科技论文撰写技巧1：Cover Letter

写了一篇好文章却没得到发表，你有过这种痛苦经历吗？Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry主编Richard Threlfall通过解析论文各部分应注意的问题，在语言运用上应该注意的事项，来帮助作者更好地投稿。

第一部分：如何写好投稿信。

The Cover Letter

Often overlooked in submissions, your cover letter is your chance to talk directly to the editor and to highlight all the most important results of your research. It can either make a great first impression or leave the editor uninspired, so it is a fantastic opportunity to make the editor sit up and take notice of your paper!

1. 先举个不好的例子来瞧瞧：

Dear Editor,

We are submitting our manuscript for consideration in your journal. It is not under consideration for publication anywhere else.
Sincerely
A. Author

此外，有的人甚至根本不写投稿信（真的有这种事发生）！

2. 好的投稿信应该向编辑说清楚作者研究的是什么问题，研究的结论是什么以及这个问题为什么值得发表。

看看下面这个例子：

Dear Editor,

Compound X has interesting biological and pharmaceutical activity. We made some improvements over a previous synthesis and believe it has wider applications in organic chemistry.
Sincerely
A. Author

这只会把编辑弄晕。

好的投稿信应该是下面这样的：

Compound X is a potent anticancer agent. However, up until now, it could only be isolated in small amounts from Plantius planticus. Our total synthesis gives compound X in 99 % yield by …

We have synthesized catalyst A, which is 75 % more efficient than catalysts B and C for the industrially important hydrolysis of Y. This improvement in efficiency is caused by …

适当地写一些研究细节可以增加编辑对文章的了解，不过可别用得太多，也别夸大。

3. 最后，记得推荐几个审稿人，不管那本刊是不是要求你推荐，这显得你比较内行。最好的投稿信往往能能简单明了地概括作者的最新发现与取得的研究成果。编辑们每天面对的是成百上千的稿件，所以不要忽视投稿信这个小环节，它有机会让你脱颖而出哦！

下一期：

科技论文撰写技巧2：Titles

“论文标题很重要，因为这是编辑、审稿人以及读者看文章时最先看到的部分。”