In short: A journal cover letter is a short letter, usually one page or less, that introduces your manuscript to the editor. Name the journal and article type, explain the question you asked and your main finding, and say why the journal's readers will care. Add only the statements your journal asks for. Publishers differ on what belongs in the letter, so read the journal's instructions first, and write it yourself: it speaks for you and your co-authors.
By On Time Publication Editorial Team · Last updated 15 October 2026
Springer Nature says editors first looking at a manuscript usually read the cover letter, abstract, conclusion and references to judge scope and impact (Springer Nature). Taylor & Francis notes that not all journals require a letter, and some systems ask you to paste it into a text box (Taylor & Francis).
Publishers differ, so the journal's guide for authors comes first. Four examples:
| Publisher guidance | What it says about the letter |
|---|---|
| Elsevier | Ideally less than one page: aim, main findings, fit with the aims and scope, novelty. No funding information, author declarations or suggested or opposed reviewers, which are requested separately. |
| Springer Nature | The structure below. Confirm the paper is not published or under consideration elsewhere and that all authors approve; reviewers may be recommended or excluded, with reasons. |
| Taylor & Francis | Editor's name, title, journal, a not-published-elsewhere statement, why readers would be interested, contact details and no competing interests. One page at most. |
| PLOS One | A separate file of one page at most: contribution, relation to previous work, article type, prior contact with PLOS, suggested Academic Editors, opposed reviewers. No fee waiver requests. |
Sources: Elsevier, Springer Nature Support, Taylor & Francis and PLOS One. For medical journals, the ICMJE says a cover letter or completed submission form should include statements on related submissions or previous reports, relationships that might lead to a conflict of interest, and authorship, plus the corresponding author's contact details where these are not given elsewhere (ICMJE).
This order follows Springer Nature's guidance, and it works for most journals:
Agree the letter with your supervisor and co-authors before you submit: every author should approve the submission, and the ICMJE authorship criteria include final approval of the version to be published (ICMJE). Plain, clear sentences work better than elaborate phrasing. If the article is part of your degree, for example a thesis by publication, your university's editing rules come first. Confirm your supervisor's approval and choose flag-only editing (comments only) or full corrections in tracked changes, whichever your university allows; see PhD thesis and dissertation editing.
You write the cover letter: it speaks for you and your co-authors, and any statement in it, such as on competing interests or earlier submissions, must come from you. Our team of qualified researchers and subject-specialist editors with publishing experience can edit the letter you have drafted for language, clarity, length and fit with the journal's instructions, as part of manuscript editing or journal submission support. Submission is guided, or done by us only with the corresponding author's explicit authorisation. We work with Word, LaTeX, PDF and other files, offer Arabic support and an NDA on request, and work in Gulf and Jordan business hours. We give a custom quote based on word count, field and deadline after a free assessment, and we agree turnaround per quote. You can pay by Stripe, PayPal or bank transfer in USD, GBP, SAR, AED, JOD and other currencies; itemised invoices are available on request. Clients also get free, ongoing revision and resubmission support until the paper is published. This is support, not a promise of publication. Acceptance is always decided by the journal's editors and peer reviewers.
Independence: On Time Publication is not affiliated with Elsevier/Scopus, Clarivate/Web of Science, COPE, the ICMJE, the US National Library of Medicine (NLM), Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis, PLOS or any journal or publisher named on this page. We have no office in the GCC or Jordan. We link to public guidance so you can check it yourself.
The journal name, the manuscript title and article type, the question you asked, your main findings and why the journal's readers will care, plus only the statements your journal asks for.
One page or less. Elsevier suggests ideally less than one page, Taylor & Francis says a maximum of one page, and PLOS One sets a one-page limit.
No. Taylor & Francis notes that not all journals require one, and some submission systems ask for the letter in a text box. Check the journal's instructions for authors.
No. Taylor & Francis advises explaining the significance of the work in your own words instead.
It depends on the journal. Elsevier says funding information and author declarations are requested separately, while Taylor & Francis suggests confirming that you have no competing interests to disclose. Follow your journal's instructions.
Only if your journal asks for them there. Springer Nature says the letter can recommend or exclude reviewers, PLOS One asks for suggested Academic Editors and any opposed reviewers, and Elsevier asks for reviewer suggestions separately.
If you used them, probably yes. The ICMJE says authors should describe how they used AI-assisted technologies in both the cover letter and the submitted work. Check your journal's AI policy.
No. The letter should come from you and your co-authors, because it contains statements only the authors can make. We can edit the letter you have drafted.
We link to official sources so you can check the rules yourself. Always follow your target journal's and institution's current instructions.
Drafted your cover letter? Send it with your abstract and target journal, and we will explain in a free assessment how we can help.
Pricing: custom quote based on word count, field and deadline. See how pricing works or contact us.
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