submissions should be scientifically and visually exciting. Colorful images without text or structures are preferred. The cover image should not resemble a graphical abstract or data figure, but rather should be an artistic and scientifically accurate representation of the manuscript. For examples of cover art designs, please refer to recent issues .
Image files should be submitted as TIF, JPG, PNG or EPS files with a resolution of at least 300 dpi for pixel-based images. Images should be 8.19 in × 10.00 in. (or 20.80 cm × 25.40 cm). Please note that the journal title will cover the top 2 in. (5.08 cm) of the image. Authors should submit the cover image, along with a short, clear legend (less than 50 words) explaining the image, as supplementary files to ACS Paragon Plus with their revised manuscript.
If you wish to be considered only for the front cover, and not a paid supplementary cover, please respond NO accordingly to the Journal Covers question in ACS Paragon Plus. For more information on the Supplementary Covers program, please see this webpage . All art submitted for consideration for a supplementary cover will also be considered for a front cover.
The Web editions of ACS journals allow readers to view multimedia attachments such as animations and movies that complement understanding of the research being reported.
WEOs should be uploaded in ACS Paragon Plus with ‘Web Enhanced Object’ selected as the file designation. Consult the list of compatible WEO formats .
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Author guidelines.
Last updated: June 25, 2024
Scope of the journal, manuscript types, submit with fast format, document templates and format, acceptable software, file designations, and tex/latex, cover letter, manuscript text components, supporting information, research data policy, data requirements, language and editing services, preparing graphics, figure and illustration services, prior publication policy, editorial policies, providing potential reviewer names, manuscript transfer, proofs via acs direct correct, publication date and patent dates, asap publication, post-publication policies, sharing your published article.
The Journal of the American Chemical Society is published weekly and is devoted to the publication of fundamental research papers in all fields of chemistry. Articles, Communications, Perspectives, and Spotlights are published. “Notes” and “Comments” on earlier work are not considered or published. More information can be found here .
Articles most appropriate for publication in JACS are those that deal with some phase of “pure” chemistry as distinguished from “applied” chemistry, yet not all manuscripts that describe well-executed work can be accepted. Articles of high scientific quality, originality, significance, and conceptual novelty that are of interest to the wide and diverse contemporary readership of JACS will be given priority for publication. Articles on methodology should include one or more applications of widespread interest and, unless significant new advances are announced, will be declined with the recommendation for Manuscript Transfer to specialized journals. Papers that draw conclusions from the treatment of existing data must also include significant new data and make new experimental or theoretical predictions of broad interest. Articles which mainly expand findings that were previously published as Communications in JACS or elsewhere and which only incorporate experimental data, without greatly expanded scope and without providing new insights or conceptual breakthroughs, will be declined. Articles that are mainly routine extensions of previously published related work will also be declined with the recommendation for Manuscript Transfer to specialized journals.
Use of the template for Articles is strongly encouraged but is not required. If an author chooses not to use a template to prepare an Article, only Times and Symbol fonts and 1.5 or double line spacing should be used. Other fonts may cause problems when the PDF files used for review are created. Also, if the template is not used, the document mode or its equivalent in the word-processing program should be used; i.e., files should not be saved in “Text Only” (ASCII) mode. If a non-Western version of word- processing software is used to prepare the manuscript, the file should be saved in rich-text format (RTF).
Communications are restricted to reports of unusual urgency, timeliness, significance, and broad interest. A brief statement explaining how the manuscript meets the criteria of urgency and significance should be included in the author’s cover letter. It is desirable that the principal conclusions be stated in the opening sentences of the manuscript. Communications must conform to the length guidelines described in the ‘Preparation of Manuscripts’ section. The submission of multiple Communications on the same or closely related topics within a short period of time is not an acceptable means of publishing a body of work that is too large for a single Communication. Such work should be described in the format of an Article. The major concepts must not have appeared previously as a report or publication. If a previous Communication by the same author(s) has already appeared and the present manuscript describes a technical improvement or increase in the scope of the work, it will not be accepted in the absence of a novel conceptual advance.
A Communication must convey the scientific findings concisely in abstract, main text, and graphical elements as determined by word count not exceeding 2200 words, including titles/footnotes/captions of approximately five graphics (typically 2 inches long in a single column). References are not included in word count to allow article titles to be included at submission. All graphics and tables must be placed near the point of first mention in the text of the manuscript (not grouped at the end of the document) and must be sized according to current guidance. Long notes are not permitted in the References section; information not directly germane to the Communication can be included as Supporting Information.
The current Communications templates ( Microsoft Word 2011 for Macintosh and Microsoft Word 2010 for Windows ) remain available for submission and will facilitate the review process; however, word count is the defining limit for a JACS Communication. Authors need not fit the manuscript to four strict pages by the template measure. To calculate word count within the word processing application, select all text from abstract through end of main text (excluding title, authors, affiliations, and content after main text) and view the word processor’s word count data. Communications exceeding the word count limit must be shortened before acceptance. Sample Communication in new template
Perspectives are personal reviews of a field or area, and they are focused rather than comprehensive. Perspective authors are asked to assess the current status of the field with an emphasis toward identifying key advances being made or those advances that are needed, and with an eye to the future. The JACS Perspective should touch base with the current literature, including key contributors and references, but will primarily serve to inspire and help direct future research efforts. Authors may be invited by the Editor to submit Perspectives. Authors interested in submitting a Perspective are strongly encouraged to contact the Editor prior to manuscript preparation and submission, to seek conditional approval of the proposed topic. Perspectives should be no more than 9,000 words, including the abstract, main text, and figure captions.
While this document will provide basic information on how to prepare and submit the manuscript as well as other critical information about publishing, we also encourage authors to visit the ACS Researcher Resources for additional information on everything that is needed to prepare (and review) manuscripts for ACS journals and partner journals, such as
All ACS journals and partner journals have simplified their formatting requirements in favor of a streamlined and standardized format for an initial manuscript submission. Read more about the requirements and the benefits these serves authors and reviewers here .
Manuscripts submitted for initial consideration must adhere to these standards:
The templates facilitate the peer review process by allowing authors to place artwork and tables close to the point where they are discussed within the text.
General information on the preparation of manuscripts may also be found in the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication .
See the list of Acceptable Software and appropriate File Designations to be sure your file types are compatible with ACS Paragon Plus. Information for manuscripts generated from TeX/LaTeX is also available.
A cover letter must accompany every manuscript submission. During the submission process, you may type it or paste it into the submission system, or you may attach it as a file.
The letter must provide the corresponding author’s name, postal and e-mail addresses, and telephone and fax numbers. All Editorial correspondence concerning receipt, status, review, revision, and publication of a manuscript will be sent only to one person who has been designated as the corresponding author during the evaluation period. The corresponding author is responsible for communicating the manuscript status to all coauthors of the paper and for obtaining the coauthors’ assent to any substantial changes of content or interpretation made during revision. The cover letter may suggest the name of an appropriate JACS Associate Editor. However, manuscript assignment to an Associate Editor is ultimately at the discretion of the Editor. Authors must suggest a minimum of six to eight persons competent to review their manuscript. The selection of appropriate reviewers is the prerogative of the Associate Editor handling the manuscript.
The cover letter should provide explicit assurance that the manuscript is not under consideration for publication and has not been published elsewhere. Please note any use of a preprint server in the cover letter and include a link to the preprint, and as appropriate, state how the manuscript has been adjusted/updated between deposition and submission.
Title. The title should accurately, clearly, and concisely reflect the emphasis and content of the paper. Series or part numbers may not be used, nor may the words “Novel” or “First” appear in the title. Acronyms and abbreviations are not permitted in manuscript titles, unless they are broadly familiar to readers in all disciplines of chemistry.
Author List. Include as coauthors all those who have made substantial contributions to the work. Use first names, initials, and surnames (e.g., John R. Smith). Do not use only initials with surnames (e.g., J. R. Smith), because this causes indexing and retrieval difficulties and interferes with unique identification of an author. Deceased persons who meet the criteria for inclusion as coauthors should be so included, with an Author Information note indicating the date of death. Do not include professional or official titles or academic degrees. At least one, or optionally more than one author must be designated with an asterisk as the author(s) to whom reader correspondence regarding the published manuscript may be addressed.
The full names and e-mail addresses of all coauthors must be provided on the Authors & Institutes page upon submission of the manuscript in the ACS Paragon Plus Environment.
Addition or deletion of an author or authors after submission of the manuscript requires justification from the corresponding author and is subject to approval by the Editor.
Institution Address. The author affiliation(s) listed should be the institution(s) where the work was conducted. If the present address of an author differs from that at which the work was done, that address should be given in an Author Information note.
Many Funders and Institutions require that institutional affiliations are identified for all authors listed in the work being submitted. ACS facilitates this requirement by collecting institution information during manuscript submission under Step 2: Authors and Affiliations in ACS Paragon Plus.
Abstract. All manuscripts (Communications and Articles) must contain an abstract, which should summarize the reason for the work, the most significant results, and the conclusions. The abstract should not exceed about 250 words. Pasting the abstract in the text box on the Web submission page does not replace the need for including an abstract in the manuscript document.
Text (Articles). The first paragraphs of an Article should explain the motivation for and import of the work, where it fits in the development of the field and of chemistry, and perhaps why it should be of interest to chemists in other areas. It should be possible to do this without excessively increasing the length of the Article. Extensive reviews of the literature cannot be accepted. Thoughtful use of schemes and figures (with well-composed captions) is recommended, so that even casual browsers can discern the nature of the work. Well-known procedures should be designated by name, or literature references to them should be given. Experimental results are of lasting value and should be clearly and logically presented in a separate section. Standard Article format must be used for preparing a manuscript for submission as an Article, including section headings and a proper Introduction, a complete Experimental Section (unless placed in the Supporting Information), Results, and Discussion. The addition of a Conclusion section at the end of the paper, which briefly summarizes the principal conclusions of the work, is recommended. If desired for clarification, section headings may be given Arabic numbers and subsections numbered in decimals (e.g., subsection 2.1 and subsection 2.2).
Text (Communications). Section headings (Introduction, Experimental Section, Conclusion, etc.) should not be used in a Communication.
Safety. Authors must emphasize any unexpected, new, and/or significant hazards or risks associated with the reported work. This information should be in the Experimental Section of the full article or the main text of a Communication.
Disclaimers. Disclaimers are not allowed in JACS manuscripts or in the Supporting Information.
Appendices. Appendix sections must be placed in the Supporting Information.
Dedications. All dedications must appear in the Acknowledgment section and are subject to approval by the Editor.
Abbreviations. Acronyms and abbreviations that are not broadly familiar to readers in all disciplines of chemistry should be introduced in parentheses following the full term on its first appearance in the text. Do not include a separate Abbreviations list.
Acknowledgment. Dedications and notes acknowledging financial or professional assistance to the conduct of research or indicating presentation at a meeting should be brief and placed in the Acknowledgment section.
Author Information Notes. The e-mail address(es) of the corresponding author or authors must be provided as a Corresponding Author note. Present addresses for individual authors that differ from the address(es) at which the work was done should be given in a Present Addresses note.
Simple equal authorship statements are allowed and may be presented in an Author Contribution note. However, itemization of individual author contributions or partial authorship is not permitted in any part of the manuscript or Supporting Information.
Associated Content. If the manuscript is accompanied by one or more Supporting Information files for publication, a brief description of each file is required. The descriptions should be placed at the end of the manuscript, before the list of references. ACS will add a sentence directing interested readers to the Supporting Information on the ACS Publications website via the paper’s DOI.
References and Footnotes. All the references and footnotes must be placed together in a list at the end of the manuscript text. In the Web edition, many of them will have links to other Web resources, such as the corresponding abstracts in Chemical Abstracts and the full text on publisher Web sites. Because of this electronic linking, and to aid scientific research, it is crucial that authors verify the accuracy of all reference citations and footnotes.
Unnecessarily long lists of references should be avoided, and excessive self-citation is not permitted. However, authors must reference all previous publications in which portions of the present work have appeared. Literature references and short explanatory footnotes must be numbered with Arabic numerals in the order of their first citation in the text and the corresponding numbers placed at the appropriate locations in the text as superscripted numerals.
Long footnotes should be avoided in Articles and are not permitted in Communications; additional data and peripheral discussion should be placed in the Supporting Information rather than in footnotes. Supplementary references may be placed in Supporting Information.
Bibliographic references to classified documents and reports or references to unpublished materials that are not generally available to the scientific public should not be used. Authors must obtain written permission from any person whose work is cited as a personal communication, unpublished work, or work in press. Copies of letters of permission and documentation should be appended to the cover letter file. If the manuscript is accepted but the necessary permissions have not been received, the Editor will ask the author to remove the reference(s) and dependent text.
Authors should consult The ACS Style Guide , 3 rd ed.; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2006, for the appropriate style to use in citations of journal papers, books, and other publications. In literature references, article titles must be included and journal abbreviations should be those used in the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI) .
This information is provided to the reviewers during the peer-review process (for Review Only) and is available to readers of the published work (for Publication). Supporting Information must be submitted at the same time as the manuscript. See the list of Acceptable Software by File Designation and confirm that your Supporting Information is viewable .
If the manuscript is accompanied by any supporting information files for publication, these files will be made available free of charge to readers. A brief, nonsentence description of the actual contents of each file, including the file type extension, is required. This description should be labeled Supporting Information and should appear before the Acknowledgement and Reference sections. Examples of sufficient and insufficient descriptions are as follows:
Examples of sufficient descriptions: “Supporting Information: 1 H NMR spectra for all compounds (PDF)” or “Additional experimental details, materials, and methods, including photographs of experimental setup (DOC)”.
Examples of insufficient descriptions: “Supporting Information: Figures S1-S3” or “Additional figures as mentioned in the text”.
When including supporting information for review only, include copies of references that are unpublished or in-press. These files are available only to editors and reviewers.
All ACS journals strongly encourage authors to make the research data underlying their articles publicly available at the time of publication.
Research data is defined as materials and information used in the experiments that enable the validation of the conclusions drawn in the article, including primary data produced by the authors for the study being reported, secondary data reused or analyzed by the authors for the study, and any other materials necessary to reproduce or replicate the results.
The ACS Research Data Policy provides additional information on Data Availability Statements, Data Citation, and Data Repositories.
Characterization of New Substances. Adequate evidence to firmly establish both identity and purity should be provided. Recommended criteria vary according to substance categories. A summary of the detailed criteria may be found below.
Authors are required to provide sufficient information (as described in more detail below) to establish the identity of a new compound, its purity, and its yield. Sufficient experimental details must also be included to allow another researcher to reproduce the synthesis. Characterization data and experimental details must be included in either the paper or the Supporting Information. It must be emphasized that the following is only a general guideline and authors are encouraged to present as much data as possible to support their structure assignments. In some cases, a reviewer or Editor may require authors to submit additional data to satisfy themselves of the validity of a proposed formulation.
Characterization Data
(a) Routine Compounds
Compounds in this category are those that have either literature precedents or are obtained by a logical synthesis in close to quantitative yield. Because of potential misidentification of atoms, an X-ray diffraction structure alone will not typically be considered to provide sufficient characterization for these molecules. Diamagnetic compounds must also be characterized by NMR spectroscopy, preferably for at least two different nuclei. In addition, at least one other characterization technique must be used to support the proposed formulation. Preferably, this would be a technique that provides definitive identification of a key functional group or chromophore. For example, IR spectroscopy may be used to support the presence of carbonyl, acyl, dinitrogen, carbonyl, and hydride moieties.
Paramagnetic compounds of this category present a further complication if NMR spectroscopy does not furnish clear evidence for the proposed formulation (note that NMR spectroscopy of paramagnetic complexes can be useful if sufficiently large sweep widths are used). In many cases, X-ray diffraction may provide the most unambiguous characterization of such complexes, but this will not suffice as the only means of characterization. In the absence of an X-ray structure determination, evidence for elemental constitution must be provided by elemental analysis (e.g., combustion analysis, microprobe analysis), or mass spectrometry. Magnetic moment and/or ESR spectroscopic data should also be given for paramagnetic compounds if it is considered that the spin state of the molecule is of especial interest.
(b) Novel or Unexpected Compounds
Compounds in this category are those that either (i) exhibit an unprecedented type of structure, or (ii) are obtained by unexpected reaction. Such compounds require more detailed characterization to ensure their validity. In select instances, a variety of definitive spectroscopic techniques may provide sufficient characterization (for example, if many of the nuclei are NMR active), but in the majority of cases evidence for elemental constitution must be provided by either elemental analysis (e.g. combustion analysis, microprobe analysis), or mass spectrometry. While an X-ray diffraction structure is not considered definitive proof of elemental composition, it is acceptable evidence for composition providing that the results of other physical methods concerning the characterization are conclusive.
(c) Solid State Materials
Compounds in this category are those that have no existence in solution. While X-ray diffraction may provide the most unambiguous characterization of such compounds, evidence for elemental constitution and homogeneity needs to be presented. Atom ratios as determined by, for example, microprobe analysis of selected elements may be sufficient for this purpose
(d) Compounds that have not been isolated
Compounds that have not been isolated in pure form (e.g. reaction intermediates or intractable mixtures, or unstable species) may be published. However, in these circumstances, an explicit statement must be given indicating that the compounds have not been isolated. Only in exceptional circumstances will a paper be published in which none of the new compounds reported has been isolated and fully characterized.
Purity and Yield
The yield and purity of all compounds must be reported, including the methods used to determine them. The yield of a compound obtained in an NMR tube reaction should be determined using an internal standard.
Sample Quality
For new substances, evidence of the homogeneity the purified sample should be included. Elemental analysis is sufficient. If no analysis was performed, then other evidence (for example, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, hplc, glpc, gel electrophoresis, etc.) should be included as figures in the Supporting Information.
Molecular Weight
Evidence of molecular weight should be provided, especially if elemental analysis was not performed. Low resolution MS data under conditions that minimize fragmentation are acceptable. If there is a specific need to distinguish alternative formulas with the same molecular mass (within one amu), then HRMS data are necessary.
Miscellaneous
Numerical listings of characteristic spectroscopic data should be included to support assigned structures, changes in functionality, unusual chromophores, properties, etc. Methods of purification used to prepare samples for characterization should be described. For crystalline samples, information about the method of crystallization should be included (solvents; mp; etc.). For non-racemic, chiral substances, data to allow correlation of absolute configuration should be given, preferably including [α]D values. If correlation data are provided based on hplc or glpc methods, then retention times for both enantiomers must be provided, together with solvent and flow rate information, and identification of the chiral support.
Intermediates on Solid Phase; Combinatorial Chemistry
Validation of methods and characterization of new substances in a statistically significant sampling should be provided. Resin-bound intermediates need not be characterized if acceptable end product quality (as defined in A-C above) is demonstrated.
Spectra. Reproductions of spectra, or the relevant segments thereof, will be published only if concise numerical summaries are inadequate for the purposes of the paper. Papers dealing primarily with interpretation of spectra and those in which band shape or fine structure needs to be illustrated may be published with such spectra included. Spectra will not be published merely as adjuncts to the characterization of compounds, however. See ‘Supporting Information’ below. Routine infrared, electronic, NMR, and mass spectra of new compounds should be numerically summarized, as appropriate, in the Experimental Section of an Article or in the Supporting Information of a Communication.
Kinetic and Equilibrium Data . For publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society , the reporting of kinetic data and equilibrium binding data for proteins, nucleic acids, and other species should preferably include a description of the identity of the catalyst or binding molecule, its origin, purity of composition, and any modifications such as mutations, post-translational modifications, or other modifications made to facilitate expression and purification. The method of assay and the exact experimental conditions of the assay should be provided as a reference to previous work, with or without modifications, or fully described if a new assay. Conditions essential to reproduce the results such as the temperature, pH, and pressure (if other than atmospheric) of the assay should be included. Terms such as “not detectable” (ND) should be avoided. Instead, an estimate of the limit of detection based on the sensitivity and error analysis of the assay should be provided. Authors are referred to the STRENDA (Standards for Reporting Enzymology Data) Commission of the Beilstein Institut ( http://www.beilstein-institut.de/en/projects/strenda/guidelines ) for an example of detailed guidelines.
Reporting and Stewardship of NMR Data. New guidelines recommend a standard baseline for the submission of NMR data to ACS journals. They are intended to promote accuracy and consistency. The guidelines are divided into three sections: NMR text, which outlines the preferred format for NMR data included in the Experimental Section; NMR spectra, which outlines the preferred format for inclusion of hard copies of spectra in the Supporting Information; and primary NMR data files, which outlines the procedure for submitting FID files, acquisition data, and processing parameters to include in the Supporting Information. Authors are strongly encouraged to provide all three sets of data for all new and/or key compounds described in a manuscript submission.
In the Experimental Section , the compound must be clearly identified, for example in a header at the beginning of the synthetic procedure or the summary of spectroscopic data. List the nucleus being measured, any nucleus being broad-band decoupled, the solvent used (formula preferred, e.g. C 6 D 6 over benzene- d 6 ), the standard used, and the field strength. Field strength should be noted for each spectrum, not as a comment in the general Experimental Section. The standard(s) may be specified in the general Experimental Section; as an example, 1 H NMR data recorded in C 6 D 6 listed as “residual internal C 6 D 5 H (δ 7.15)”. Indicate solvent or peak suppression protocols used in collecting data. List the probe temperature when it is accurately known; ambient probe temperature is otherwise understood. Give 1 H NMR chemical shifts to two digits after the decimal point. Include the number of protons represented by the signal, peak multiplicity, and coupling constants as needed ( J italicized, reported with up to one digit after the decimal). The number of bonds through which the coupling is operative, x J , may be specified by the author if known with a high degree of certainty. Accepted abbreviations for multiplicities and descriptors are s = singlet, d = doublet, t = triplet, q = quartet, quint = quintet, m = multiplet (denotes complex pattern), dd = doublet of doublets, dt = doublet of triplets, td = triplet of doublets, and br = broad signal.
Chemical shifts should be listed consistently in a single article, starting either from downfield to upfield or vice-versa. Assign peak identities under the following circumstances: non-decoupled or equivalent spectra have been collected ( 13 C, 31 P, etc.); 2-D experiments have been performed; or unambiguous assignment is possible without additional experiments, such as in the case of an organometallic metal-hydride 1 H signal, PF 6 vs MPPh 3 31 P signal, etc. Give 13 C chemical shifts to one digit after the decimal point, unless an additional digit will help distinguish overlapping peaks. Include peak multiplicities for 1 H-coupled 13 C NMR spectra or for signals in 1 H-decoupled spectra that are coupled to other magnetically active nuclei. A 13 C NMR signal will be considered a singlet if the multiplicity is not assigned. Only rarely is a true multiplet observed in a 13 C{ 1 H} NMR spectrum. However, a certain region may contain a group of unresolved peaks or signals. Mention of unobserved resonances is encouraged.
Submission of spectra (.doc, .docx, .txt, .pdf, .tif) is strongly recommended for all new and/or key compounds, following these guidelines:
Submission of primary NMR data files (FID files, acquisition data, processing parameters) is encouraged for all new and/or key compounds. When submitting these files, please consider the following guidelines:
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Pulse Sequences. For manuscripts that present new NMR pulse sequences, authors are requested to supply as “Supporting Information for Publication” a file that includes the original working pulse sequence information required to record data. This will typically include the pulse sequence code, parameter set, and other associated files, such as tables of gradient or pulse shapes.
Structural and Chemical Shift Data for Proteins and Nucleic Acids. Any set of atomic coordinates referred to in the manuscript, including atomic coordinates and structure factors for proteins determined by X-ray crystallography and coordinates determined by NMR, should be deposited with the Protein Data Bank, Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics at Rutgers University whenever appropriate. (Theoretical model depositions are no longer accepted for inclusion in the PDB archive.) If the coordinate files are not deposited in the PDB, or if the PDB files are on hold until publication, then the coordinate files must be included in the Supporting Information submitted concurrently with the manuscript. Requirements are similar for structures of nucleic acids, which should be deposited with the Nucleic Acid Database. A manuscript that does not provide coordinates at the time of submission will not be sent out for review. It is the responsibility of the author to obtain a file name (PDB ID or NDB ID) for the molecule; the file name must appear in the published manuscript. If a file name has not yet been obtained upon acceptance of a paper, it must be added in proof. Atomic coordinates and structure factors for all structures mentioned must be available immediately upon publication of the paper, either directly in the Supporting Information or as a data bank deposition. Similar requirements also apply to any chemical shifts referred to in the paper, whether they are only for assignment of resonances or used for any form of structure calculation. Those chemical shifts must be available to the reviewer at time of submission, either as an available entry in the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank or included directly as Supporting Information.
Single Crystal Diffraction Data. Manuscripts reporting the determination of one or more structures by X-ray diffraction must adhere to the following requirements:
Abstract. The abstract may summarize geometric features of unusual interest but should not contain unit cell parameters.
Main Body of Manuscript. Tables of essential interatomic distances and angles are not required but may be submitted (metric information for standard structural components should not be included).
For structures with anisotropically refined atoms, a figure displaying the thermal ellipsoids should ordinarily be presented; a spherical-atom representation may be substituted if necessary for clarity. If a spherical atom view is chosen for the manuscript, a thermal ellipsoid figure should be included in the Supporting Information. In cases where intermolecular interactions are relevant to the discussion, a view of the unit cell may be included.
An Article should list for each structure the formula, formula weight, crystal system, space group, color of crystal, unit cell parameters, temperature of data collection, and values of Z , R , and GOF; a brief description of data collection and solution and refinement of the structure should be placed in the Experimental Section. Tables of atom coordinates and thermal parameters will not be printed.
Structure factors (except for proteins and nucleic acids) should not be submitted as Supporting Information. However, one printed table of structure factors should be retained in case it is requested by the Editor for review purposes only.
All Crystallographic Information Files (CIFs), structure factor tables, and CheckCIF reports must be submitted to the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC) prior to manuscript submission . See Requirements for Depositing X-Ray Crystallographic Data [PDF] for complete details on submission of CIFs and a list of file types accommodated by CCDC.
Powder Diffraction Data. The presentation of X-ray powder diffraction data for new materials or for materials previously uncharacterized by this technique is encouraged. Data from X-ray powder measurements should be accompanied by details of the experimental technique: source of X-rays, the radiation, its wavelength, filters or monochromators, camera diameter, the type of X-ray recording, and the technique for measuring intensities. In cases of unindexed listing of the data, the d spacings of all observed lines should be listed in sequence, together with their relative intensities. In cases where filtered radiation is used, every effort should be made to identify residual β lines. Where resolution into α 1 -α 2 doublets occurs, the identification of the d spacing for each line as d α 1 , d α 2 gives a measure of the quality of the diffraction pattern. When an indexing of the data is offered, the observed and calculated 1/ d 2 values should be listed along with the observed relative intensities (it is superfluous to give d spacings in this instance). All calculated 1/ d 2 values should be listed (exclusive of systematic absences), to the limit of the data quoted. If possible, the crystal system should be specified. Possible space groups may also be listed if the data warrant it. Relevant information about the specimen used should be included.
Magnetic Measurements. Fits of magnetic data [ χ ( T ), χ -1 ( T ), χT ( T ), μ ( T ), M ( H ), etc.] to an analytical expression must include both the Hamiltonian from which the analytical expression is derived and the final analytical expression and fitting parameters. When the value of an exchange coupling constant, J , is given in the abstract, the form of the Hamiltonian must also be included. The expressions may be included in the manuscript or, if long and complex, as Supporting Information; if the latter method is used, it should be noted in the Supporting Information paragraph at the end of the manuscript. In addition, how the sample was measured (in a gelatin capsule, Teflon capsule, etc.) and the diamagnetic correction for the sample holder, as well as the diamagnetic correction for the material, must be provided and the manner in which it was calculated (Pascal’s constants) or measured must be stated.
Computations. When computational results are an essential part of a manuscript, sufficient detail must be given, either within the paper or in the Supporting Information, to enable readers to reproduce the calculations. This includes data such as force field parameters and equations defining the model (or references to where such material is available in the open literature). If the software used for calculations is generally available, it must be properly cited in the References and Footnotes. References to the methods upon which the software is based must also be provided. Results obtained from methods or parameters that are not adequately described in the manuscript or in the literature are not acceptable for publication. Authors who report the results of electronic structure calculations are requested to provide as Supporting Information the geometries (either as Cartesian coordinates or Z matrices) of all the stationary points whose relative energies are given in the manuscript. The absolute energies in hartrees that are computed at these geometries should not be given in the manuscript but should be included in the Supporting Information. Where applicable, the number of imaginary frequencies should be reported to identify stable structures and transition states.
A well-written paper helps share your results most clearly. ACS Publications’ English Editing Service is designed to help scientists communicate their research effectively. Our subject-matter expert editors will edit your manuscript for grammar, spelling, and other language errors so your ideas are presented at their best.
The quality of illustrations in ACS journals and partner journals depends on the quality of the original files provided by the authors. Figures are not modified or enhanced by journal production staff. All graphics must be prepared and submitted in digital format.
Graphics should be inserted into the main body whenever possible. Please see Appendix 2 for additional information.
Any graphic (figure chart, scheme, or equation) that has appeared in an earlier publication should include a credit line citing the original source. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to re-use this material.
The impact of your research is not limited to what you can express with words. Tables and figures such as graphs, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and other visuals can play a significant role in effectively communicating your findings. Our Artwork Editing and Graphical Abstract services generate publication-ready figures and Table of Contents (TOC) graphics that conform to your chosen journal’s specifications. For figures, this includes changes to file type, resolution, color space, font, scale, line weights, and layout (to improve readability and professional appearance). For TOC graphics, our illustrators can work with a rough sketch or concept or help extract the key findings of your manuscript directly for use as a visual summary of your paper.
Manuscripts, graphics, supporting information, and required forms, as well as manuscript revisions, must all be submitted in digital format through ACS Paragon Plus , which requires an ACS ID to log in. Registering for an ACS ID is fast, free, and does not require an ACS membership. Please refer to Appendix 1 for additional information on preparing your submission
Submission of a manuscript to JACS is contingent upon the agreement by all the authors that the reported work has not received prior publication and that no portion of this or any other closely related work is under consideration for publication.
Journal of the American Chemical Society authors may deposit an initial draft of their manuscript in a preprint service such as ChemRxiv , bioRxiv , arXiv , or the applicable repository for their discipline before the manuscript is accepted for publication in JACS . Authors may revise the preprint version of their manuscript up until a final acceptance decision has been issued. Please note any use of a preprint server in the cover letter and include a link to the preprint, and as appropriate, state how the manuscript has been adjusted/updated between deposition and submission. All other prior/redundant publication is forbidden. Upon publication in JACS , authors should add a link from the preprint to the published article via the Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Some preprint servers, including ChemRxiv and bioRxiv, add this link for authors automatically after publication. For further details, contact the Editorial Office. For the ACS Publications policy on theses and dissertations, click here .
Manuscripts submitted to JACS should be written in a style that addresses a wider audience than for papers prepared for more specialized journals. Authors should present their materials with the utmost conciseness and clarity. Articles that exceed the norm of 8-10 Journal pages, and Communications that exceed 2200 words, often contain a level of detail that is not appropriate for a broad audience.
Manuscripts exceeding this length may be returned to the authors for shortening prior to review.
Initial Editorial Review . JACS is devoted to the publication of original, fundamental research of unusual urgency and significance in all fields of chemistry that appeals to a broad, general audience. Competition for publication within JACS is intense, and the journal is simply unable to publish all the sound work received. When a manuscript is submitted to JACS , Editors must make an initial editorial judgment regarding its suitability for the journal’s multidisciplinary readership. Editorial triage is a necessary step in our review process, not only to save time for our authors as well as reviewers but also to ensure not only high quality but most importantly broad appeal to the diverse contemporary readership of JACS .
Submissions that, in the judgment of the Editors, are outside the journal’s scope or are not sufficiently novel may be recommended for Manuscript Transfer or returned without sending them on for further processing. This procedure helps ensure that the many worthwhile manuscripts containing specialized work may be submitted elsewhere without undue delay.
Back-to-Back Publication. Manuscripts intended for back-to-back publication will be considered. These manuscripts will be judged independently on their individual merit to ensure that they meet the qualifications outlined herein and that back-to-back presentation actually enhances the pedagogy and impact of the work.
Computational Manuscripts. For computational manuscripts to be suitable for publication in JACS , in addition to meeting the general requirements specified above for all Articles, it is required that (a) the level of theory and methodology employed must be adequate for the problem at hand, and (b) the manuscript must provide significant chemical insights or have substantial predictive value.
Presubmission Inquiries. Inquiries regarding the suitability of an abstract or manuscript for JACS will not be considered prior to submission of the complete manuscript file through the ACS Paragon Plus Environment.
Incomplete Manuscripts. Manuscripts that are incomplete at the time of submission must be revised to include the missing items or corrected files before peer review. The official date of receipt of the manuscript will be recorded as the date that the revised manuscript is received in the Editor’s office in the complete and proper format.
Related Work by Author. All related work under consideration for publication in any medium must be cited in the manuscript, and the Editor must be informed at the time of submission. When related work by any of the authors is not available because it is in press (accepted), submitted, or in preparation for submission to JACS or another journal, a copy of each related paper should be uploaded as “Supporting Information for Review Only” at the time of submission. If a cited reference has already appeared on the Web, indicate that it is published electronically (“ASAP” for ACS journals) and give the DOI number for convenient access. The full journal citation should be completed during manuscript revision or page proof correction, if possible.
Peer Review. The Editors generally seek the advice of experts about manuscripts; however, manuscripts considered by the Editors to be inappropriate for JACS may be declined without review. The recommendations of reviewers are advisory to the Editors, who accept full responsibility for decisions about manuscripts. Final responsibility for acceptance or declination rests with the Editor.
Authors are urged to suggest in the cover letter a minimum of six to eight persons competent to review the manuscript. Authors may also request that specific people not be used as referees, and they may include reasons for such a request. These suggestions will be advisory to the editors and are not a condition for submission. Reviewer identities are confidential, and the names of reviewers will not be revealed to an author.
Reviewers are asked to evaluate manuscripts on the scientific value of the work, the level of interest to the broad and diverse readership, the appropriateness of the literature citations, and the clarity and conciseness of the writing.
Revised Manuscripts. When a revision is requested after peer review, the authors must return the revised manuscript promptly: 14 days is allotted for minor revisions of both Articles and Communications, 30 days for major revisions of Articles, and 21 days for major revisions of Communications. After the allotted time, a revised manuscript will be handled as a new submission and will be given a new receipt date.
Resubmission to JACS . The resubmission of manuscripts previously considered and declined for publication in JACS is strongly discouraged and will only be considered under extraordinary circumstances.
Well-reasoned appeals of decisions may be considered, but must first be directed to the Associate Editor who handled the original submission and not to the Editor.
If a paper has been declined by JACS and the author wishes to submit a revised version, the author is required to first gain consent from the Associate Editor who handled the initial submission . If the Associate Editor’s consent to resubmit is received (which does not guarantee ultimate acceptance), the cover letter must explicitly state that permission was obtained from the Associate Editor and must describe the changes that have been made in the manuscript and include justification for reconsideration. The manuscript will be assigned to the same Associate Editor who handled the initial submission. The request for reconsideration may be denied without further review if, in the Editor’s opinion, no adequate new science was provided or the work is more suitable for publication in a specialized journal.
Self-Citations. The use of excessive self-citations is not permitted.
Nomenclature. Registered trademark names should be capitalized whenever used. Trade and trivial names should not be capitalized. It is not necessary to use the trademark, registered trademark, or service mark symbol to ensure legal protection for the trademark.
Please suggest a minimum of six to eight reviewers. Authors are encouraged to avoid suggesting reviewers from the authors’ institutions. Do not suggest reviewers who may have a real or perceived conflict of interest . Whenever possible, suggest academic email addresses rather than personal email addresses.
If your submission is declined for publication by this journal, the editors might deem your work to be better suited for another ACS Publications journal or partner journal and suggest that the authors consider transferring the submission. Manuscript Transfer simplifies and shortens the process of submitting to another ACS journal or partner journal, as all the coauthors, suggested reviewers, manuscript files, and responses to submission questions are copied by ACS Paragon Plus to the new draft submission. Authors are free to accept or decline the transfer offer.
Note that each journal is editorially independent. Transferring a manuscript is not a guarantee that the manuscript will be accepted, as the final publication decision will belong to the editor of the next journal.
Correction of the galley proofs is the responsibility of the Corresponding Author. The Corresponding Author of an accepted manuscript will receive e-mail notification and complete instructions when page proofs are available for review via ACS Direct Correct . Extensive or important changes on page proofs, including changes to the title or list of authors, are subject to review by the editor.
It is the responsibility of the Corresponding Author to ensure that all authors listed on the manuscript agree with the changes made on the proofs. Galley proofs should be returned within 48 hours in order to ensure timely publication of the manuscript.
Accepted manuscripts will be published on the ACS Publications Web site as soon as page proofs are corrected and all author concerns are resolved. The first date on which the document is published on the Web is considered the publication date.
Publication of manuscripts on the Web may occur weeks in advance of the cover date of the issue of publication. Authors should take this into account when planning their patent and intellectual property activities related to a document and should ensure that all patent information is available at the time of first publication, whether ASAP or issue publication.
All articles published ahead of print receive a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, which is used to cite the manuscript before and after the paper appears in an issue. Additionally, any supplemental information submitted along with the manuscript will automatically be assigned a DOI and hosted on Figshare to promote open data discoverability and use of your research outputs.
Manuscripts will be published on the “ASAP Articles” page on the web as soon as page proofs are corrected and all author concerns are resolved. ASAP publication usually occurs within a few working days of receipt of page proof corrections, which can be several weeks in advance of the cover date of the issue.
The American Chemical Society follows guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when considering any ethical concerns regarding a published article, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern.
Additions and Corrections may be requested by the author(s) or initiated by the Editor to address important issues or correct errors and omissions of consequence that arise after publication of an article. All Additions and Corrections are subject to approval by the Editor, and should bring new and directly relevant information and corrections that fix scientific facts. Minor corrections and additions will not be published. Readers who detect errors of consequence in the work of others should contact the corresponding author of that work.
Additions and Corrections must be submitted as new manuscripts via ACS Paragon Plus by the Corresponding Author for publication in the “Addition/Correction” section of the Journal. The corresponding author should obtain approval from all coauthors prior to submitting or provide evidence that such approval has been solicited. The manuscript should include the original article title and author list, citation including DOI, and details of the correction.
Articles may be retracted for scientific or ethical reasons and may be requested by the article author(s) or by the journal Editor(s), but are ultimately published at the discretion of the Editor. Articles that contain seriously flawed or erroneous data such that their findings and conclusions cannot be relied upon may be retracted in order to correct the scientific record. When an article is retracted, a notice of Retraction will be published containing information about the reason for the Retraction. The originally published article will remain online except in extraordinary circumstances (e.g. where deemed legally necessary, or if the availability of the published content poses public health risks).
Expressions of Concern may be issued at the discretion of the Editor if:
Upon completion of any related investigation, and when a final determination is made about the outcome of the article, the Expression of Concern may be replaced with a Retraction notice or Correction.
At ACS Publications, we know it is important for you to be able to share your peer reviewed, published work with colleagues in the global community of scientists. As sharing on sites known as scholarly collaboration networks (SCNs) is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s scholarly research ecosystem, we would like to remind you of the many ways in which you, a valued ACS author, can share your published work .
Publishing open access makes it easy to share your work with friends, colleagues, and family members. In addition, ACS Publications makes it easy to share your newly published research with ACS Articles on Request (see below). Don’t forget to promote your research and related data on social media, at conferences, and through scholarly communication networks. Increase the impact of your research using the following resources: Altmetrics , Figshare , ACS Certified Deposit
When your article is published in an ACS journal or partner journal, corresponding authors are provided with a link that offers up to 50 free digital prints of the final published work. This link is valid for the first 12 months following online publication, and can be shared via email or an author’s website. After one year, the access restrictions to your article will be lifted, and you can share the Articles on Request URL on social media and other channels. To access all your Articles on Request links, log in to your ACS Researcher Resources account and visit the “My Published Manuscripts” page.
Article , journal , and commercial reprints are available to order.
We’ve developed ACS’ publishing and editorial policies in consultation with the research communities that we serve, including authors and librarians. Browse our policies below to learn more.
ACS editors have provided Ethical Guidelines for persons engaged in the publication of chemical research—specifically, for editors, authors, and reviewers. Each journal also has a specific policy on prior publication .
As a U.S.-based non-profit organization, the American Chemical Society (ACS) is required to comply with U.S. sanctions laws and regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). While these laws and regulations permit U.S.-based publishers like ACS to engage in publishing-related activities with authors located in sanctioned regions in many cases, ACS may be prohibited under U.S. law from engaging in publishing-related activities in some cases, including, but not limited to, instances where an author or the institution with which an author is affiliated is located in a particular sanctioned region or has been designated by OFAC as a Specially Designated National (SDN) pursuant to certain U.S. sanctions programs. ACS reserves the right to refrain from engaging in any publishing-related activities that ACS determines in its sole discretion may be in violation of U.S. law.
Authors must emphasize any unexpected, new, and/or significant hazards or risks associated with the reported work. This information should be in the Experimental Section of a full article and included in the main text of a letter. Statement examples can be found in the Safety Statement Style Sheet and additional information on communicating safety information from the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication is freely available here .
A statement describing any financial conflicts of interest or lack thereof is published in each ACS journal and partner journal article.
During the submission process, the Corresponding Author must provide a statement on behalf of all authors of the manuscript, describing all potential sources of bias, including affiliations, funding sources, and financial or management relationships, that may constitute conflicts of interest. If the manuscript is accepted, the statement will be published in the final article.
If the manuscript is accepted and no conflict of interest has been declared, the following statement will be published in the final article: “The authors declare no competing financial interest.”
In publishing only original research, ACS is committed to deterring plagiarism, including self-plagiarism. ACS Publications uses CrossCheck's iThenticate software to screen submitted manuscripts for similarity to published material. Note that your manuscript may be screened during the submission process.
Further information about plagiarism can be found in Part B of the Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research . See also the press release regarding ACS' participation in the CrossCheck initiative.
Authors are required to obtain the consent of all their coauthors prior to submitting a manuscript. The submitting author accepts the responsibility of notifying all coauthors that the manuscript is being submitted.
During manuscript submission, the submitting author must provide contact information (full name, email address, institutional affiliation, and mailing address) for all of the coauthors. Because all of the author names are automatically imported into the electronic Journal Publishing Agreement , the names must be entered into ACS Paragon Plus. (Note that coauthors are not required to register in ACS Paragon Plus.) Author affiliation should reflect where the work was completed, even if the author has since left that institution. Authors may include a note with a current address if their institution has changed since the work was completed.
To expedite the processing of your manuscript, please format your author and affiliation information according the guidelines in this link: https://pubsapp.acs.org/paragonplus/submission/author-address-information.pdf .
Criteria for authorship can be found in Part B of the Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research . Artificial intelligence (AI) tools do not qualify for authorship. The use of AI tools for text or image generation should be disclosed in the manuscript within the Acknowledgment section with a description of when and how the tools were used. For more substantial use cases or descriptions of AI tool use, authors should provide full details within the Methods or other appropriate section of the manuscript.
If any change in authorship is necessary after a manuscript has been submitted, confirmation is required that all of the authors (including those being added or removed) have been notified and have agreed to the change. To provide this confirmation, authors are asked to complete and sign an authorship change form and provide the completed form to the appropriate editorial office.
Authors with a single name: If you, or any of your coauthors, have only one name, please follow these steps for proper submission to ACS Paragon Plus:
If your paper is accepted, the asterisk (*) will be removed from the published version of the paper.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all patent activities and intellectual property issues are satisfactorily resolved prior to first publication (ASAP or in issue). Acceptance and publication will not be delayed for pending or unresolved issues of this nature.
Authors submitting manuscript revisions are required to provide their own personal, validated ORCID iD before completing the submission, if an ORCID iD is not already associated with their ACS Paragon Plus user profiles. This ID may be provided during original manuscript submission or when submitting the manuscript revision. All authors are strongly encouraged to register for an ORCID iD, a unique researcher identifier. The ORCID iD will be displayed in the published article for any author on a manuscript who has a validated ORCID iD associated with ACS when the manuscript is accepted.
ORCID iDs should not be typed into the manuscript. ACS publishes only those ORCID iDs that have been properly verified and linked before the manuscript is accepted . After your ORCID iD is linked, it will be displayed automatically in all subsequently accepted manuscripts for any/all ACS journals. We do not publish ORCID iDs provided during proof review or via other communications after a manuscript is accepted for publication.
With an ORCID iD, you can create a profile of your research activities to distinguish yourself from other researchers with similar names, and make it easier for your colleagues to find your publications. If you do not yet have an ORCID iD, or you wish to associate your existing ORCID iD with your ACS Paragon Plus account, you may do so by clicking on “Edit Your Profile” from your ACS Paragon Plus account homepage and following the ORCID-related links. Learn more at www.orcid.org .
To obtain forms and guidelines for completing the Journal Publishing Agreement or obtaining permissions from copyright owners, and to explore a Copyright Learning Module for chemists, click here .
Authors are required to report funding sources and grant/award numbers. Enter ALL sources of funding for ALL authors in BOTH the Funder Registry Tool in ACS Paragon Plus and in your manuscript to meet this requirement.
ACS offers options by which authors can fulfill the requirements for open access and deposition into repositories for funded research. Visit our ACS Open Science site to see how to fulfill requirements for specific funders and to find out if you are eligible to publish under a Read + Publish agreement between ACS and your institution. You can also find out more about Open Access Compliance and ACS Open Science initiatives .
During manuscript submission, ACS journal authors have the option to submit a statement sharing information related to diversity and inclusion that is relevant for their paper. If supplying a diversity and inclusion statement, the corresponding author must provide this on behalf of all authors of the manuscript during the submission process. These statements include but are not limited to analysis of citation diversity and acknowledgment of indigenous land on which research was conducted. Statements expressing political beliefs are not permitted and may be removed by the journal office. All statements are subject to final review by the Editor.
Digital graphics pasted into manuscripts should have the following minimum resolutions:
Graphics must fit a one- or two-column format. Single-column graphics can be sized up to 240 points wide (3.33 in.) and double-column graphics must be sized between 300 and 504 points (4.167 in. and 7 in.). The maximum depth for all graphics is 660 points (9.167 in.) including the caption (allow 12 pts. For each line of caption text). Lettering should be no smaller than 4.5 points in the final published format. The text should be legible when the graphic is viewed full-size. Helvetica or Arial fonts work well for lettering. Lines should be no thinner than 0.5 point.
Color may be used to enhance the clarity of complex structures, figures, spectra, and schemes, etc., and color reproduction of graphics is provided at no additional cost to the author. Graphics intended to appear in black and white or grayscale should not be submitted in color.
Table of contents (toc)/abstract graphic.
Consult the Guidelines for Table of Contents/Abstract Graphics for specifications.
Our team of subject-matter experts and graphical designers can also help generate a compelling TOC graphic to convey your key findings. Learn more about our Graphical Abstract service .
A caption giving the figure number and a brief description must be included below each figure. The caption should be understandable without reference to the text. It is preferable to place any key to symbols used in the artwork itself, not in the caption. Ensure that any symbols and abbreviations used in the text agree with those in the artwork.
Charts (groups of structures that do not show reactions) may have a brief caption describing their contents.
Each table must have a brief (one phrase or sentence) title that describes the contents. The title should be understandable without reference to the text. Details should be put in footnotes, not in the title. Tables should be used when the data cannot be presented clearly in the narrative, when many numbers must be presented, or when more meaningful inter-relationships can be conveyed by the tabular format. Tables should supplement, not duplicate, information presented in the text and figures. Tables should be simple and concise.
Each scheme (sequences of reactions) may have a brief caption describing its contents.
Chemical structures should be produced with the use of a drawing program such as ChemDraw.
JACS authors are encouraged to submit images to be considered for use on the journal’s front cover or Supplementary Covers at the time of the submission of their revised manuscript. If your article is accepted for publication, your suggestion may also be selected for use on one of the journal’s covers. Images chosen for the front cover will be published at no cost to the author. If your art is selected for front cover, ACS will send you information about how to request one complimentary 18” by 24” printed poster featuring your work.
Cover art should be colorful and eye-catching and must convey the importance and significance of the research. Image files should be submitted as TIF, JPG, PNG or EPS files with a resolution of at least 300 dpi for pixel-based images. Images should be 7.38 in × 8.13 in. (or 18.73 cm × 20.64 cm). Authors should submit the cover image, along with a short (<50-word), clear caption explaining the image, as supplementary files to ACS Paragon Plus with their revised manuscript. These images may be modified or enhanced by an ACS graphic artist. Cover art may delay issue publication of the associated Article or Communication; however, ASAP publication will not be delayed.
If you wish to be considered only for the front cover, and not a paid supplementary cover, please respond NO accordingly to the Supplementary Cover Art question in ACS Paragon Plus. For more information on the Supplementary Covers program, please see this webpage . All art submitted for consideration for a supplementary cover will also be considered for a front cover.
The Web editions of ACS journals allow readers to view multimedia attachments such as animations and movies that complement understanding of the research being reported.
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在投稿过程中,随论文一起提交的cover letter(投稿信)往往是编辑们首先读到的内容。作为学术发表之路上的一块敲门砖,cover letter作用不容小觑——通过在简短的篇幅中快速展示出研究的重点及亮点,帮助编辑快速对论文进行初步评估并建立第一印象。
本期文章,我们将通过一系列关键点详述如何写出一封专业的cover letter,并附上写作模板供研究者参考。快来看看吧!
在称呼编辑的姓名时,请仔细检查,确保完整且正确地书写,避免错误 1 。 如果期刊有多个联合编辑(co-editors),建议根据其专业和职责来具体到个人进行称呼。
如果确实无法找到其具体信息,不妨使用一个通用的称呼,例如“Dear Editors”¹ 。
清晰简明地介绍稿件标题,并说明稿件类型,例如文章(article)、通讯(communication)、综述(review)等。如果期刊有特别说明的要求,则可能需列出全部论文作者。
在介绍完基本信息后,简要解释论文研究内容,包括核心论点、数据收集方法等,让编辑快速、清晰地了解论文内容。建议叙述简短明了,避免繁琐冗长,不必过度重复论文已有的摘要和引言等段落。
说明论文的科研意义是投稿信的重要部分。研究者可以从研究的重要性和潜在影响出发,强调其在该领域的相关性。同时,可以介绍文章与期刊学术范围以及宗旨相契合的方面,以印证投稿的合理性。
部分期刊会要求作者在投稿时提供一系列的声明,以确保论文符合期刊本身和科学出版行业的道德规范。我们建议作者提前查阅各期刊具体的要求,如没有明确说明,可参考以下角度根据实际情况进行声明:
如果投稿流程中暂无收集研究者对审稿人建议的环节,且研究者存在对审稿人的特殊要求(如推荐纳入或建议排除特定审稿人等),也可以在投稿信中进行相关说明。
结合以上5点,以下是一封常规投稿信的可用模板,供研究者参考:
(此示例意在展示投稿信的格式和语气表达规范,仅供研究者在写作时参考使用 2 。)
作为论文发表的敲门砖,投稿信影响着论文给编辑留下的第一印象。一封优秀的投稿信是文章最终成功发表的重要第一步。
想要写出专业凝练的投稿信?如果您需要语言方面的帮助,爱思唯尔语言服务正是您值得信赖的选择。我们的编辑专家以英文为母语,专业背景涵盖 100+ 学科领域。我们提供多种类型的服务,满足您的不同需求。语言润色高级服务可根据您的论文内容定制投稿信,并提供全方位的论文写作协助。
马上联系我们,让发表省时省力更省心,助力您的学术之旅畅行无虞!
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The headlight review poetry submissions.
Poetry Guidelines
Our journal prefers work that pushes the envelope conceptually, technically, or visually, challenges our perspectives, and meets us at the intersections of genres, artistic disciplines, and modes of thought. From subtle to paradoxical, we want to publish work that captures and reimagines the world in moving ways.
Please send only three poems maximum per submission , formatted however the poem needs to be formatted to achieve the effect you desire. We’ll do our best to reproduce it, or we will work with you to readjust the format for our platform. All genres are welcome.
General Guidelines
We want to read your work! We value and encourage both emerging and experienced creators. Our goal is to engage readers and create a space for great art to bring us closer together.
The Headlight Review is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity amongst the staff and its contributors. We value varying editorial experience levels and consider aspects of identity, including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability status, a pivotal part of artistic work. We encourage submissions from marginalized and underrepresented communities and perspectives, including emergent creators of color and those from the LGBTQIA+ community.
We are open to submissions in all genres for publication in our biannual issues. Please submit your manuscript with a short (1-3 sentences), third-person bio in the comment section. For all submissions, please ensure that you do not include your name or other identifying information on your submission attachment. We reserve First North American electronic serial rights only; all rights revert back to the author upon publication. We ask that any reprints include the acknowledgment of first publication in The Headlight Review. THR does not offer compensation for regular publication.
Current students and recent graduates of Kennesaw State University, contest judges, and masthead members are not eligible to submit. KSU graduates become eligible to submit once 2 years have passed since graduation.
Submissions are open year-round. The Headlight Review staff reads for our Fall/Winter issue in August – November and the Spring/Summer edition in February – May of each year. Please expect responses to occur within those reading windows.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted when noted in your cover letter. Thank you for your interest in The Headlight Review !
As June wraps up and Pride Month comes to an end, The Maine Review is celebrating LGBTQIA+ pride by offering free submissions from June 24 to June 30 , or until we reach our allowed free submission maximum.
" Pride Month celebrates the lives, accomplishments, and potential of the LGBTQ+ community. People deserve to be seen, heard, and affirmed. " - The Human Rights Campaign
All writers are invited to make use of this free submission window, as The Maine Review is dedicated to making contemporary literature accessible and to supporting representation, innovation, and literary artistry. We seek outstanding contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including works in translation and hybrid forms, and are pleased to publish new, emerging, and established writers.
If you're able to donate, we also offer $3 or $5 Community Supported Literature donations, of which we receive $1.86 or $3.76 respectively. All donations are tax-deductible and are used to pay writers and support our programs.
*Please read our General Guidelines before submitting.*
*We do not accept multiple submissions.*
*We will not publish work that normalizes hatred of any marginalized group or individual, though submitted work may thoughtfully consider subjects of discrimination.*
Poetry Formatting Guidelines:
Payment: Poets will receive a $25 honorarium per published poem.
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A Notice by the Personnel Management Office on 06/28/2024
This document has a comment period that ends in 29 days. (07/29/2024) Submit a formal comment
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Office of Personnel Management.
30-Day notice and request for comments.
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing an extension to a currently approved information collection, OMB Control Number 3206-0174: Survivor Annuity Election for a Spouse, RI 20-63; Cover Letter Giving Information About the Cost to Elect Less Than the Maximum Survivor Annuity, RI 20-116; Cover Letter Giving Information About the Cost to Elect the Maximum Survivor Annuity, RI 20-117.
Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until July 29, 2024.
Written comments and recommendations for this proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain . Find this particular information collection request by selecting “Office of Personnel Management” under “Currently Under Review,” then check “Only Show ICR for Public Comment” checkbox.
For specific questions related to this information collection activities, please contact: Retirement Services Publications Team, Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW, Room 3316-L, Washington, DC 20415, Attention: Cyrus S. Benson, or sent via electronic mail to [email protected] or faxed to (202) 606-0910 or via telephone at (202) 936-0401.
OPM, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) ( 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A) ), provides the public with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Agency assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Agency's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. This information collection (OMB Control No. 3206-0174) was previously published in the Federal Register on March 25, 2024, at 89 FR 20711 , allowing for a 60-day public comment period. No comments were received for this collection.
The purpose of this notice is to notify the public that OPM is submitting the information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and to allow an additional 30 days for public comments. OPM is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. OMB is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) whether this collection is necessary to the proper functions of OPM; (2) whether this information will be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) the accuracy of the burden estimate; (4) ways in which OPM may enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) ways in which OPM may minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.
RI 20-63 is used by annuitants to elect a reduced annuity with a survivor annuity for their spouse. RI 20-116 is a cover letter for RI 20-63 giving information about the cost to elect less than the maximum survivor annuity. This letter is used to supply the information requested by the annuitant about the cost of electing less than the maximum annuity. RI 20-117 is a cover letter for RI 20-63 giving information about the cost to elect the maximum survivor annuity.
Agency: Retirement Operations, Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management.
Title: Survivor Annuity Election for a Spouse; Cover Letter Giving Information about the Cost to Elect Less Than the Maximum Survivor Annuity; Cover Letter Giving Information about the Cost to Elect the Maximum Survivor Annuity.
OMB Number: 3206-0174.
Frequency: On occasion.
Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
Number of Respondents: RI 20-63 = 2,400; RI 20-116 & RI 20-117 = 200.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 55 Minutes [RI 20-63 = 45 minutes; RI 20-116 or RI 20-117 = 10 minutes].
Total Burden Hours: 1,834.
Kayyonne Marston,
Federal Register Liaison.
[ FR Doc. 2024-14183 Filed 6-27-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-38-P
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Learn how to write a cover letter for journal article submission with this guide and template. Find out what to include, what to avoid, and how to highlight your research to the editor.
Getting the Basics Right. When writing a cover letter, it is crucial to address the editor by their correct and complete name¹. If there are multiple co-editors, you can address your letter to the right person, based on their specialization or designated responsibilities. If unsure, it is okay to go with a more general salutation, such as ...
Learn how to write a persuasive cover letter for your manuscript, especially for review articles. Find out what to include, what to avoid and see an example of a poor cover letter.
Keep all text left justified. Use spelling and grammar check software. If needed, use a proofreading service or cover letter editing service such as Wordvice to review your letter for clarity and concision. Double-check the editor's name. Call the journal to confirm if necessary.
7 Journal submission tips and hacks from the experts. 7.1 Be personal, use the editor's name. 7.2 Tell them what you want to publish. 7.3 Summarize the highlights of your work. 7.4 Sell yourself. 7.5 Don't forget your "must have" statements. 8 See it in action: Edanz video on writing cover letters. 9 Get a cover letter template.
A journal publication letter, also known as a journal article submission cover letter, is a cover letter written to a peer-reviewed journal to advocate for the publication of a manuscript. Not all journals ask for a publication letter. ... Comment on the type of article submitted (e.g., research article, review, case report) Assurances that all ...
It can be helpful to review examples of cover letters for journal submissions to get an idea of the style, tone, and content that is appropriate. ... Cover Letter Template for a Journal Article Submission. A cover letter is an important component of manuscript submission for publication in a journal. Using a template can help ensure that your ...
Address the editor formally by name, if known. Include your contact information, as well. This information is probably available through the journal's online submission system, but it is proper to provide it in the cover letter, too. Begin your cover letter with a paragraph that states the name of the manuscript and the names of the authors.
3.1. First Cover Letter (Submit Letter) One point of view is that the cover letter's content should be covered in the manuscript's abstract ().A typical cover letter includes the name of editor (s) and the journal, date of submission, the characteristics of the manuscript (i.e., title, type of the manuscript, e.g., review, original, case report), the importance of the work and its ...
Your cover letter will be sent to reviewers.*. Things to consider: Make sure you state the correct journal name. Address your letter to the relevant Associate Editor or Executive Editor. Include a succinct statement about the importance and/or impact of your work. Avoid repeating information that is already in your abstract or introduction.
Proofread carefully and consider having a colleague review it as well. Ignoring the Cover Letter's Tone. The tone of your effective cover letter should be professional yet accessible. Avoid overly technical language that might obscure the significance of your work to the journal editor. ... Final Checklist Before Submission: Ensuring Your ...
Learn 10 tips to write an effective cover letter for journal submission, including what to include and what to avoid. Download a cover letter template and see examples of resubmission letters.
Learn how to write a cover letter for manuscript submission and revision to a journal. Find sample cover letters and guidance on what to include in your correspondence with the editor.
1. Start With the Proper Cover Letter for Journal Submission Template. Appearances matter. You wouldn't wear a baggy T-shirt and shorts to an academic conference. In the same way, you don't want your cover letter for journal submission to look sloppy. Follow these steps to create a professional template: Cover Letter for Journal Submission ...
Your cover letter should include. The objective and approach of your research. Any novel contributions reported. Why your manuscript should be published in this journal. Any special considerations about your submission. Related papers by you and/or your fellow authors (published or under consideration) Previous reviews of your submission.
An inquiry letter should have three main sections: introduction and top-line message, a captivating synthesis of the manuscript, and the inquiry followed by a wrap-up. A manuscript inquiry letter should catch the editor's attention and communicate that your research is something new and innovative, which has the potential to change the field.
Addressing the Letter to a Specific Journal Editor. Check the journal website for information about the editor-in-chief. If you can find their name on the website, you want to place it in the upper left-hand of the cover letter page. Address them by name or with "Dear editor" in case no name is featured. Don't, however, address the editor with ...
Begin the cover letter with the manuscript title and the journal name for article submission. Mention clearly the category of the article type (letter, article, brief, review) pertaining to the particular journal. Background and context. Briefly, in a couple of sentences, describe the background of the research to bring context to your work.
Dear Dr. Simpson, I am enclosing a submission to the Journal of Poetry and Psychology entitled "Poetry and the Cognitive Psychology of Metrical Constructs.". The manuscript is 40 pages long and includes four tables and two figures. I wish for the manuscript to be given a masked review. I request that my ex-partner [name blocked out] not be ...
Proofread your letter by checking the spelling, grammar, and syntax. A well-written letter indicates that you take your submission seriously and that you are an author who pays attention to detail. 8. Check every detail. Avoid mistakes such as directing the cover letter to the editor (s) of a different journal, or to a different journal altogether.
4. Create an introduction. Your introduction addresses the editor while providing details about your submission. Address the journal editor by their name. If you don't know their name, you may include, Dear Editor instead. After your greeting, include a sentence that states your article's title and the journal's name.
If the Guide for Authors does not specify what to include in your cover letter, you may wish to include some of the following items: Specify special considerations that should be given to the paper (if any). A brief background regarding the research involved or how the data was collected. Details of any previous or concurrent submissions.
Cover letters can be submitted as normal text files, such as Word, or input directly in a field in the journal's online submission system. Let's look at some tips for each section. And don't forget to download the template, which shows these tips already in place. 1. Addressee's information and date of submission.
A cover letter must accompany every manuscript submission. During the submission process, you may type it or paste it into the submission system, or you may attach it as a file. ... This information must be included with the manuscript submission. Manuscript Review. All manuscripts, whether specifically solicited by the Editor-in-Chief or ...
Cover Letter A cover letter must accompany every manuscript submission. During the submission process, you may type it or paste it into the submission system, or you may attach it as a file. The letter must provide the corresponding author's name, postal and e-mail addresses, and telephone and fax numbers.
在投稿过程中,随论文一起提交的cover letter(投稿信)往往是编辑们首先读到的内容。作为学术发表之路上的一块敲门砖,cover letter作用不容小觑——通过在简短的篇幅中快速展示出研究的重点及亮点,帮助编辑快速对论文进行初步评估并建立第一印象。
The Headlight Review staff reads for our Fall/Winter issue in August - November and the Spring/Summer edition in February - May of each year. Please expect responses to occur within those reading windows. Simultaneous submissions are accepted when noted in your cover letter. Thank you for your interest in The Headlight Review!
Please address cover letters to the appropriate genre editor. In prose submissions, please include your word count in your cover letter. We ask that contributors whose work we've published wait at least one year before submitting again. Please send only one submission at a time. We do not accept and cannot refund multiple submissions.
Start Preamble AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management. ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing an extension to a currently approved information collection, OMB Control Number 3206-0174: Survivor Annuity Election for a Spouse, RI 20-63; Cover Letter Giving Information ...
Official Publications from the U.S. Government Publishing Office.