Free tool · Writing & publishing
Journal cover letter generator
A clean, editable submission cover letter built from the facts you type in.
This generator turns the facts of your manuscript into a clear, conventional cover letter for journal submission, which you can then edit, copy or download as a Word file. You type in the journal, the title, the article type, your main finding and why the journal suits the paper. It puts them in the order editors expect and adds the standard declarations. Every claim, number and reason in the letter comes from what you typed.
Many first-time authors either skip the letter or paste the abstract into it. Neither helps. A short letter that states what you found and why this particular journal should publish it gives the editor a reason to send the paper for review.
Method
How this tool works
The letter follows the structure most publishers describe in their author guides, which our guide to writing a journal cover letter explains paragraph by paragraph. It opens with today’s date and “Dear” followed by the editor’s name, or “Dear Editor” if you leave that box empty. Then come five parts.
- The submission request. One sentence asking the editor to consider your manuscript, with its title, the article type and the journal. Journals name their article types differently (“research paper”, “original article”, “full-length article”), so change the wording to match the journal’s own list.
- The main finding. “In this study, we found that…” followed by your sentence, then your sentence on what is new, if you gave one. Write a result, with a number where you have one, not a topic. “Trust predicts adoption” is a finding. “We studied adoption” is not.
- Why this journal. “We believe the manuscript suits [journal] because…” and your reason. This is the part editors most often find missing. Name a theme the journal keeps returning to, or a recent article in it that your paper extends.
- The declarations. That the work hasn’t been published and isn’t under consideration elsewhere, that all authors approved it (if you ticked the box), any conflicts of interest or a statement that there are none, and your funding if you entered it. The ICMJE Recommendations list the same kinds of statement for a submission letter: conflicts of interest, approval by all authors and a named contact author. Tick the boxes only if they are true for your paper.
- Contact details. A thank-you line, then your name, affiliation and email as corresponding author. Add your ORCID by hand if the journal asks for it.
If a required box is empty, the tool names it instead of producing a half-finished letter. The letter is put together in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to our server; we count only that the tool was used, as we do for every tool. “Download as Word” builds a .docx file on your device with the open-source docx library, and if that library can’t load, you get a plain .txt file instead.
Treat the result as a first draft. Put it on your department letterhead if your university expects that, read it aloud once, and rewrite any sentence that doesn’t sound like you.
Limits
What this tool can’t do
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do editors read cover letters?
Many do, particularly at the first screening, when the editor decides whether the paper goes out for review. Practice varies, and some submission systems replace the letter with a form. Where a letter is asked for, a missing reason for choosing the journal, or a previous journal’s name left in by mistake, is easy for an editor to spot.
How long should a cover letter be?
One page. Three or four short paragraphs and the declarations are enough. If yours runs longer, the main finding probably isn’t stated sharply yet, and the fix is in that sentence rather than in extra paragraphs.
Should I suggest reviewers?
Only if the journal asks for suggestions or its submission system has a place for them. Springer Nature, for example, lets authors recommend or exclude reviewers and give reasons. Suggest people with the right expertise and no conflict of interest, which rules out your supervisor, your co-authors and recent collaborators.
Is a template letter a problem?
No. The structure is conventional on purpose, and editors don’t mark you down for a standard layout. What they notice is a letter with nothing specific in it: a vague finding, a reason that would fit any journal, or the wrong journal’s name. The content comes from you, so the letter is as specific as what you type.
Can I reuse the letter for another journal?
Only after rewriting the journal name and the “why this journal” sentence, and checking the new journal’s article types and required statements. If the first journal rejected the paper, our guide on how to choose a journal can help you pick the next one.
Is my text stored?
No. The letter is put together in your browser and nothing you type reaches our server. We record only an anonymous count that the tool was used. Closing the tab clears the text, so copy or download the letter first.
Keep reading
Related guides and services
Writing a cover letter for journal submission
What editors actually read in a cover letter, a template, and a worked example.
How to choose a journal for your paper
Scope, indexing, speed and fees: a shortlisting method that avoids desk rejection and predatory journals.
Journal Manuscript Preparation
Your finished paper, formatted and checked against the target journal’s rules before a desk editor sees it.
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