Pre-Submission Inquiry Guidance
Guidance on writing a pre-submission inquiry to a journal editor — when it is worth sending, what to include, and how to read the reply — so you learn whether a journal is interested before committing months to its review.
A question that can save you six months
A pre-submission inquiry is a short message to an editor asking whether a paper is likely to be of interest before you formally submit it. Many journals invite them — some high-profile ones require them — and a positive reply means the manuscript goes to review with an editor already engaged. A negative reply, received in days, saves you the months a desk rejection or a failed review would have cost.
The inquiry is not a cover letter and not an abstract. It has to convey the contribution and its fit with the journal in a few sentences an editor will read between other tasks, and it has to ask a question they can answer. Most inquiries fail by being too long, by summarising the paper rather than stating its significance, or by going to a journal that does not accept them.
We advise on whether an inquiry suits your target journal, review what you draft, and help you read the reply — editors are careful with encouragement, and knowing the difference between "we would be interested to see this" and "please submit through the portal" matters.
Authors targeting journals that invite pre-submission inquiries, particularly high-selectivity venues, and anyone weighing a submission that would tie a paper up for months if it fails.
Talk to a research consultant →Everything included, end to end
Whether the target journal invites, requires or discourages inquiries, and to whom it should go.
Your draft reviewed for length, significance framing, fit argument and the question asked.
A read of the editor’s response — what it signals, and what to do next.
A clear, transparent process
The journal, its inquiry policy and whether an inquiry is worth sending for this paper.
Written feedback on your inquiry draft.
Interpretation of the response and advice on the next step.
What researchers say about working with us
They handled everything from journal selection to final revisions. My paper was accepted in a Q1 journal — and I could see every step in the portal.
The pre-submission peer review caught issues two reviewers would have flagged. We were accepted on the first round with only minor revisions.
For my EB-1A petition I needed a strong publication record fast. The team mapped a realistic plan and delivered three indexed papers within the year.
Clear communication and zero surprises. The journal they recommended was a perfect fit for my topic.
Editing made my writing sound native without changing my meaning. Reviewers specifically praised the clarity.
The portal kept me sane — I always knew exactly where my manuscript stood. No chasing emails.
Common questions
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Policies vary and are usually stated in the author guidelines. Some high-selectivity journals require them; many welcome them; some ask authors not to send them. Check before you write — an inquiry to a journal that discourages them starts the relationship badly.
No. It means an editor is interested enough to send it to review. The review is independent, and papers invited after an inquiry are rejected regularly. What you have gained is an engaged editor and confidence that fit is not the problem.
Short — a few paragraphs at most. It should state what the paper shows, why that matters to this journal’s readers, and ask whether the editor would like to see it. Anything longer is an abstract, and editors will not read it.
No. The cover letter accompanies a formal submission. The inquiry precedes it and asks a question. If the reply is positive, the cover letter can then reference the correspondence.
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