I wrote a cover letter that takes 2 pages: 1 for the main text explaining the purpose of the research and why it is important, and 1 consisting of my name and institutional details plus references. 1) Should a cover letter be of 1 page maximum in general? It is not mentioned the journal's website. If this is the case, I guess I should play with the font size and line spacing. 2) Is it ok to include two citations to emphasize my writing? I included the two references right after mentioning my institutional details.
asked May 17, 2018 at 14:29 565 5 5 silver badges 11 11 bronze badges Are you citing your own work or that of others? Commented May 17, 2018 at 14:33 I am citing the work of others. Commented May 17, 2018 at 14:53Depends upon the journal's guidelines. Also, some journals have gone away from cover letters and only use online submission forms.
Commented May 17, 2018 at 15:09@RichardErickson Some online submissions forms still have an entry for "Cover letter" (I think I already submitted articles without writing anythin).
Commented May 17, 2018 at 16:03 Please specify your field. Different fields have different customs. Commented May 18, 2018 at 20:23I think you should shoot for a one page cover letter, but it's not a requirement. The goal of the cover letter is to convince the editor that the submission is suited for their journal, and send it out to reviewers, so your first priority is to make the editor read the letter with a positive mind. This is usually easier with a shorter letter, but as I said, it's not an absolute requirement.
If your letter summarizes the results, discusses the potential readership, and also explicitly addresses e.g. significance criteria, it may be harder to fit it on one page. If fluff content like author names, affiliations*, etc. spill over on the next page, I wouldn't worry about it. If you fill the next page with more text, I'd start trying to cut down on it, if at all possible. What you shouldn't do is to play with margins and font sizes. That's very transparent, and doesn't improve e.g. word count and the reader's willingness to put in the time.
*I've never put affiliations in cover letters, as it is in the paper and submission systems anyway. Maybe this varies from field to field, and between single and double blind journals.