Cover Letter

Manuscript submissions to Cadernos de Linguística (Cad_Lin) must include a Cover Letter addressed to the editorial team.

The cover letter serves the purpose of editorial contextualization of the submission. Its objective is to present, in a brief and objective manner, information that assists the editorial team in the initial screening, especially regarding the origin of the research, the manuscript’s contribution to the field, the integrity of the submission, and its alignment with the Open Science practices adopted by the journal.

The letter must be concise. A maximum of 1 (one) page is recommended. In justified situations (for example, ethical or legal restrictions on data sharing), it may be up to 2 (two) pages.

What the cover letter should address

The letter should be structured around the following points.

1. Submission identification

At the beginning, the cover letter must provide:

• the manuscript title;
• the submission category/type of contribution;
• the name of the corresponding author.

2. Fit with Cad_Lin’s scope and contribution to the field

The letter must explain, objectively:

• the central problem or question addressed by the manuscript;
• the gap addressed by the manuscript;
• the contribution offered by the manuscript (for example: theoretical, methodological, empirical, documentary, analytical, or applied);
• why the submission is appropriate for Cad_Lin’s editorial scope.

Avoid generic formulations. The editorial team expects a specific justification of the manuscript’s place in the field’s ongoing discussion.

3. Contextualization of the origin of the research

The cover letter must indicate the origin of the research, when applicable, stating whether the manuscript:

• derives from a master’s dissertation or a doctoral thesis;
• is part of a broader research project (individual or collective);
• results from research funded by a funding agency;
• expands or develops work previously presented at a scientific event;
• is related to a technical report, book chapter, or other prior versions.

This contextualization helps the editorial team situate the submission and correctly interpret possible similarities with materials already deposited in repositories, conference proceedings, or institutional databases.

4. Originality and integrity of the submission

The cover letter must include a statement that:

• the manuscript is original;
• the submission is not under simultaneous review by another journal;
• the manuscript presents its own contribution and a clear delimitation in relation to other outputs from the same research or project, when applicable.

If there are related works (for example: thesis, dissertation, preprint, prior article, chapter, or another manuscript from the same project), the letter must provide an objective summary of:

• the relationship among the texts;
• the difference in scope;
• the specific contribution of the manuscript submitted to Cad_Lin.

When the manuscript uses data drawn from a larger dataset, a broad corpus, or a project with previous publications, authors are encouraged to state this in the cover letter, with a brief description of the adopted delimitation, in order to avoid doubts about improper overlap of results.

5. Alignment with Open Science

The cover letter must indicate that the submission is aligned with the Open Science practices adopted by Cad_Lin and provide an editorial summary of this alignment.

6. Reproducibility

The cover letter must state, in summary:

• whether the study allows reproducibility (and to what extent);
• whether a minimum package has been made available for this purpose;

6.1 Ethical or legal restrictions

When full sharing of data or materials is not possible, the cover letter must:

• objectively justify the restriction;
• indicate what has been made available;
• inform, when possible, the procedure for requesting access.

6.2 Manuscripts without original empirical analysis

In theoretical manuscripts, essays, reviews, or similar texts, the cover letter must indicate, when applicable:

• that there is no original analytical dataset requiring a data package;
• whether complementary materials have been made available to support the verifiability of the analytical pathway (for example: selection protocol, bibliographic corpus spreadsheet, or analytical protocol).

Recommended structure for the cover letter

1. Submission identification and scope fit (title, category, corresponding author, summary of fit with Cad_Lin).
2. Contribution to the field (problem, gap, manuscript contribution).
3. Origin of the research and contextualization (project, dissertation/thesis, funding, prior versions).
4. Originality and integrity of the submission (statement of originality, absence of simultaneous submission, contextualization of related works, when applicable).
5. Open Science and reproducibility (summary of alignment, preprint, minimum package, justified restrictions, when applicable).
6. Closing statement (final statement by the corresponding author, on behalf of the coauthors, when applicable).

Editorial use of the cover letter

The cover letter will be considered during the initial editorial screening, especially for:

• contextualization of the submission;
• preliminary verification of originality and transparency regarding related texts;
• preliminary assessment of fit with the journal’s scope;
• preliminary verification of alignment with Open Science practices;
• preliminary verification of reproducibility/replicability conditions, when applicable.