# Manuscript Cover Letter: [Manuscript title] > Cover letter for submitting a manuscript to a journal: why the work fits > the journal, what it adds, and the declarations editors expect at > submission (overlapping publications, competing interests, authorship, > corresponding author, research concerns, AI use, permissions and prior > review). The declaration list follows the topics of ICMJE > *Recommendations*, section IV.B "Sending the Manuscript to the Journal" > and section V.A on AI use by authors (updated January 2026), cited as a > reference only. The journal's author instructions always take precedence. > Replace every `[bracketed]` value and every passage marked *Example*. ## 1. Letter [Date: YYYY-MM-DD] [Dr Editor name] [Editor-in-Chief or Handling Editor], [Journal name] Dear [Dr Editor name], We submit the manuscript "[Title]" for consideration as a [Research Article / Brief Report / Review] in [Journal name]. [*Example:* Emergency departments in temperate cities report rising visit numbers during heat waves, but it is unclear which patient groups drive the increase. Using three years of records from two hospitals in the fictional city of Harbourton (1,096 days), we found that visits by adults aged 75 and over rose by 12% for each day above the local heat threshold, with no clear rise in younger adults.] [*Example:* The findings matter to readers of [Journal name] because they identify a specific group for heat-health warnings, a topic the journal covered in its [YYYY] special issue on climate and health.] [*Example:* A preprint of this manuscript is posted at [preprint server and DOI]. Part of the data was presented as an abstract at [Conference YYYY]. Neither is a prior publication under the journal's policy.] We suggest the following reviewers, who have no conflicts with the authors: [Name, institution, email, expertise]; [Name, institution, email, expertise]. We ask that [Name] not review this manuscript because [short, factual reason]. Thank you for considering our work. Yours sincerely, [Corresponding author name, degrees] [Department, Institution, City, Country] [Email] | ORCID [0000-0000-0000-0000] ## 2. Declarations | Declaration | Statement | |---|---| | Overlapping work | [*Example:* No part of this work has been published or is under consideration elsewhere, except the preprint and abstract named in the letter, which are cited in the manuscript.] | | Competing interests | [*Example:* All authors have completed the journal's disclosure form. [Author initials] reports [relationship]; the other authors report none.] | | Authorship | [*Example:* All authors meet the journal's authorship criteria, approved the final manuscript and agree to be accountable for the work.] | | Corresponding author | [Name, email, phone; handles communication with co-authors on revisions and proofs] | | Concerns about the research | [*Example:* No institutional or regulatory body has raised concerns about the conduct of this research.] | | Ethics and consent | [*Example:* Approved by [ethics committee name], reference [ID]; consent waived for de-identified records.] | | Use of AI-assisted tools | [*Example:* An AI language tool was used to check grammar in the Introduction; no text, data, analysis or figures were generated by it. The authors reviewed all output and take responsibility for the content. The same statement appears in the manuscript.] | | Permissions | [*Example:* Figure 2 is adapted from [source] with permission from [rights holder]; permission letter uploaded.] | | Prior review history | [*Example:* Previously submitted to another journal; the earlier reviews and our responses are uploaded as a supplementary file.] or [Not applicable] | | Reporting checklist | [*Example:* STROBE checklist for cohort studies uploaded.] | | Data availability | [Statement or where it appears in the manuscript] | ## 3. Before you submit - [ ] Article type, word count and reference style match the author instructions - [ ] The letter names the journal correctly (no leftover name from an earlier submission) - [ ] Every declaration in section 2 matches the manuscript and the submission form - [ ] Suggested reviewers have no recent collaboration with any author - [ ] All authors have seen the final letter ## Standard and licence note Based on common editorial practice. The declaration topics reflect the ICMJE *Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals* (updated January 2026), section IV.B "Sending the Manuscript to the Journal" and section V.A "Use of AI by Authors", described in original words and cited as a reference only: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/. Journals outside medicine and individual journals set their own rules, so check the current ICMJE text and the journal's author instructions. This is a documentation format, not legal advice. Template licence: MIT.