7.2 How to Write Cover Letter
Subtopik ini membahas secara teknis tentang bagaimana membuat sebuah “cover letter” yang baik sesuai jurnal yang dituju. Cover letter harus merujuk ke “Guide for Authors” pada website jurnal dimaksud. File Cover Letter nantinya akan dikirim ke Jurnal yang dituju bersamaan dengan proses submission manuskrip.
Cover letter adalah semacam Surat Pengantar yang dikirimkan bersamaan dengan manuskrip yang disubmit. Terkadang ada juga jurnal yang tidak meminta Cover Letter, sehingga kita perlu cek terlebih dahulu "Guide for Authors" di wesite jurnal yang kita tuju.
Format penulisan Cover Letter sama seperti surat formal biasa. Surat ditujukan pada Editor in Chief jurnal tersebut. Isinya harus singkat, fokus dan mudah dimengerti. Tidak boleh lebih dari satu halaman. Memuat seluruh informasi yang diperlukan oleh Editor jurnal.
Struktur Cover Letter:
Start with a standard business letter opening/greeting. Then, in the body, supply the following structure, with one or at most two sentences for each topic:
Manuscript information: Title of the submitted manuscript and type of article (letter, regular paper, special section paper, review, tutorial, communication, etc.). If submitting to a special section, mention the special section name. Problem being addressed: What issues led to this work? What gap is being filled? What is the broader context for this work?
Novelty of the work: What is new here, not previously published? “To our
knowledge, this is the first report showing....”
Significance of the work: Why is the novel content mentioned above
important? What is the potential impact to the field?
Fit to this journal: Why does this work belong in and appeal to the readership of this journal? How will publication of this manuscript benefit the journal? (Be familiar with the journal scope.) Mention if this paper builds on a previous paper published in this journal or is otherwise directly linked to a paper published in this journal.
Double publication: “This manuscript has not been previously published and
is not currently in press, under review, or being considered for publication by
another journal.”
Author approval: “All authors have read and approved the manuscript being
submitted, and agree to its submittal to this journal.”
Finally, end with a standard letter ending, including the name and contact information for the corresponding author.
Sample cover letter
[Your Name]
[Your Affiliation]
[Your Address]
[Date]
Dear [Editor name],
I/We wish to submit an original research article entitled “[title of article]” for consideration by [journal name].
I/We confirm that this work is original and has not been published elsewhere, nor is it currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.
In this paper, I/we report on / show that _______. This is significant because __________.
We believe that this manuscript is appropriate for publication by [journal name] because it… [specific reference to the journal’s Aims & Scope]. __________.
[Please explain in your own words the significance and novelty of the work, the problem that is being addressed, and why the manuscript belongs in this journal. Do not simply insert your abstract into your cover letter! Briefly describe the research you are reporting in your paper, why it is important, and why you think the readership of the journal would be interested in it.]
We have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Please address all correspondence concerning this manuscript to me at [email address].
Thank you for your consideration of this manuscript.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
*further readings: