投过 SCI 期刊的同学肯定都知道Cover Letter ，当投稿进行到上传原始文稿的步骤时，往往需要同时上传一篇简短且充分的 Cover Letter 作为敲门砖，用来打头阵。

一篇好的 Cover Letter 往往会令编辑眼前一亮，留下深刻的第一印象。

由于 Cover Letter 的书写不能过于繁杂，整体篇幅要控制在一页以内。因此，如何利用精简的篇幅用 Cover Letter 把全部内容表述清楚且出色，也是一门学问 !

Nature Cancer volume 4, pages437–438 (2023)介绍了Cover Letter里面应该写些什么内容。

节选内容：...the cover letter is the author’s opportunity to share not only the salient points of their work — its main message and key findings — but also their candid perspective on the major points of advance and importance. It goes without saying that this information should be presented in detail in the manuscript itself and that ultimately the editor will determine which aspects might weigh for further consideration of the paper at this journal. However, a cover letter with the authors’ clear point of view — a snapshot that zooms into the essentials — can aid the maturation of the editorial perspective on the study. In the cancer field, papers can be interdisciplinary, with multiple threads that come together into one complex story. Do the authors consider the key advance to be foundational, translational or clinical, or is there a technical point of major interest? Is the study answering an important open question or going against long-held ideas? Is the take-home message a much-needed cancer drug, model or method, or a new layer of fundamental knowledge? Focusing on specifics, mentioning key literature and highlighting implications for the field, while flagging limitations and steering clear of hype, are important for getting across the authors’ view on the implications of their work. Although not mandatory, if not already present in the manuscript figures, a graphical abstract can be included in the cover letter to summarize the key findings in a visual manner.

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原文总结：To summarize: do include a cover letter with your submission. Do not rehash the abstract. Focus on the key findings. Do not forget to include limitations and challenges. Convey the importance of your work — do not underplay it, but also avoid overhyping. Include information for the editor’s eyes only. Flag prior interactions with editors. Keep it short and to the point (Ideally the cover letter should be about a page long.).

原文连接：https://www.nature.com/articles/s43018-023-00559-2 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018-023-00559-2