Q: Should I mention my submission history in the cover letter to resubmit my paper as new submission?
I made a manuscript submission to a journal, and it was accepted after minor revision. However, the defined term was expired because the process was not forwarded due to an incomplete documentation. Now the necessary documents are ready, I am going to submit the same manuscript to the same journal as a new submission. Then I intend to mention the above circumstance in the cover letter; that my manuscript was accepted once by the journal but it was expired. Is such behavior impolite? If I can mention it, which message is adequate?
We understand that you were close to acceptance in the previous submission but could not meet the journal resubmission deadline. You can explain the history of your previous submission to the journal editor in the cover letter you will be using to resubmit your manuscript as a new submission.
Although a cover letter typically includes a summary of the main findings and an explanation as to why your manuscript is suitable for publication, it can also be used to provide previous background of your work to the editor. Cover letters also mention if the work was previously presented at a conference or as a poster. Hence, you can clearly explain this previous submission history in your cover letter. Do mention the maniuscript ID and the date of your previous submission.
This will not be considered impolite behaviour but rather will provide the journal editor with insights about the previous submission. Knowledge of the previous history may help expedite the peer review process and you may be able to gain acceptance within a shorter time.
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage