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  • Turk J Urol
  • v.39(Suppl 1); 2013 Sep

How to write an editorial letter?

In most journals, there are letters or answers sections. Letters to the editor are usually a type of short communication that can be written on any topic that attracts the attention of the readers. Although articles are stringently vetted before publication in a journal, some issues can still go unnoticed. In this situation, readers can offer their interpretations by writing a letter to the editor. Thus, letters are also a control mechanism that facilitates progress after an article has been published. One of the most important aspects of a letter to the editor is that it must be short. It is known that a letter is more easily accessible to readers when the message is short and brief. The letter to the editor or author must make reference to objectives or discussions on medical, scientific or general topics that may attract attention. A letter must have a purpose, and it should convey its message in a short and definitive fashion.

Introduction

Many journals contain “Letters”, and “Responses” sections. [ 1 ] Letter to the editor is generally a short form of communication, and it can be written on every topic which attracts the attention of the readers. For most of the journals, letters are important, and they are published under the surveillance of the editor. The most frequent reason for writing a letter to the editor is to comment on a published article. [ 1 ] However, these interpretations should be objective, and constructive comments, and the authors of this article are invited to respond to these letters (author’s response to the letter). Though the most frequent reason of writing a letter to the editor is to make a comment on a previously published article, also research reports, case reports, case series or an adverse reaction to a drug can be reported as a letter.

Why are letters so important?

Articles published in an article are reviewed carefully, and meticulously However sometimes misleading materials, and errors can be overlooked by the editors before publication of the article. In these conditions readers send a letter to the editor indicating their comments about the article, and thus control mechanism in a way proceeds even after publication of the article. [ 2 ] International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommends publication of these letters in journals together with their answers. [ 3 ] Besides, some of MEDLINE-indexed journals print these letters with their responses under the title of original articles to prevent their escape from the attention of the readers.

Types of Letters

The purpose of the letter demonstrates differences among journals ( Figure 1 ). Many letters include comments on a previously published article. Comprehensive or concise reports which do not necessarily contain all details of a report can be expressed in a letter format. [ 4 ]

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Types of letters

While sending a letter to a journal, priorly the following questions should be answered. What is the purpose of your letter? Is the format of your letter suitable to the format of the journal? Is your subject matter really worth mentioning?

Analyzing format, and contents of the letters published in the journal, and examining recently published examples in the target journal are two important steps to be achieved before writing a letter. Since information delivered in a letter will be naturally restricted, a long list of authors should not be given. Before forwarding the letter it will be reasonable to inquire the contents of the manuscript In fact, comments, and observations without any significance will not be published. [ 5 ]

One of the important points involving the writing phase involves preparation of a brief, and concise letter. Indeed editors are fond of concise, and clear-cut letters. They prefer to publish ten short letters rather than two long letters. It is a known fact that if the message to be delivered is brief and concise, it will be understood more easily by the readers. This issue has been demonstrated by two following exemplary letters.

Dear Editor,

I have read the review article entitled “Medical Expulsive Treatment for Ureteral Stones” by Atan A, and Tuncel A published in The Turkish Journal of Urology (2010;36 (3): 302–8). I want to congratulate the authors for this successful review article, and make some contributions.

In the review article, ıt has been indicated that medical expulsive therapy is not indicated in patients with solitary kidney, renal dysfunction, hydronephrosis due to prolonged obstruction, persistent pain, and those with a risk of active urinary system infection, and urosepsis, and in some jobs (pilots, and mariners). I think that pregnants, and pediatric patients should be included in these patient groups. In pregnants, efficacy, and safety of expulsive treatment with alpha blockers, and calcium channel blockers have noıt been established yet. Therefore expulsive treatment in pregnants does not seem to be a suitable alternative. Even though alpha blockers have been used in the pediatric patient groups with persistent voiding dysfunction, neuropathic bladder, and idiopathic urethritis, guidelines of American Urological Association, and European Association of Urology do not contain recommendations about use of medical expulsive treatment for ureteral stones in pediatric patients.

Format of the Letters to the Editor and Related Rules

Letter is an acceptable format for making comments on an article published in previously published issues of the same journal. Sometimes the letter may be related to an article published in a different journal. Letters are always written to the editor, they are never addressed to the first authors. In this case, editor assumes an objective role of a mediator between the authors with potential conflicting attitudes towards each other.

The purpose of a letter written in response to a previously published study is to support or mostly criticize the justification, analysis or outcome of the study. [ 5 ] If the purpose is to criticize, then conspicuous, and evidence-based criticisms should be made ( Table 1 ). Still, comprehensively handled issues in the criticized article should not be reviewed again. A contrary approach will diminish the quality of the letter. As a very important approach, the letter should point out to new, not previously considered issues, and present additional information which refute or support the assertions of other authors. While writing a letter one should avoid assuming a personal and biased attitude. All suggestions should be made based on scientific data. [ 6 ] It is apparent that general comments not reinforced by logical determinations will be rejected (ie “I think that this is a very important article” or “I think that this article should go to waste”). [ 7 ]

A guideline for writing a comment letter on a published article

While criticizing articles, a professional, and an elegant approach should be followed. Use of rough, vulgar, pedantic, and pejorative expressions should be avoided. In oral presentations, when question-response time is reached, the same golden rule is also valid. Even if their comments are true or especially true, no one is fond of a vulgar critic. A kind, and a question or humble comment is more effective than a pedantic, and a scornful one. It should not be forgotten that authors of original articles will be invited to respond to your criticisms. It is always easy to respond to an impolite letter, than answering a polite one. Besides, contrary opinions revealed may be concealed “under the noise” of the encounter. [ 8 ]

In most of the journals letters are evaluated as other manuscripts. Submission of a letter, writing rules, and evaluation steps resemble to those required for manuscripts. [ 9 ] Most of the editors of the journals expect to receive brief, and clearly comprehensible letters. Generally, certan limits are set. (ie. letters, ≤600 words; number of references ≤5, figures or tables none or ≤2, and authors ≤5).

Conclusion and Summary

Letters written to the editor or the author should contain objective, and constructive interpretations or discussions on medical, scientific or general areas of interest. They should have an objective, and give a message with a brief, and clear language. Materials which were published or reported elsewhere should not be used. Otherwise, the letter will not be accepted. During writing process of a letter, and a manuscript, frequently encountered problems are summarized in Tables 2 , and ​ and3. 3 . respectively.

Frequently encountered problematic issues in letters to the editor

Important consideration while writing a letter to the editor

Official Journal of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS)

Geoscience Letters Cover Image

Research Letters

The word count for Research Letters is up to approximately 3,000 to 5,000 words. It includes figures, which are counted as 200 to 500 words each, depending on the size.

Preparing your manuscript

The title page should:

  • present a title that includes, if appropriate, the research design
  • if a collaboration group should be listed as an author, please list the Group name as an author and include the names of the individual members of the Group in the “Acknowledgements” section in accordance with the instructions below
  • Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT , do not currently satisfy our authorship criteria . Notably an attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the work, which cannot be effectively applied to LLMs. Use of an LLM should be properly documented in the Methods section (and if a Methods section is not available, in a suitable alternative part) of the manuscript
  • indicate the corresponding author

The abstract should briefly summarize the aim, findings or purpose of the article. Please minimize the use of abbreviations and do not cite references in the abstract. 

Three to ten keywords representing the main content of the article.

Introduction

The Introduction section should explain the background to the study, its aims, a summary of the existing literature and why this study was necessary.

This should include the findings of the study including, if appropriate, results of statistical analysis which must be included either in the text or as tables and figures.

Discussion (can be combined in ‘Results and Discussion’ section)

For research articles this section should discuss the implications of the findings in context of existing research and highlight limitations of the study. For methodology manuscripts this section should include a discussion of any practical or operational issues involved in performing the study and any issues not covered in other sections.

Conclusions

This should state clearly the main conclusions and provide an explanation of the importance and relevance of the study to the field.

Methods/Experimental (can also be placed after Introduction)

The methods section should include:

  • the aim, design and setting of the study
  • the characteristics of participants or description of materials
  • a clear description of all processes and methodologies employed. Generic names should generally be used. When proprietary brands are used in research, include the brand names in parentheses
  • the type of statistical analysis used, including a power calculation if appropriate

studies involving human participants, data or tissue or animals must include statement on ethics approval and consent

List of abbreviations

If abbreviations are used in the text they should be defined in the text at first use, and a list of abbreviations should be provided.

Declarations

All manuscripts must contain the following sections under the heading 'Declarations':

Availability of data and materials

Competing interests, authors' contributions, acknowledgements.

  • Authors' information (optional)

Please see below for details on the information to be included in these sections.

If any of the sections are not relevant to your manuscript, please include the heading and write 'Not applicable' for that section.

All manuscripts must include an ‘Availability of data and materials’ statement. Data availability statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. By data we mean the minimal dataset that would be necessary to interpret, replicate and build upon the findings reported in the article. We recognise it is not always possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be compromised, and in such instances data availability should still be stated in the manuscript along with any conditions for access.

Data availability statements can take one of the following forms (or a combination of more than one if required for multiple datasets):

  • The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the [NAME] repository, [PERSISTENT WEB LINK TO DATASETS]
  • The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
  • All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].
  • The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due [REASON WHY DATA ARE NOT PUBLIC] but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
  • Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.
  • The data that support the findings of this study are available from [third party name] but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly available. Data are however available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of [third party name].
  • Not applicable. If your manuscript does not contain any data, please state 'Not applicable' in this section.

More examples of template data availability statements, which include examples of openly available and restricted access datasets, are available  here .

SpringerOpen  also requires that authors cite any publicly available data on which the conclusions of the paper rely in the manuscript. Data citations should include a persistent identifier (such as a DOI) and should ideally be included in the reference list. Citations of datasets, when they appear in the reference list, should include the minimum information recommended by DataCite and follow journal style. Dataset identifiers including DOIs should be expressed as full URLs. For example:

Hao Z, AghaKouchak A, Nakhjiri N, Farahmand A. Global integrated drought monitoring and prediction system (GIDMaPS) data sets. figshare. 2014.  http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.853801

With the corresponding text in the Availability of data and materials statement:

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available in the [NAME] repository, [PERSISTENT WEB LINK TO DATASETS]. [Reference number]

If you wish to co-submit a data note describing your data to be published in BMC Research Notes , you can do so by visiting our submission portal . Data notes support open data and help authors to comply with funder policies on data sharing. Co-published data notes will be linked to the research article the data support ( example ).

All financial and non-financial competing interests must be declared in this section.

See our  editorial policies  for a full explanation of competing interests. If you are unsure whether you or any of your co-authors have a competing interest please contact the editorial office.

Please use the authors’ initials to refer to each authors' competing interests in this section.

If you do not have any competing interests, please state "The authors declare that they have no competing interests" in this section.

All sources of funding for the research reported should be declared. If the funder has a specific role in the conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript, this should be declared.

The individual contributions of authors to the manuscript should be specified in this section. Guidance and criteria for authorship can be found in our  editorial policies .

Please use initials to refer to each author's contribution in this section, for example: "FC analyzed and interpreted the patient data regarding the hematological disease and the transplant. RH performed the histological examination of the kidney, and was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."

Please acknowledge anyone who contributed towards the article who does not meet the criteria for authorship including anyone who provided professional writing services or materials.

Authors should obtain permission to acknowledge from all those mentioned in the Acknowledgements section.

See our  editorial policies  for a full explanation of acknowledgements and authorship criteria.

If you do not have anyone to acknowledge, please write "Not applicable" in this section.

Group authorship (for manuscripts involving a collaboration group): if you would like the names of the individual members of a collaboration Group to be searchable through their individual PubMed records, please ensure that the title of the collaboration Group is included on the title page and in the submission system and also include collaborating author names as the last paragraph of the “Acknowledgements” section. Please add authors in the format First Name, Middle initial(s) (optional), Last Name. You can add institution or country information for each author if you wish, but this should be consistent across all authors.

Authors' information

This section is optional.

You may choose to use this section to include any relevant information about the author(s) that may aid the reader's interpretation of the article, and understand the standpoint of the author(s). This may include details about the authors' qualifications, current positions they hold at institutions or societies, or any other relevant background information. Please refer to authors using their initials. Note this section should not be used to describe any competing interests.

Footnotes should be designated within the text using a superscript number. It is not allowed to use footnotes for references/citations.

Examples of the Basic Springer reference style are shown below. 

See our editorial policies for author guidance on good citation practice.

Web links and URLs: All web links and URLs, including links to the authors' own websites, should be given a reference number and included in the reference list rather than within the text of the manuscript. They should be provided in full, including both the title of the site and the URL, as well as the date the site was accessed, in the following format: The Mouse Tumor Biology Database. http://tumor.informatics.jax.org/mtbwi/index.do . Accessed 20 May 2013. If an author or group of authors can clearly be associated with a web link, such as for weblogs, then they should be included in the reference.

Example reference style:

Article within a journal

Smith J, Jones M Jr, Houghton L (1999) Future of health insurance. N Engl J Med 965:325-329.

Article by DOI (with page numbers)

Slifka MK, Whitton JL (2000) Clinical implications of dysregulated cytokine production. J Mol Med 78:74-80. doi:10.1007/s001090000086.

Article by DOI (before issue publication and with page numbers)

Slifka MK, Whitton JL (2000) Clinical implications of dysregulated cytokine production. J Mol Med. doi:10.1007/s001090000086.

Article in electronic journal by DOI (no paginated version)

Slifka MK, Whitton JL (2000) Clinical implications of dysregulated cytokine production. Dig J Mol Med. doi:10.1007/s801090000086.

Journal issue with issue editor

Smith J (ed) (1998) Rodent genes. Mod Genomics J 14(6):126-233.

Journal issue with no issue editor

Mod Genomics J (1998) Rodent genes. Mod Genomics J 14(6):126-233.

Book chapter, or an article within a book

Brown B, Aaron M (2001) The politics of nature. In: Smith J (ed) The rise of modern genomics, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York.

Complete book, authored

South J, Blass B (2001) The future of modern genomics. Blackwell, London.

Complete book, edited

Smith J, Brown B (eds) (2001) The demise of modern genomics. Blackwell, London.

Complete book, also showing a translated edition [Either edition may be listed first.]

Adorno TW (1966) Negative Dialektik. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt. English edition: Adorno TW (1973) Negative Dialectics (trans: Ashton EB). Routledge, London.

Chapter in a book in a series without volume titles

Schmidt H (1989) Testing results. In: Hutzinger O (ed) Handbook of environmental chemistry, vol 2E. Springer, Heidelberg, p 111.

Chapter in a book in a series with volume titles

Smith SE (1976) Neuromuscular blocking drugs in man. In: Zaimis E (ed) Neuromuscular junction. Handbook of experimental pharmacology, vol 42. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 593-660.

OnlineFirst chapter in a series (without a volume designation but with a DOI)

Saito, Yukio, and Hyuga, Hiroyuki. (2007) Rate equation approaches to amplification of enantiomeric excess and chiral symmetry breaking. Topics in Current Chemistry. doi:10.1007/128_2006_108.

Proceedings as a book (in a series and subseries)

Zowghi D (1996) A framework for reasoning about requirements in evolution. In: Foo N, Goebel R (eds) PRICAI'96: topics in artificial intelligence. 4th Pacific Rim conference on artificial intelligence, Cairns, August 1996. Lecture notes in computer science (Lecture notes in artificial intelligence), vol 1114. Springer, Heidelberg, p 157.

Article within conference proceedings with an editor (without a publisher)

Aaron M (1999) The future of genomics. In: Williams H (ed) Proceedings of the genomic researchers, Boston, 1999.

Article within conference proceedings without an editor (without a publisher)

Chung S-T, Morris RL (1978) Isolation and characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid from Streptomyces fradiae. In: Abstracts of the 3rd international symposium on the genetics of industrial microorganisms, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 4-9 June 1978.

Article presented at a conference

Chung S-T, Morris RL (1978) Isolation and characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid from Streptomyces fradiae. Paper presented at the 3rd international symposium on the genetics of industrial microorganisms, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 4-9 June 1978.

Norman LO (1998) Lightning rods. US Patent 4,379,752, 9 Sept 1998.

Dissertation

Trent JW (1975) Experimental acute renal failure. Dissertation, University of California.

Book with institutional author

International Anatomical Nomenclature Committee (1966) Nomina anatomica. Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam.

In press article

Major M (2007) Recent developments. In: Jones W (ed) Surgery today. Springer, Dordrecht (in press).  

Online document

Doe J (1999) Title of subordinate document. In: The dictionary of substances and their effects. Royal Society of Chemistry. Available via DIALOG. http://www.rsc.org/dose/title of subordinate document. Accessed 15 Jan 1999.

Online database

Healthwise Knowledgebase (1998) US Pharmacopeia, Rockville. http://www.healthwise.org. Accessed 21 Sept 1998.

Supplementary material/private homepage

Doe J (2000) Title of supplementary material. http://www.privatehomepage.com. Accessed 22 Feb 2000.

University site

Doe J (1999) Title of preprint. http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/mydata.html. Accessed 25 Dec 1999.

Doe J (1999) Trivial HTTP, RFC2169. ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc2169.txt. Accessed 12 Nov 1999.

Organization site

ISSN International Centre (2006) The ISSN register. http://www.issn.org. Accessed 20 Feb 2007.

General formatting information

Manuscripts must be written in concise English. For help on scientific writing, or preparing your manuscript in English, please see Springer's  Author Academy .

Quick points:

  • Use double line spacing
  • Include line and page numbering
  • Use SI units: Please ensure that all special characters used are embedded in the text, otherwise they will be lost during conversion to PDF
  • Do not use page breaks in your manuscript

File formats

The following word processor file formats are acceptable for the main manuscript document:

  • Microsoft word (DOC, DOCX)
  • Rich text format (RTF)
  • TeX/LaTeX 

Please note: editable files are required for processing in production. If your manuscript contains any non-editable files (such as PDFs) you will be required to re-submit an editable file if your manuscript is accepted.

For more information, see ' Preparing figures ' below.

Additional information for TeX/LaTeX users

You are encouraged to use the Springer Nature LaTeX template when preparing a submission. A PDF of your manuscript files will be compiled during submission using pdfLaTeX and TexLive 2021. All relevant editable source files must be uploaded during the submission process. Failing to submit these source files will cause unnecessary delays in the production process.  

Style and language

For editors and reviewers to accurately assess the work presented in your manuscript you need to ensure the English language is of sufficient quality to be understood. If you need help with writing in English you should consider:

  • Getting a fast, free online grammar check .
  • Visiting the English language tutorial which covers the common mistakes when writing in English.
  • Asking a colleague who is proficient in English to review your manuscript for clarity.
  • Using a professional language editing service where editors will improve the English to ensure that your meaning is clear and identify problems that require your review. Two such services are provided by our affiliates Nature Research Editing Service and American Journal Experts . SpringerOpen authors are entitled to a 10% discount on their first submission to either of these services. To claim 10% off English editing from Nature Research Editing Service, click here . To claim 10% off American Journal Experts, click here .

Please note that the use of a language editing service is not a requirement for publication in Geoscience Letters and does not imply or guarantee that the article will be selected for peer review or accepted.  为便于编辑和评审专家准确评估您稿件中陈述的研究工作,您需要确保文稿英语语言质量足以令人理解。如果您需要英文写作方面的帮助,您可以考虑:

  • 获取快速、免费的在线  语法检查 。
  • 查看一些有关英语写作中常见语言错误的 教程 。
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请注意,使用语言编辑服务并非在期刊上发表文章的必要条件,这也并不意味或保证文章将被选中进行同行评议或被接受。 エディターと査読者があなたの論文を正しく評価するには、使用されている英語の質が十分であることが必要とされます。英語での論文執筆に際してサポートが必要な場合には、次のオプションがあります:

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Data and materials

For all journals, SpringerOpen strongly encourages all datasets on which the conclusions of the manuscript rely to be either deposited in publicly available repositories (where available and appropriate) or presented in the main paper or additional supporting files, in machine-readable format (such as spread sheets rather than PDFs) whenever possible. Please see the list of recommended repositories in our editorial policies.

For some journals, deposition of the data on which the conclusions of the manuscript rely is an absolute requirement. Please check the Instructions for Authors for the relevant journal and article type for journal specific policies.

For all manuscripts, information about data availability should be detailed in an ‘Availability of data and materials’ section. For more information on the content of this section, please see the Declarations section of the relevant journal’s Instruction for Authors. For more information on SpringerOpen's policies on data availability, please see our editorial policies .

Formatting the 'Availability of data and materials' section of your manuscript

The following format for the 'Availability of data and materials section of your manuscript should be used:

"The dataset(s) supporting the conclusions of this article is(are) available in the [repository name] repository, [unique persistent identifier and hyperlink to dataset(s) in http:// format]."

The following format is required when data are included as additional files:

"The dataset(s) supporting the conclusions of this article is(are) included within the article (and its additional file(s))."

For databases, this section should state the web/ftp address at which the database is available and any restrictions to its use by non-academics.

For software, this section should include:

  • Project name: e.g. My bioinformatics project
  • Project home page: e.g. http://sourceforge.net/projects/mged
  • Archived version: DOI or unique identifier of archived software or code in repository (e.g. enodo)
  • Operating system(s): e.g. Platform independent
  • Programming language: e.g. Java
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how to write research letter

What Is A Cover Letter and Why Do Cover Letters Matter?

A cover letter is your opportunity to tell a story and connect the dots of your resume. Resumes and curriculum vitae (CVs) are often cold and static—they don’t show any sort of character that will give companies a hint about if you will fit in with their culture. 

Your cover letter gives you the chance to demonstrate that you are an interesting, qualified, and intelligent person. Without proving that you are worth the time to interview, a company or research organization will set your application in the rejection pile without giving it a second look. 

So, what is a cover letter, exactly? It is an explanation (written out in paragraph form) of what you can bring to the company that goes beyond the information in your resume. Cover letters give a company a glimpse into the qualities that will make you the ideal candidate for their opening. 

Note that a cover letter is not the same as a letter of intent. A cover letter is written for a specific job opening. For example, if I got an email saying that the University of Colorado was looking for a tenure track faculty member to teach GEO 1001, and I chose to apply, I would write a cover letter. 

A letter of intent, however, is written regardless of the job opening. It is intended to express an interest in working at a particular company or with a particular group. The goal of a letter of intent is to demonstrate your interest in the company (or whatever type of group you are appealing to) and illustrate that you are willing to work with them in whatever capacity they feel is best. 

For example, if I loved the clothing company, Patagonia and wanted to work there, I could write a letter of intent. They may have an opening for a sales floor associate, but after reading my application and letter of intent, decide I would be better suited to a design position. Or, they may not have any positions open at all, but choose to keep my resume on hand for the next time they do. 

Most organizations want a cover letter, not a letter of intent, so it is important to make sure your cover letter caters to the specifics of the job posting. A cover letter should also demonstrate why you want to work at the company, but it should be primarily focused on why you can do the job better than any of the other applicants.

How to Write a Good Cover Letter: The Basics 

Writing a cover letter isn’t hard. Writing a good cover letter, a cover letter that will encourage a hiring manager to look at your application and schedule an interview, is more difficult (but certainly not impossible). Below, we will go over each of the important parts of a cover letter: the salutation, introduction, body, and conclusion, as well as some other best practices.

How to Write a Good Cover Letter Salutation

Don’t start with “Dear Sir/Ma’am” (or any iteration of a vague greeting, including “to whom it may concern”). Avoiding vague greetings is the oldest trick in the book, but it still holds a lot of weight. Starting a cover letter with the above phrase is pretty much stamping “I didn’t bother to research this company at all because I am sending out a million generic cover letters” across your application. It doesn’t look good. 

The best practice is to do your research and use your connections to find a name. “Dear Joe McGlinchy” means a lot more than “Dear Hiring Manager.” LinkedIn is a great tool for this—you can look up the company, then look through the employees until you find someone that seems like they hire for the relevant department. 

The most important thing about the salutation is to address a real human. By selecting someone in the company, you’ve demonstrated that you’ve done some research and are actually interested in this company specifically. Generic greetings aren’t eye-catching and don’t do well.

How to Write a Good Cover Letter Introduction

Once you’ve addressed your cover letter to a real human being, you need a powerful introduction to prove that this cover letter is worth the time it will take to read. This means that you need a hook. 

Your first sentence needs to be a strong starter, something to encourage the hiring manager not only to continue reading the cover letter, but to look at your application as well. If you have a contact in the company, you should mention them in the first sentence. Something along the lines of “my friend, Amanda Rice (UX/UI manager), suggested I apply for the natural language processing expert position after we worked together on a highly successful independent project.” 

The example above uses a few techniques. The name drop is good, but that only works if you actually have a connection in the company. Beyond that, this example has two strengths. First, it states the name of the position. This is important because hiring managers can be hiring for several different positions at a time, and by immediately clarifying which position you are applying for, you make their job a little bit easier.  Next, this sentence introduces concrete skills that apply to the job. That is a good way to start because it begins leading into the body, where you will go into depth about how exactly your experience and skills make you perfect for the job. 

Another technique for a strong lead-in to a cover letter is to begin with an applicable personal experience or anecdote. This attracts more attention than stereotypical intros (like the example above), but you have to be careful to get to the point quickly. Give yourself one or two sentences to tell the story and prove your point before you dive into your skills and the main body of the cover letter.

A more standard technique for introductions is simply expressing excitement. No matter how you choose to start, you want to demonstrate that you are eager about the position, and there is no easier way to do that than just saying it. This could take the form of “When I saw the description for X job on LinkedIn, I was thrilled: it is the perfect job for my Y skills and Z experience.” This option is simple and to-the-point, which can be refreshing for time-crunched hiring managers. 

Since we’ve provided a few good examples, we will offer a bad example, so you can compare and contrast. Don’t write anything along the line of: “My name is John Doe, and I am writing to express my interest in the open position at your company.” 

There are a few issues here. First, they can probably figure out your name. You don’t need that to be in the first sentence (or any of the sentences—the closing is an obvious enough spot). Next, “the open position” and “your company” are too generic. That sounds like the same cover letter you sent to every single employer in a hundred mile radius. Give the specifics! Finally, try to start with a little more spice. Add in some personality, something to keep the hiring manager reading. If you bore them to death in the first line, they aren’t going to look over your resume and application with the attention they deserve. 

How to Write a Good Cover Letter Body

So, you’ve addressed a real human being, and you’ve snagged their attention with a killer opening line. What next? Well, you have to hold on to that attention by writing an engaging and informative cover letter body. 

The body of a cover letter is the core of the important information you want to transmit. The introduction’s job was to snag the attention of the hiring manager. The body’s job is to sell them on your skills.  There are a few formatting things to be aware of before we start talking about what content belongs in the body of the cover letter. First, keep the company culture and standards in mind when picking a format. For example, if I want to work for a tech startup that is known for its wit and company culture, I can probably get away with using a bulleted list or another informal format. However, if I am applying to a respected research institution, using a standard five paragraph format is best. 

In addition, the cover letter should not be longer than a page. Hiring managers are busy people. They may have hundreds of resumes to read, so they don’t need a three page essay per person. A full page is plenty, and many hiring managers report finding three hundred words or less to be the idea length. Just to put that into context, the text from here to the “How to Write a Good Cover Letter Body” header below is about perfect, length-wise. 

Now, on to the more important part: the content. A cover letter should work in tandem with a resume. If you have a list of job experiences on your resume, don’t list them again in the cover letter. Use the valuable space in the cover letter to give examples about how you have applied your skills and experience. 

For example, if I have worked as a barista, I wouldn’t just say “I have worked as a barista at Generic Cafe.” The hiring manager could learn that from my resume. Instead, I could say “Working as a barista at Generic Cafe taught me to operate under pressure without feeling flustered. Once…” I would go on to recount a short story that illustrated my ability to work well under pressure. It is important that the stories and details you choose to include are directly related to the specific job. Don’t ramble or add anything that isn’t obviously connected. Use the job description as a tool—if it mentions a certain skill a few times, make sure to include it!

If you can match the voice and tone of your cover letter to the voice of the company, that usually earns you extra points. If, in their communications, they use wit, feel free to include it in your letter as well. If they are dry, to the point, and serious, cracking jokes is not the best technique.

A Few Don’ts of Writing a Cover Letter Body   

There are a few simple “don’ts” in cover letter writing. Do not: 

  • Bad: I am smart, dedicated, determined, and funny.
  • Better: When I was working at Tech Company, I designed and created an entirely new workflow that cut the product delivery time in half. 
  • Bad: When I was seven, I really loved the monkeys at the zoo. This demonstrates my fun-loving nature. 
  • Better: While working for This Company, I realized I was far more productive if I was light-hearted. I became known as the person to turn to in my unit when my coworkers needed a boost, and as my team adopted my ideology, we exceeded our sales goals by 200%. 
  • Bad: I would love this job because it would propel me to the next stage of my career.
  • Better: With my decade of industry experience communicating with engineers and clients, I am the right person to manage X team. 
  • Bad: I know I’m not the most qualified candidate for this job, but…
  • Better: I can apply my years of experience as an X to this position, using my skills in Y and Z to… 
  • Bad: I am a thirty year old white woman from Denver…
  • Better: I have extensive experience managing diverse international teams, as illustrated by the time I…  

The most important part of the cover letter is the body. Sell your skills by telling stories, but walk the razor’s edge between saying too much and not enough. When in doubt, lean towards not enough—it is better for the hiring manager to call you in for an interview to learn more than to bore them.

How to Write a Good Cover Letter Conclusion

 The last lines of a cover letter are extremely important. Until you can meet in-person for an interview, the conclusion of your cover letter will greatly affect the impression the hiring manager has of you. A good technique for concluding your cover letter is to summarize, in a sentence, what value you can bring to the company and why you are perfect for the position. Sum up the most important points from your cover letter in a short, concise manner. 

Write with confidence, but not arrogance. This can be a delicate balance. While some people have gotten away (and sometimes gotten a job) with remarks like, “I’ll be expecting the job offer soon,” most do not. Closing with a courteous statement that showcases your capability and skills is far more effective than arrogance. Try to avoid trite or generic statements in the closing sentence as well. This includes the template, “I am very excited to work for XYZ Company.” Give the hiring manager something to remember and close with what you can offer the company. 

The final step in any cover letter is to edit. Re-read your cover letter. Then, set it aside for a few hours (or days, time permitting) and read it again. Give it to a friend to read. Read it aloud. This may seem excessive, but there is nothing more off-putting than a spelling or grammar error in the first few lines of a cover letter. The hiring manager may power through and ignore it, but it will certainly taint their impression. 

Once the cover letter is as flawless and compelling as it can be, send it out! If you are super stuck on how to get started, working within a template may help. Microsoft Word has many free templates that are aesthetically appealing and can give you a hint to the length and content. A few good online options live here (free options are at the bottom—there is no reason to pay for a resume template).

How to Write a Cover Letter for a Research Position

Writing a cover letter for a research position is the same as writing any other cover letter. There are, however, a few considerations and additions that are worth pointing out. A job description may not directly ask for a cover letter, but it is good practice to send one unless they specifically say not to. This means that even if a cover letter isn’t mentioned, you should send one—it is best practice and gives you an opportunity to expand on your skills and research in a valuable way.

Format and Writing Style for a Research Position Cover Letter

Research and academics tend to appreciate formality more than start-ups or tech companies, so using the traditional five paragraph format is typically a good idea. The five paragraph format usually includes an introduction, three short examples of skills, and a concluding paragraph. This isn’t set in stone—if you’d rather write two paragraphs about the skills and experience you bring to the company, that is fine. 

Keep in mind that concise and to-the-point writing is extremely valuable in research. Anyone who has ever written a project proposal under 300 words knows that every term needs to add value. Proving that you are a skilled writer, starting in your cover letter, will earn you a lot of points. This means that cover letters in research and academia, though you may have more to say, should actually be shorter than others. Think of the hiring manager—they are plowing through a massive stack of verbose, technical, and complex cover letters and CVs. It is refreshing to find an easy to read, short cover letter. 

On the “easy to read” point, remember that the hiring manager may not be an expert in your field. Even if they are, you cannot assume that they have the exact same linguistic and educational background as you. For example, if you have dedicated the last five years of your life to studying a certain species of bacteria that lives on Red-Eyed Tree Frogs, all of those technical terms you have learned (and maybe even coined) have no place in your cover letter. Keep jargon to an absolute minimum. Consider using a tool like the Hemingway Editor to identify and eliminate jargon. While you want to reduce jargon, it is still important to prove that you’ve researched their research. Passion about the research topic is one of the most valuable attributes that a new hire can offer. 

Use your cover letter to prove that you have done your homework, know exactly what the institution or group is doing, and want to join them. If you have questions about the research or want to learn more, it isn’t a bad idea to get in touch with one of the researchers. You can often use LinkedIn or the group’s staff site to learn who is working on the project and reach out.

What Research Information Should be Included in a Cover Letter

A research position cover letter is not the place for your academic history, dissertation, or publications. While it may be tempting to go into detail about the amazing research you did for your thesis, that belongs in your CV. Details like this will make your cover letter too long. While these are valuable accomplishments, don’t include them unless there is something  that pertains to the group’s research, and your CV doesn’t cover it in depth. 

If you do choose to write about your research, write about concrete details and skills that aren’t in your CV. For example, if you have spent the last few years working on identifying the effects of a certain gene sequence in bird migration, include information about the lab techniques you used. Also, try to put emphasis on the aspects of your resume and CV that make you stand out from other candidates. It is likely that you will be competing with many similarly qualified candidates, so if you have a unique skill or experience, make sure it doesn’t get lost in the chaos—a cover letter is the perfect place to highlight these sorts of skills. 

Industry experience is a great differentiator. If you have relevant industry experience, make sure to include it in your cover letter because it will almost certainly set you apart. Another valuable differentiator is a deep and established research network. If you have been working on research teams for years and have deep connections with other scientists, don’t be afraid to include this information. This makes you a very valuable acquisition for the company because you come with an extensive network

Include Soft Skills in Your Cover Letter

Scientific skills aren’t the only consideration for hiring managers. Experience working with and leading teams is incredibly valuable in the research industry. Even if the job description doesn’t mention teamwork, add a story or description of a time you worked with (or, even better, lead) a successful team. Soft skills like management, customer service, writing, and clear communication are important in research positions. Highlight these abilities and experiences in your cover letter in addition to the hard skills and research-based information. 

If you are struggling to edit and polish your letter, give it to both someone within your field and someone who is completely unfamiliar with your research (or, at least, the technical side of it). Once both of those people say that the letter makes sense and is compelling, you should feel confident submitting it.

Cover letters are intended to give hiring managers information beyond what your resume and CV are able to display. Write with a natural but appropriately formal voice, do your research on the position, and cater to the job description. A good cover letter can go a long way to getting you an interview, and with these tips, your cover letters will certainly stand out of the pile.

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Do You Overlook These Key Elements When Writing a Research Manuscript?

How to write a research manuscript by avoiding errors

As with any other skill, academic writing can be improved through practice and experience. Writing publishable research manuscripts does not come naturally to most scientific researchers, even those with a great deal of experience. However, because publication is so important to the success of research studies, and thus researchers, writing is often a skill that needs to be strengthened. The good news is information on how to write a manuscript for publication is widely available for those who want to improve their writing skills. We’ll go a step further and shortlist some key elements that often get overlooked when writing research manuscripts.

Introduction issues

As implied by the section name, the Introduction provides the reader with information basic to understanding the study. The problem being addressed is described, a research gap in the existing literature is identified, and the aims of the study are stated. When writing a manuscript for publication, you should leave this section until last. Oftentimes the study you intended to write is not exactly the study you end up with, and it is important that this section is clearly aligned with your actual results.

Another common issue with the Introduction that may negatively affect a research manuscript’s publication is the lack of a clear statement of purpose 1 . The reader, or journal editor, does not want to search for the meaning of the study. Therefore, make sure that your aim is explicitly stated near the end of the Introduction.

Your Introduction may also be judged by what should not be in it. Do not include data or conclusions in your Introduction. In addition, opinions or value judgements do not belong in the Introduction, or in any part of your research manuscript. Consider asking a colleague or friend to read it, as it is sometimes difficult to see this in your own writing.

Effective use of tables and figures

Visual elements such as tables and figures can add a lot of value to a research study manuscript, but their usefulness is often overlooked. Tables and figures, if used effectively, clarify points you make in the text and increase its clarity and overall reader engagement.

What does the effective use of tables and figures mean? It means the visuals are simple and understandable on their own. The title, along with any footnotes, captions, and comments, are enough of an explanation for the reader 1 . Try taking the table or figure out of the manuscript and looking at it alone. Better yet, show it to a few colleagues. Can they understand what the figure or table shows without any explanation from you? If not, simplify and clarify. Ideally, tables and figures should complement your text and break it up to increase readability. You can make your manuscript more publishable by putting some thought and effort into the visuals that you use.

how to write research letter

Discussion errors

The Discussion section is also fraught with improvement opportunities for research writers. For research manuscript writers, a weak discussion section is a common cause of publication failure 2 . What makes a weak discussion? Sometimes it comes from not understanding the difference between speculation and evidence-based conclusions 2 . Everything you present must be based on evidence. If you’re going to speculate or assume, make that clear in your writing. Furthermore, your conclusions should be situated in the context of the existing literature and your results analyzed based on the results of previous studies. Do not overstate the meaning of your results 1 .

In addition, authors often miss a few elements in their Discussion section that should be included, such as study limitations and a global context or meaning for the results. How do the results of your study and what you learned affect the discipline? How can they be useful to practitioners or other researchers? In addition, to tie the study together, the aim that was stated in the Introduction needs to be explicitly addressed. Don’t hide anything from the reader.

Overall writing quality

Finally, the best thing you can do to improve your research manuscript is to make it easy for your reader to understand. Consider clarity to be your main goal when writing. If you can clearly convey to your readers what you did and what the research results were, you show that you understand the topic and this helps build trust. If someone can’t follow your thinking because the manuscript is poorly written or too wordy, your study will ultimately lack impact. Always keep the reader in mind and make your study simple to understand.

One good way to check the writing quality is to read the paper aloud to yourself and listen to the words. When you read the same sentences repeatedly, you may tend to read what you intended to write, not what you actually wrote. Another good suggestion is to get a colleague or friend to read the paper and provide feedback.

  • Liumbruno GM, Velati C, Pasqualetti P, Franchini M. How to write a scientific manuscript for publication. Blood Transfus . 2013, 11:217-26. doi: 10.2450/2012.0247-12
  • Gewin V. How to write a first class paper. Nature . 2018, 555:129-30. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-02404-4

Related Reads:

  • Duplicate Publications: How to Avoid Overlapping Publications in Research
  • Confusing Elements of a Research Paper That Trip Up Most Academics
  • 3 Easy Ways for Researchers to Improve Their Academic Vocabulary
  • What is an Expository Essay and How to Write It

5 Steps to Reduce the Length of the Research Paper Without Losing Content

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Research Interest Statement Samples That Worked

Research Interest Statement Sample

A good research interest statement sample can be hard to find. Still, it can also be a beneficial tool for writing one and preparing for a grad school application or post-graduate position. Your research interest statement is one of the key components of your application to get into grad school . In a few cases, admissions committees have used it instead of an interview, so it is important to write a strong essay. We’ve provided research interest statement samples for you in this blog post. We have also included several tips that will help you write a strong statement to help improve your chances of getting accepted into your dream program. 

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 13 min read

What is a research interest statement.

A research interest statement is essential for most graduate school, post-graduate, and academic job applications. Sometimes, it may be referred to it as a " statement of intent " or "description of research interests." While they are similar, research interest statement may require some additional information. Generally, your statement will pride a brief overview of your research background, including your past research experience, the current state of your research, and the future research you'd like to complete, including any required equipment and collaborations. It is usually written in the form of a short essay. Still, of course, different graduate programs can have specific requirements, so make sure to check the program you are applying to and read the particular instructions that they give to ensure your research interest statement meets their requirements. 

Your research statement plays a big role in the committee's decision. Ultimately, they are trying to figure out if you, as a person, and your research, would be a good fit for their program. A strong statement can help you convince them of this by showing your passion for research, your research interests and experience, the connection between your interests and the program, and the extent of your writing skills which is really important for paper and grant writing, and thus for earning money for your research!

Undergraduate programs are centered around classes, but graduate and post-graduate programs are all about your research and what your research contributes to your discipline of choice. That is why a research interest statement is so important, because it is essentially a way for you to share this information with the program that you have chosen.

Writing a strong statement can be helpful to you, as well. Having to explain your research and talk about your goals coherently will give you a chance to define your future research and career plans, as well as academic interests.

What Should Your Research Interest Statement Include?

The exact requirements of the research interest statement can vary depending on where you are applying and for what position. Most faculty positions will need you to produce a separate file for your statement, and most of the time, for an academic program, you can simply include your statement within your CV for graduate school .  

Need to prepare your grad school CV? This video has helpful advice for you:

Unless otherwise stated by the program or faculty that you are applying to, your statement should be one to two pages long or between 600 and 1000 words. If you are including your description of interest statements on your resume, then it would be ideal to keep it between 400 and 600 words. Most programs will give you guidelines for the research interest statement so make sure you follow those. They rarely include a specific question or prompt but they might ask for a particular detail to be included in your interest statement. For example, a university’s requirements may look something like this: “In your statement of interest, you should detail your study and/or research interests and reasons for seeking admission. You must identify a faculty member from the Anthropology of Department with whom you are interested in being your advisor. The length of a statement of intent should be 2 pages in length (single-spaced, Times New Roman font size 12 point)”

Your statement should include a brief history of your past research. It should tell the committee what you have previously set out to answer with your research projects, what you found, and if it led to any academic publications or collaborations. It should also address your current research. What questions are you actively trying to solve? You will need to tell the committee if you’ve made any progress, what you have found, if you are connecting your research to the larger academic conversation and what the larger implications of your work actually are. Finally, you want to talk about the future of your research. What further questions do you want to solve? How do you intend to find answers to these questions? What are the broader implications of your potential results, and how can the institution you are applying to help you?

Before we show you some examples, let's go over a few essential things that you need to keep in mind while writing your research interest statement to make sure it is strong. 

Preparation

Give Yourself Ample Time: Much like with other components of your application, like your CV or a graduate school interview question , preparation is the key to success. You should give yourself enough time to thoroughly research the program or faculty you are applying to, gather all the information or documents that can aid you in writing, and then write and rewrite as many times as you need to. Give yourself at least 6 weeks to draft, redraft, and finalize your statement. You may also want to consider investing in a graduate school admissions consultant as they have more experience writing these types of essays and may see things that you can’t.

Research the Program/Faculty: The purpose of your research interest statement is to tell the committee all about your research plans, how it will contribute to the field and convince them that not only is their institution is the best place for it, but that you will be an asset to them as a candidate. To do this, you need to know what kind of candidate they are looking for, what kind of research they have been interested in in the past, and if there is anything particular that they require in the research interest statement. Remember, expectations for research statements can vary among disciplines and universities, so it is essential that you write for the right audience.

The Format / Writing Style

Your research statement should be in an academic essay format. It needs to be concise, well-organized, and easy to read. For graduate school, PhD or post-doc positions, your research interest statement will usually be a part of your resume. We recommend that you stick to the following things when it comes to the format:

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The Content

Introduction: This is a functional academic document, unlike college essays or personal statements, so you want to go straight to the point and focus on the key information that needs to be conveyed. You want to use this paragraph to tell the committee why you are writing this statement. In other words, you should clearly state what kind of research you are interested in pursuing at the institution in question and explain why you are drawn to the subject. 

Body: This is your “why and how” paragraphs. In 2 or 3 paragraphs, you should expand on your interest, background, accomplishments, and plans in the field of research. Depending on your level of experience, you may use this time to talk about your previous or current research. If you do not have much experience, then you may use this paragraph to talk about any skills or academic achievements that could be relevant. 

Conclusion: To conclude, you should restate your interest and tie it back to the research you intend to continue at the university. Be specific about the direction you’d like to take the research in, who you’d like to work with, and what the institution has that would help you. We also suggest including a concise statement that reiterates your unique suitability for the program, and what you can contribute to it and your chosen field.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Being Too Personal: Often, students will confuse the statement of purpose and the research interest statement or letter of intent. It is essential to understand the difference between these two documents because some programs will ask for both of these documents. There is quite a bit of overlap between the two essays, so they are very easy to mix up. Both documents ask applicants to focus on their research interests, relevant past academic & professional experiences, and their long-term goals in the field. However, a statement of purpose is more of a personal statement that describes your journey and overall suitability for a program. In contrast, a research interest statement is a more formal academic document specific to the research you intend to pursue in a program. It will include many details such as the faculty members you want to work with, the program facilities and resources you wish to use, etc.

Not Following Guidelines: As mentioned earlier, these statements can vary depending on the discipline and the faculty. It is crucial that you review all the institution's guidelines and follow them. Some schools will have a specific word count, others may simply give you a maximum and minimum word count. Others may even have a specific prompt or question that you will need to answer with your essay. You want to make sure that you are following the instructions provided by the program. 

Using Too Much Jargon: Your statement will be read by people who are most likely knowledgeable, but they might not be from your specific field or specialty. We understand that it may not be possible to be clear about your research without using a few niche words, but try to keep them at a minimum and avoid using acronyms that are not well known outside of your specialty.

Having One Generic Statement: The requirements of your research statement are different from one school to another, and you should tailor your letter to the program you are writing to. We know that the research and experience you are talking about are still the same, but the qualities and aspects of that experience you play up should help you appeal to the school you are applying to. For example, if you are applying to a very collaborative program, you should highlight your collaborations and your experience working as part of a team.

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Research of Interest Statement Samples

Below are sample research interest statements for reference: 

Research Statement of Interest 1

Jennifer Doe

As the child of an immigrant, I have always been fascinated by the relationship between identity, geographic territory, and economic development. With the rise of globalization, there is a broader effort in the social sciences to study the link between cultural identity, human mobility, and economic development in the contemporary world. I hope that my research will contribute to this as well. I am applying to the X University Global Anthropology program, as it is the best place for me to explore my research interests and channel them towards my long-term goals. I believe that my undergraduate education and the research experience it gave me have prepared me to undertake advanced research projects, thus making me an excellent candidate for this program.

I spent the first two years of undergraduate studies taking psychology courses. I went to university knowing that I wanted to learn about human behavior and culture. I was thirsty for information, but I did not know what kind of information just yet. It wasn’t until I took an elective anthropology class in my second year and started discussing identity in anthropology that something clicked. Unlike many other social sciences, anthropology explores the different ways that cultures affect human behavior and that connected right away with my experience as an immigrant. I have been passionate about the subject ever since, and I intend on spending my career exploring this topic further.

In the long run, I am interested in understanding how geography affects the construction of one’s cultural identity, especially when it comes to immigrants. Literature already exists on the topic, but most of it examines the upper levels of this process of social reproduction, concentrating on the roles of governments and associations in promoting ties between migrants and their homelands. Prof. Jane Doe Smith is one of the anthropologists researching the transnational migration experience, and I hope to have the opportunity to work with her at X University.

I was fortunate to be part of a summer research experience as an undergraduate, which took place in several west African countries, including Mali, Senegal, and Nigeria. Dr. Sam Smith was leading the research, and my time on his team allowed me to gain hands-on experience in research while living abroad. One of the things that I did almost daily was interview the subjects in a controlled environment, and sometimes I got to be a part of traditional ceremonies. I learnt how to observe without being intrusive and how to interact with clinical subjects. The experience only strengthened my curiosity and conviction that today more than ever, we need to understand what identity is and the different factors that can affect it.

I enrolled in several challenging research-oriented courses such as Applied Statistical Inference for the Behavioral Sciences, Principles of Measurement, and more throughout my degree. I was also able to work as a research lab assistant for one of my mentors, Mr. Jonathan Smith. I worked with him while he studied the relationship between identity, culture and “self.” My main duties were to assist in the creating of surveys and other assessment materials, administer written and verbal tests to participants, create literature reviews for potential resources, create summaries of findings for analysis and other office duties such as reserving testing rooms. This particular experience allowed me to get some hands-on experience with data collection, data analysis, report preparation and the creation of data summaries.

I know that there is a lot more that I can learn from the X University. I have seen the exemplary work in anthropology and other social studies done by the staff and alumni of this school. It has inspired and convinced me beyond the shadow of a doubt that pursuing my graduate studies in your program meets my personal, academic, and professional goals objectives.

My advanced research skills, passion for anthropology and clinical research, as well as my academic proficiency make me the ideal candidate for X University's Clinical Global Anthropology Master’s program. I believe that X University’s rigorous curriculum and facilities make it the perfect place for me, my long-term career goals and my research commitments. 

Jamie Medicine

I am applying to the brain and development master's program of X university because it is one of the few universities that not only has a program that combines the two disciplines that I majored in my undergraduate studies: Psychology and Linguistics; but also because it is a program that I know would allow me to grow as a researcher, contribute to my chosen fields and achieve my long-term career goals. My research is motivated by two of my favorite things: language and music. To be more specific, hip-hop music. In 20xx, Rollingstone magazine published an article stating that hip hop was now more popular than rock and roll. The rise in popularity of this initially very niche genre has sparked a conversation in specific academic fields such as psychology, sociology, linguistics, and English about the use of language within it but also the effects that it can have on those who listen to it. I hope to one day contribute to that conversation by studying the relationship between hip-hop music and vocabulary development, and I believe that pursuing this particular research interest at X university is the best way for me to do that.

There are many potential places this research may lead me and many potential topics I may explore. Furthermore, there are many things that it would allow us to learn about the effect that music has on our brains and society at large.

I was fortunate enough to work under Dr. Jane D. Smith at the University of X for two years while conducting her recently published study on vocabulary instruction for children with a developmental language disorder. During my time in her lab, I interviewed participants and put together evaluation materials for them. I was also responsible for data entry, analysis, and summarizing. This experience gave me the skills and the knowledge that allowed me to exceed expectations for my final research project in undergraduate school.

One of my undergraduate degree requirements was to complete a small independent study under the supervision of a professor. I chose to study music's effect on children's vocabulary development. Several studies look for ways to decrease the million-word gap, and I wanted to see if this thing that I am so passionate about, music, had any effect at all. I compiled multiple literature reviews and analyzed their results, and I found that there is indeed a correlation between the number of words that a child spoke and the amount of music that they were exposed to. 

This research is currently being explored on a larger scale by Prof. John Doe at X university and learning from him is one of the many reasons I have applied to this program. I took several research methodology courses throughout my degree, and I would love to enroll in the Applied Statistics for Psychology course he is currently teaching to build upon the foundational knowledge I already have. There are several other faculty members in the brain and language department with whom learning from would be a dream come true. In addition to that, working with them is a real possibility because the research they are currently doing and the research I hope to pursue are greatly matched.

I genuinely believe that X university has the curriculum and facilities that I need to meet my long-term goals and research commitments. I also believe that my academic achievements, eagerness to learn, and passion make me the perfect candidate for your program. 

Interested in some tips to help you manage grad school once you're there? Check out this video :

It is essentially an essay that provides a brief overview of your research experience and goals. This includes your past research experience, the current state of your research, and the future research you'd like to complete. It is also sometimes referred to as a "statement of intent" or "description of research interests."

This statement tells the admissions committee more about you as an applicant. It gives you the opportunity to tell them more about your research (past, present, and future) and show them that you are a good fit for their institution.

No. Some graduate school programs might ask for a statement of purpose and a writing sample instead, or they could ask for none of the above. You should always check the requirements of the specific program that you’re applying to.

Generally, your statement should be 400 to 1000 words or about two pages long. That said, most programs will give you guidelines so make sure you check those and follow them.

You certainly can but we do not recommend it. You should always tailor your statement to the program you are applying to. Remember that the aim is to convince the admissions committee that you are a good fit for their school so make sure you highlight the qualities and values that they care about.

We recommend that you doublecheck the information provided by your chosen program as they often have specific instructions for the format of the letter. If none exist, make sure that the format of your document is pleasing to the eye. Stick to easily legible fonts, a decent font size, spacing, margins, etc.  Also, it is best to keep the content of the letter concise and professional.

We recommend giving yourself at least 6 weeks to write your statement. This will give you ample time to brainstorm, write a strong letter, read it again and edit it as many times as necessary. It also gives you enough time to get expert eyes on your letter and work with them to improve it if you wish.

No. Research interest statements are often required for post-graduate school applications and for other positions in academic faculties.

Absolutely! You can always reach out to admissions professionals, such as graduate school admissions consultants or grad school essays tutors .

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hello, thanks for providing guide line for Research Interest statement, the important aspect of scholarship application. Kindly guide me, What should be the title of the Research Statement. Thanks

Hi Sadia! Check the requirements of your school first. They might provide some info on whether a title is even needed. 

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how to write research letter

Research Assistant cover letter template header

How to Write a Research Assistant Cover Letter (With Template)

Gabriele Culot

Key takeaways

  • A cover letter can be the most important element in a job application. Ensuring your profile stands out to recruiters is crucial to your professional success.
  • A well-tailored cover letter should provide relevant information clearly and concisely. Focus on detailing your skills and why you are the right person for that specific role.
  • The included Research Assistant cover letter template provides an easy starting point to craft your own cover letters. Adapt and personalize it to fit your profile.

A well-written cover letter is key to quickly getting the attention of prospective employers. Among countless job seekers, resumes, and application letters, yours need to stand out on first impression if you want to ensure your job search   translates to a new role .

In this post, you will discover:

  • Reasons why a well-crafted cover letter is key to professional success, from entry-level roles to senior positions
  • Cover letter do’s and dont’s
  • A Research Assistant sample cover letter you can easily adapt and personalize

A well-tailored   cover letter : The key to   job application   success

Ensuring you know how to write a cover letter that is clear, informative, and tailored to the role you are applying to will benefit you in many ways. Well-crafted cover letters have many benefits, which include:

  • Showcasing relevance:   Tailoring your cover letter allows you to emphasize the most relevant skills, experiences, and achievements that align with the specific job requirements. This immediately captures the attention of the   talent acquisition   team, recruiters, or human resources reps.
  • Demonstrating research:   A good cover letter conveys your understanding of the organization's needs and illustrates how you can contribute to its success, signaling to potential employers that you've done your homework.
  • Telling your story:   Each job application is unique, and a tailored cover letter enables you to craft a personalized narrative. It lets you connect your professional journey with the role's specific challenges and opportunities, making your application more compelling.
  • Highlighting cultural fit:   Your cover letter allows you to address the company's values, mission, and culture. By aligning your experiences and values with those of the organization, you demonstrate a cultural fit and convey your enthusiasm for being part of the team.
  • Addressing specific requirements:   Job postings often include   specific skills or qualifications   the employer is seeking. Tailoring your cover letter enables you to address these requirements directly, showcasing how you possess the desired attributes and can meet the company's expectations.

Cover letter tips

A great cover letter should reflect your professional profile and personality. However, no matter what your cover letter's content is, the tips below will help ensure the message you want to convey is clear and easily accessible to hiring managers.

  • Keep it concise:   Aim for a cover letter length of 250-400 words. Be succinct in presenting your qualifications and experiences.
  • Use a clean layout:   Opt for a professional and clean cover letter format with a standard font (e.g., Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman) and a font size of 10-12 points.
  • Include   contact information :   Provide your contact information at the top of the cover letter, including your name, phone number, and professional email address.
  • Use   headers   and sections:   Organize your cover letter into clear sections with headers such as Introduction, Work Experience, and Achievements for easy readability.
  • Maintain a professional tone:   Keep the tone of your cover letter professional and upbeat. Avoid overly casual language, and focus on showcasing your skills and experiences.
  • Use keywords:   Incorporate relevant keywords from the Agile Project Manager   job description   and company website into your cover letter. This can help your application pass through   applicant tracking systems (ATS)   used by many employers.
  • Highlight achievements with bullet points:   Use bullet points to list specific accomplishments or notable projects. This makes it easier for the reader to grasp your accomplishments quickly.
  • Use quantifiable data:   Whenever possible, include quantifiable data to demonstrate the impact of your achievements. Numbers provide concrete evidence of your contributions.
  • Match company tone:   Adapt your writing style to match the tone of the company and industry. Research the company's culture to strike the right balance between professionalism and personality.
  • Showcase company knowledge:   Demonstrate your understanding of the company by referencing its values, mission, or recent achievements. Explain why you're excited about the opportunity to work for this specific organization.
  • Address employment gaps (if applicable):   If you have employment gaps, briefly address them in a positive light, focusing on any skills or experiences gained during those periods.
  • Proofread   thoroughly:   Eliminate typos and grammatical errors by proofreading your cover letter multiple times. Consider using tools like Grammarly to catch any overlooked mistakes and ensure your English (or any language you use) is correct.
  • Include a   call to action :   Conclude your cover letter with a call to action, expressing your enthusiasm for the opportunity and indicating your readiness for an interview.
  • Follow submission instructions:   If there are specific instructions for submitting the cover letter, such as naming conventions or document formats, ensure that you adhere to them.
  • Save as a PDF:   Save your cover letter as a PDF before submitting it. This ensures that the formatting remains consistent across different devices and software.

While understanding the correct steps to write a cover letter is crucial to your professional success, knowing what mistakes to avoid is equally important. The best cover letter can easily be made useless by a tiny blunder. Avoid making the mistakes listed below; you will be halfway to your new job.

  • Don't use a generic greeting:   Avoid generic salutations like "To whom it may concern," “Dear sir or madam, “ or “Dear hiring manager.“ Whenever possible, address the cover letter to a specific person.
  • Don't repeat your resume:   An effective cover letter should complement your resume, not duplicate it. Focus on specific experiences and achievements that showcase your qualifications for the role.
  • Don't exaggerate or lie:   Be truthful in your cover letter. Exaggerating your qualifications or providing false information can harm your chances and damage your professional reputation.
  • Don't use unprofessional email addresses:   Ensure that the email address you use in your contact information is professional. Avoid using nicknames or unprofessional terms.
  • Don't include irrelevant information:   Keep your cover letter focused on the job. Avoid including unrelated personal details or experiences that do not contribute to your suitability for the role.
  • Don't use jargon unnecessarily:   While demonstrating your knowledge is essential, avoid unnecessary jargon that may confuse the reader. Use clear and straightforward language.
  • Don't sound overly eager:   Expressing enthusiasm is positive but can easily feel unauthentic if overdone.

Remember, the goal of a practical cover letter is to present your qualifications in a clear, organized, and compelling manner while adhering to professional standards.

How to structure your Research Assistant   cover letter

Express your interest in the Research Assistant position in the opening paragraph. Communicate your passion for research, data analysis, and your eagerness to contribute to a team dedicated to advancing knowledge in a specific field. If applicable, mention any referrals that have influenced your decision to apply for this specific role.

About your current role

Highlight your achievements and effective research strategies that have positively impacted the success of your current projects and team. Emphasize your role in conducting experiments, gathering and analyzing data, and contributing to research projects. Demonstrate your proficiency in research methodologies, data collection tools, and your ability to collaborate with fellow researchers.

Use this section to outline your current responsibilities and ongoing projects, emphasizing how they align with the requirements and objectives of the Research Assistant role.

About your experience

Detail your hands-on experience in research assistant roles, showcasing your ability to conduct literature reviews, design experiments, and contribute to the publication of research findings. Clearly communicate that your research skills and readiness for the role are well-established. This section is also an opportunity to highlight any relevant certifications, software proficiency, or additional skills you've acquired throughout your research career path .

Notable achievements

Highlight notable accomplishments that showcase your effectiveness as a Research Assistant. Whether you played a key role in a groundbreaking research project, contributed to the development of research methodologies, or significantly improved data analysis processes, use this section to concisely mention your achievements, how they were measured, and their impact on the overall success of the research projects you've been involved in.

Why you want to work there

Express your interest in the institution or company by highlighting specific aspects of its research focus, mission, and values related to your field of interest that resonate with you. Convey how these align with your professional goals and how you envision contributing to the organization's success through your expertise as a research assistant. Be concise but articulate about your motivations.

Specific projects or initiatives that motivated you to apply

Demonstrate your understanding of the organization by referencing specific research-related projects or initiatives that have captured your interest. Draw connections between these initiatives and your skills and experiences, emphasizing how your contributions align with the institution or company's goals for advancing research. This shows your genuine interest and proactive approach to aligning with the organization's mission.

In the closing paragraph, reiterate your enthusiasm to contribute to the organization's success as a Research Assistant. Express your eagerness to discuss how your skills align with the organization's research objectives and invite the reader to reach out with any questions they may have. Sign off with a professional salutation.

Research Assistant   cover letter template

Dear [Hiring Manager’s name],

I am writing to express my interest in the Research Assistant position at [Institution or Company Name], as advertised. With a solid background in research methodologies and a passion for contributing to meaningful projects, I am confident in my ability to make valuable contributions to your research team.

About my current role

In my current position as a Research Assistant at [Current Institution or Company], I have:

  • Assisted in the planning and execution of research projects, ensuring adherence to timelines and methodologies.
  • Conducted literature reviews, gathered data, and performed statistical analysis using [specific research tools or software].
  • Collaborated with research team members to interpret findings and contribute to the development of research papers.

About my Research Assistant experience

My experience extends to:

  • Contributing to the design and implementation of experimental protocols and methodologies.
  • Managing and organizing research data, ensuring accuracy and completeness.
  • Assisting in the preparation of grant proposals and research grant reporting.

Some of my notable achievements include:

  • Co-authoring a research paper published in [specific journal or conference], highlighting my contribution to the research community.
  • Successfully coordinating the recruitment and participation of study participants, meeting project enrollment targets.
  • Implementing efficient data management practices that resulted in a [percentage] reduction in data processing time.

Why I want to work for [Institution or Company]

I am particularly drawn to [Institution or Company Name] due to its [mention aspects unique to the institution or company such as a reputation for excellence in research, commitment to [specific research focus or area], growth,...]. I am excited about the opportunity to apply my research skills and contribute to [Institution or Company Name]'s ongoing success in advancing knowledge in the field.

Specific research projects or initiatives of [Institution or Company] that motivated me to apply

In researching [Institution or Company Name], I was impressed by your recent projects in [specific research focus or area]. My experience in research aligns seamlessly with your organizational objectives. My dedication to rigorous research practices, coupled with my commitment to contributing to meaningful projects, would make me a valuable addition to your research team.

Thank you for considering my application. I am eager to further discuss how my skills and experiences align with the Research Assistant role at [Institution or Company Name]. I look forward to contributing to your team's success.

[Your Full Name]

Get your career rolling with Deel

Your job application is your chance to tell your professional story, and a well-tailored cover letter is your narrative's opening chapter. Remember that personalization is key. Make each word count, emphasizing how your background uniquely positions you as the ideal candidate, and get your dream job. 

Looking for even more inspiration?   Discover how to write a stellar cover letter in 5 steps .

Discover more tips and tools to help boost your career further and climb the steps to your dream job on   the get-hired content hub .

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February 21, 2024

Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

Engaging the fine motor system to produce letters by hand has positive effects on learning and memory

By Charlotte Hu

Student handwriting notes in class

FG Trade/Getty Images

Handwriting notes in class might seem like an anachronism as smartphones and other digital technology subsume every aspect of learning across schools and universities. But a steady stream of research continues to suggest that taking notes the traditional way—with pen and paper or even stylus and tablet—is still the best way to learn, especially for young children. And now scientists are finally zeroing in on why.

A recent study in Frontiers in Psychology monitored brain activity in students taking notes and found that those writing by hand had higher levels of electrical activity across a wide range of interconnected brain regions responsible for movement, vision, sensory processing and memory. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that has many experts speaking up about the importance of teaching children to handwrite words and draw pictures.

Differences in Brain Activity

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The new research, by Audrey van der Meer and Ruud van der Weel at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), builds on a foundational 2014 study . That work suggested that people taking notes by computer were typing without thinking, says van der Meer , a professor of neuropsychology at NTNU. “It’s very tempting to type down everything that the lecturer is saying,” she says. “It kind of goes in through your ears and comes out through your fingertips, but you don’t process the incoming information.” But when taking notes by hand, it’s often impossible to write everything down; students have to actively pay attention to the incoming information and process it—prioritize it, consolidate it and try to relate it to things they’ve learned before. This conscious action of building onto existing knowledge can make it easier to stay engaged and grasp new concepts .

To understand specific brain activity differences during the two note-taking approaches, the NTNU researchers tweaked the 2014 study’s basic setup. They sewed electrodes into a hairnet with 256 sensors that recorded the brain activity of 36 students as they wrote or typed 15 words from the game Pictionary that were displayed on a screen.

When students wrote the words by hand, the sensors picked up widespread connectivity across many brain regions. Typing, however, led to minimal activity, if any, in the same areas. Handwriting activated connection patterns spanning visual regions, regions that receive and process sensory information and the motor cortex. The latter handles body movement and sensorimotor integration, which helps the brain use environmental inputs to inform a person’s next action.

“When you are typing, the same simple movement of your fingers is involved in producing every letter, whereas when you’re writing by hand, you immediately feel that the bodily feeling of producing A is entirely different from producing a B,” van der Meer says. She notes that children who have learned to read and write by tapping on a digital tablet “often have difficulty distinguishing letters that look a lot like each other or that are mirror images of each other, like the b and the d.”

Reinforcing Memory and Learning Pathways

Sophia Vinci-Booher , an assistant professor of educational neuroscience at Vanderbilt University who was not involved in the new study, says its findings are exciting and consistent with past research. “You can see that in tasks that really lock the motor and sensory systems together, such as in handwriting, there’s this really clear tie between this motor action being accomplished and the visual and conceptual recognition being created,” she says. “As you’re drawing a letter or writing a word, you’re taking this perceptual understanding of something and using your motor system to create it.” That creation is then fed back into the visual system, where it’s processed again—strengthening the connection between an action and the images or words associated with it. It’s similar to imagining something and then creating it: when you materialize something from your imagination (by writing it, drawing it or building it), this reinforces the imagined concept and helps it stick in your memory.

The phenomenon of boosting memory by producing something tangible has been well studied. Previous research has found that when people are asked to write, draw or act out a word that they’re reading, they have to focus more on what they’re doing with the received information. Transferring verbal information to a different form, such as a written format, also involves activating motor programs in the brain to create a specific sequence of hand motions, explains Yadurshana Sivashankar , a cognitive neuroscience graduate student at the University of Waterloo in Ontario who studies movement and memory. But handwriting requires more of the brain’s motor programs than typing. “When you’re writing the word ‘the,’ the actual movements of the hand relate to the structures of the word to some extent,” says Sivashankar, who was not involved in the new study.

For example, participants in a 2021 study by Sivashankar memorized a list of action verbs more accurately if they performed the corresponding action than if they performed an unrelated action or none at all. “Drawing information and enacting information is helpful because you have to think about information and you have to produce something that’s meaningful,” she says. And by transforming the information, you pave and deepen these interconnections across the brain’s vast neural networks, making it “much easier to access that information.”

The Importance of Handwriting Lessons for Kids

Across many contexts, studies have shown that kids appear to learn better when they’re asked to produce letters or other visual items using their fingers and hands in a coordinated way—one that can’t be replicated by clicking a mouse or tapping buttons on a screen or keyboard. Vinci-Booher’s research has also found that the action of handwriting appears to engage different brain regions at different levels than other standard learning experiences, such as reading or observing. Her work has also shown that handwriting improves letter recognition in preschool children, and the effects of learning through writing “last longer than other learning experiences that might engage attention at a similar level,” Vinci-Booher says. Additionally, she thinks it’s possible that engaging the motor system is how children learn how to break “ mirror invariance ” (registering mirror images as identical) and begin to decipher things such as the difference between the lowercase b and p.

Vinci-Booher says the new study opens up bigger questions about the way we learn, such as how brain region connections change over time and when these connections are most important in learning. She and other experts say, however, that the new findings don’t mean technology is a disadvantage in the classroom. Laptops, smartphones and other such devices can be more efficient for writing essays or conducting research and can offer more equitable access to educational resources. Problems occur when people rely on technology too much , Sivashankar says. People are increasingly delegating thought processes to digital devices, an act called “ cognitive offloading ”—using smartphones to remember tasks, taking a photo instead of memorizing information or depending on a GPS to navigate. “It’s helpful, but we think the constant offloading means it’s less work for the brain,” Sivashankar says. “If we’re not actively using these areas, then they are going to deteriorate over time, whether it’s memory or motor skills.”

Van der Meer says some officials in Norway are inching toward implementing completely digital schools . She claims first grade teachers there have told her their incoming students barely know how to hold a pencil now—which suggests they weren’t coloring pictures or assembling puzzles in nursery school. Van der Meer says they’re missing out on opportunities that can help stimulate their growing brains.

“I think there’s a very strong case for engaging children in drawing and handwriting activities, especially in preschool and kindergarten when they’re first learning about letters,” Vinci-Booher says. “There’s something about engaging the fine motor system and production activities that really impacts learning.”

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  1. PDF Formatting Guide for Clinical Research Letters

    1 figure or table maximum Non-declarative title that includes the words 'research letter' Structured abstract using headings below, no more than 4096 characters including spaces (about 650 words) Structured manuscript using headings below Ethical considerations (see end of document) Overview

  2. How to Compose Your Research Findings in a Letter Format

    Materials, Mechanistic analysis. A CS Energy Letters publishes papers primarily in a Letter format─brief reports (2,500-3,000 words and 3-5 figure panels) of original research. The Letter format is designed to highlight research findings that have particular urgency and impact; the findings will influence how researchers think about, work ...

  3. How to write an editorial letter?

    Letters to the editor are usually a type of short communication that can be written on any topic that attracts the attention of the readers. Although articles are stringently vetted before publication in a journal, some issues can still go unnoticed. In this situation, readers can offer their interpretations by writing a letter to the editor.

  4. PDF Formatting Guide for Basic Research Letters

    Title Page The title page should: Present a title that includes the words 'research letter' e.g.: "The effects of A on B in Z: research letter", "X, a new mechanism for Q in R: research letter" Because the scientific process is rarely unequivocal, we do not favor declarative titles (e.g. "A promotes B in Z: research letter").

  5. Writing a Letter of Intent

    An introduction of why you are making this proposal. This could be a problem you have identified, a research opportunity you want to explore, a project you'd like to lead, an educational program you'd like to join, or a job opportunity you'd like to fill. What you are proposing to do. Think of this as a project statement or summary.

  6. Research Letters

    Research Letters Criteria The word count for Research Letters is up to approximately 3,000 to 5,000 words. It includes figures, which are counted as 200 to 500 words each, depending on the size. Preparing your manuscript Title page The title page should: present a title that includes, if appropriate, the research design

  7. How to write a Letter to the Editor

    Write. Within the opening paragraph, a salutation to the LTE is optional but may erode into the limited word count. Avoid starting with the antiquated 'Dear Sir', and if necessary, use 'Dear Editor'. Introduce the issues raised or the purpose of the LTE early on. Clearly mention the paper in question and provide a citation to the ...

  8. How to write a cover letter for journal submission

    Complete language check Extensive revisions. Get a quote What should my cover letter include? Before you start to write, please check the instructions for authors (IFAs) of your chosen journal, as not all journals will require one. You should also check the IFAs for any journal specific information on what to include.

  9. How To Write a Cover Letter for a Research Paper (Plus Example)

    How to write a cover letter for a research paper Here are nine steps to help you compose a cover letter when submitting your research paper to a professional journal: 1. Set up the formatting Set up your word processor to format your cover letter correctly. Formatting standards for research paper cover letters usually include:

  10. Cover letters

    Then, write a letter that explains why the editor would want to publish your manuscript. The following structure covers all the necessary points that need to be included. If known, address the editor who will be assessing your manuscript by their name. Include the date of submission and the journal you are submitting to.

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    The journal cover letter writing process. Start your letter with a paragraph that includes the title of the manuscript and the names of the authors. It's not uncommon to have multiple authors on a paper. In cases where six or more authors are credited, consider writing " [lead author's last name] and coauthors (listed below)" to make the ...

  12. How to Write a Great Research Assistant Cover Letter (Sample Included

    Part 1: Introduction Becoming a strong candidate for medical school is no easy task. A high GPA and strong MCAT scores just aren't enough to guarantee your acceptance over other highly qualified applicants. So, you've decided to gain research experience to strengthen the Work and Activities section of your application—smart choice.

  13. How to Write a Good Cover Letter for a Research Position

    While writing a cover letter for a research position, you have to walk a fine line of proving your expertise and passion while limiting jargon and dense language. In this post, we will explain cover letter writing basics, and then dive into how to write a research specific cover letter with examples of both good and bad practices.

  14. How to Write a Research Manuscript without Overlooking Key Elements

    Writing publishable research manuscripts does not come naturally to most scientific researchers, even those with a great deal of experience. However, because publication is so important to the success of research studies, and thus researchers, writing is often a skill that needs to be strengthened. ... How to Write a Cover Letter for Journal ...

  15. PDF Here's an example of an excellent cover letter for an undergraduate

    Good Cover Letter Examples. In assistant. this example, Sydney is replying to the following job posting for a research. "Dr. Carton's research focuses on how neural circuitry affects perception, cognition, and behavior, which plays an important role in understanding the mechanistic basis of neurological disorders.

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    Research Assistant Cover Letter Sample #1. Dear Dr. Smith, With this letter and enclosed CV, I would like to express my strong interest in the Research Assistant position you have available in the X department. I am a recent master's graduate with experience in facilitating successful clinical trials.

  17. Research Interest Statement Samples That Worked

    A good research interest statement sample can be hard to find. Still, it can also be a beneficial tool for writing one and preparing for a grad school application or post-graduate position. Your research interest statement is one of the key components of your application to get into grad school.In a few cases, admissions committees have used it instead of an interview, so it is important to ...

  18. How to Write a Researcher Cover Letter (Plus Example)

    1. Introduce yourself Start your cover letter by introducing yourself with your full name and contact information. You can also add your website if you have one. It's important to include your contact information so that the employer can easily get in touch with you. 2. Add professional greetings

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    December 29, 2023 Key takeaways A cover letter can be the most important element in a job application. Ensuring your profile stands out to recruiters is crucial to your professional success. A well-tailored cover letter should provide relevant information clearly and concisely.

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    1. Research the organization, researcher and project When writing a cover letter, it's important to make it specific to the position you're seeking. If you're applying for a role as a research assistant, try to mention the project or assignment you expect to work on specifically.

  21. How to Write a Research Assistant Cover Letter (With Template)

    December 29, 2023 Key takeaways A cover letter can be the most important element in a job application. Ensuring your profile stands out to recruiters is crucial to your professional success. A well-tailored cover letter should provide relevant information clearly and concisely.

  22. How To Write a User Research Cover Letter (With Example)

    How to write a user research cover letter. You can follow this step-by-step guide to write a cover letter for a user research position: 1. Start with your information. Your cover letter starts with your basic contact information at the top. Details to include are your name, phone number and email address. You can also include your home address ...

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    2. Open with your name and contact details. At the top of your letter, add your full name and your contact details. If you have a degree or a professional certification, you can add a reference to this after your name if you wish. Include your phone number and email address or any other preferred contact methods.

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    Before you start writing your cover letter, you need to do some research on the physician and the organization you are applying to. Find out what their specialty, mission, values, and goals are ...

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    After your personal information, include the date you are writing the cover letter and the company's name. Related: 7 Powerful Ways To Start A Cover Letter (With Examples) 2. Include a professional salutation. After your contact information, start your letter by including a professional greeting. Also, use the hiring manager's name.

  26. Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

    But a steady stream of research continues to suggest that taking notes the traditional way—with pen and paper or even stylus and tablet—is still the best way to learn, especially for young ...

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