From est-skills
Writes the cover letter and metadata for Environmental Science & Technology submissions, highlighting environmental significance, article type, and suggested reviewers.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/est-skills:est-cover-letterThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
A significant fraction of ES&T submissions are declined by an editor without external review. The
A significant fraction of ES&T submissions are declined by an editor without external review. The cover letter is your one shot to make the environmental significance and fit unmissable before the manuscript is even opened. ES&T also asks authors to suggest qualified, non-conflicted reviewers.
ES&T editors triage on a handful of axes before deciding whether to spend a reviewer's time. The letter exists to settle each one in the first read. Treat the table as the editor's mental checklist.
| Editor's silent question | Weak letter | Letter that survives the desk |
|---|---|---|
| Is this environmentally significant? | "We characterized sorption of compound X" | "X is a high-production-volume replacement detected in drinking-water sources; its mobility governs human exposure" |
| Is it novel or incremental occurrence? | "We add new monitoring data" | "First mechanistic link between [process] and observed field concentrations, resolving a contradiction in prior ES&T work" |
| Does it fit ES&T vs. a specialist title? | scope unstated | one sentence tying to fate/transport, treatment, tox, or policy interface |
| Right article type and within caps? | type unnamed | "Research Article, ~6,400 words incl. figure word-equivalents" |
| Can I find clean reviewers? | 2 close collaborators | ≥4 non-conflicted experts spanning the sub-areas |
Suppose the manuscript reports per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a wastewater-impacted river, with a transformation pathway from a precursor to a terminal perfluoroalkyl acid. Illustrative framing only — numbers are invented to show the move:
The fix that converts most desk-rejects is replacing what we measured with what the measurement changes about how the field should monitor, model, treat, or regulate the system.
【Hook】significance + novelty in 2–3 sentences
【Article type】named + caps fit confirmed
【Fit】tied to ES&T scope explicitly
【Integrity】original + coauthor consent + preprint/COI noted
【Suggested reviewers】≥4 non-conflicted (names/affil/email)
【Length】one page? [Y/N]
【Next】est-review-process
../../resources/official-source-map.md — editor screening, reviewer-suggestion, and COI policynpx claudepluginhub brycewang-stanford/awesome-journal-skills --plugin est-skillsStructures a cover letter for Global Change Biology submissions, establishing scope fit, mechanistic advance, and broad relevance to avoid desk rejection.
Drafts the editorial cover letter for a Physical Review Letters submission, arguing why the work meets PRL's importance-and-broad-interest criteria for APS editors.
Drafts cover letters and presubmission inquiries for Cancer Cell (Cell Press) submissions, framing significance, fit, novelty, and reviewer suggestions.