From gcb-skills
Structures a cover letter for Global Change Biology submissions, establishing scope fit, mechanistic advance, and broad relevance to avoid desk rejection.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/gcb-skills:gcb-cover-letterThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
The cover letter is the editor's first filter at a high-desk-rejection journal. In a short letter it
The cover letter is the editor's first filter at a high-desk-rejection journal. In a short letter it must establish scope fit, the global-change mechanism and advance, and broad relevance — enough for the editor to send it out rather than desk-reject. Keep it honest; reviewers will check.
Para 1 — Driver → response + why it fits GCB's scope (mechanism, broad relevance)
Para 2 — The advance + headline quantified result + article type
Para 3 — Declarations (originality, exclusivity, data/code archiving, conflicts, reviewers)
GCB's handling editors triage from the letter before opening the PDF. Map your opening lines to what that first scan rewards versus what tips it toward a desk reject.
| Editor reads | Send-out signal | Desk-reject signal |
|---|---|---|
| First sentence | A named driver acting on a named biological response | "Climate change threatens biodiversity" with no specific mechanism |
| Scale of claim | Plot/site result with a credible scaling argument and stated limits | A single-plot result framed as a global conclusion |
| Relevance hook | Generality across systems or biomes asserted with evidence | Relevance asserted only for one region or one taxon |
| Article-type line | A type that exists and is open for submission | An unsolicited "GCB Review" (those are commissioned) |
| Data/code line | A commitment to DOI archiving | Silence on archiving, or "available on request" |
A team measured soil-respiration response to five years of experimental warming across twelve grassland plots and combined it with a 90-site warming-experiment synthesis. Two openings, same study:
【Scope fit】driver → response named; why GCB (not regional/conservation)? [Y/N]
【Advance】what is new + headline quantified result
【Article type】Primary Research / Technical Advance / Research Review / Opinion / Perspective
【Declarations】originality + exclusivity + data/code archiving + conflicts? [Y/N]
【Length】focused (1–2 paragraphs)? [Y/N]
【Next】gcb-review-process
../../resources/official-source-map.md — scope, article types, and data policy referenced in the letternpx claudepluginhub brycewang-stanford/awesome-journal-skills --plugin gcb-skillsWrites the cover letter and metadata for Environmental Science & Technology submissions, highlighting environmental significance, article type, and suggested reviewers.
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.