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  1. Cover letter shell
  2. Rebuttal / response-to-reviewers shell

Academy · Research Publication · Cover Letter & Rebuttal Shells

Cover Letter and Rebuttal Letter Templates for Journal Submission and Revision

Neither document has a structure codified by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Both, however, have a well-established best-practice form, and a poorly constructed cover letter is a commonly cited reason for desk rejection before a manuscript reaches a reviewer.

Pubrica AcademyWritten by a medical writing specialist Reviewed bya journal submissions reviewer Published10 October 2026 Last checked10 October 2026 Reading time7 minutes Sources2 peer-reviewed

Neither the cover letter nor the point-by-point rebuttal letter is defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) as a standard document; both follow widely shared publisher best practice. The two shells below follow that practice directly and are designed to be completed rather than written from a blank page.

Learning objectives

  • The shape of a cover letter that states fit, novelty and significance in under a page.
  • The shape of a rebuttal letter that quotes each reviewer comment and answers it directly, in order.
  • Why a recycled, non-journal-specific cover letter is a commonly cited reason for desk rejection.

Common misconceptions

  • “A cover letter should summarise the abstract.” Publisher guidance states explicitly that the cover letter should provide background and context that the abstract does not, and should state its fit with the specific journal’s aims and scope; restating the abstract fails to serve the principal purpose of a cover letter.
  • “A rebuttal only needs to address comments the authors agree with.” Standard guidance is to address every reviewer comment, including ones the authors disagree with or choose not to implement, explaining the reasoning rather than silently skipping them.

Cover letter shell

Built from widely published cover-letter guidance1.

[Editor's name], [Journal name]

Dear Dr. [Editor's surname],

We submit "[manuscript title]" for consideration as [article type] in [Journal name].

[1-2 sentences: the gap or problem this work addresses, and why it matters now]
[1-2 sentences: what was done and the key finding, in plain language — not a copy of the abstract]
[1 sentence: explicit statement of fit — why this journal, its aims/scope, or its readership specifically]
[1 sentence: novelty/significance beyond this specific study]

This manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration elsewhere. [State any prior related communication, preprint, or conference presentation, if applicable.]
[Suggested reviewers, if the journal requests them, with a one-line reason each.]
[Any conflicts of interest to disclose at this stage.]

Sincerely,
[Corresponding author, on behalf of all authors]

Rebuttal / response-to-reviewers shell

Built from widely published response-to-reviewers guidance2.

Dear Dr. [Editor's surname],

We thank the editor and reviewers for their careful reading and constructive comments.
Below, we respond to each comment in turn; manuscript changes are shown in italics, with
page/line references to the revised, tracked-changes version.

REVIEWER 1
Comment 1.1: "[quote the reviewer's comment verbatim]"
Response: [agree/partially agree/respectfully disagree, with reasoning]
Manuscript change: "[quote the new or revised text]" (p._, line _)

Comment 1.2: ...

REVIEWER 2
Comment 2.1: ...

EDITOR
Comment E.1 (if applicable): ...

[Address every comment, including ones not implemented, with a stated reason.
Handle major/structural comments before cosmetic ones.
Any concern about a reviewer's conduct goes in a separate confidential note to the editor,
not in this letter.]

Key points

Key points

A cover letter secures editorial attention by stating fit and significance in under a page rather than re-summarising the abstract; a rebuttal secures a fair re-review by quoting every comment, whether accepted or not, and answering each with the corresponding manuscript change, in the order in which the comments were made.

Practical application

Practical application

  1. A new cover letter should be written for each journal. A recycled cover letter that does not name the specific journal’s aims and scope is a commonly cited reason for desk rejection.
  2. Both the reviewer comment and the manuscript change should be quoted rather than paraphrased. Quoting the reviewer verbatim and then the revised text verbatim lets the editor check compliance without re-reading the whole manuscript.
  3. Every comment should be answered, including those not implemented. An unanswered comment suggests that it was overlooked, whereas a stated reason for not implementing a suggestion demonstrates that it was considered.

Frequently asked questions

There is no requirement to volunteer this information, but authors should not misrepresent the prior submission history if the editor asks directly.

The contradiction should be noted explicitly in the response to each reviewer, with an explanation of which approach was taken and why, so that the editor can adjudicate rather than the authors silently favouring one side.

A short opening paragraph thanking the editor and reviewers and outlining the overall approach to revision is common and helpful, but the substantive, comment-by-comment response is what reviewers check.

References

  1. Elsevier. "Dear Editor": How to write a cover letter for your research paper. read 10 October 2026. View Elsevier guidance
  2. Frontiers. How to respond to reviewer comments. read 10 October 2026. View Frontiers guidance

Every source above is a peer-reviewed article, a publisher’s record of one, or a standard issued by the body that owns it. Each carries the date it was last read. Where a standard moves, this article is revised rather than left up with a note.

How to cite this article

Pick your referencing style and copy it. Your university or target journal may vary the punctuation — check its guide if it has one.

Pubrica Academy. (2026, October 10). Cover Letter and Rebuttal Letter Templates for Journal Submission and Revision. Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/academy/templates/cover-letter-and-rebuttal-shells/

This article is written to be learned from. Cite it if you are referring to what it says; if you are using the evidence behind it, cite the sources listed above instead.

Pre-submission cover letter check

Confirm before sending.

[ ] Journal name and editor correctly addressed
[ ] Fit with this specific journal's aims/scope stated explicitly
[ ] Novelty/significance stated beyond a restated abstract
[ ] Originality and non-duplicate-submission statement included
[ ] Suggested reviewers included, if requested
[ ] Conflicts of interest disclosed

Pubrica AcademyWritten and maintained by Pubrica’s subject matter experts. Articles are revised when the underlying standards change, and each article states the date on which it was last reviewed.

How Pubrica can help

Pubrica drafts a journal-specific cover letter and a fully quoted, point-by-point rebuttal for every submission and revision, rather than reusing a generic template.

Submit an enquiry Get your cover letter and rebuttal drafted

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