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anmath-cover-letter
GitHub用于起草提交至《Annals of Mathematics》的编辑信，简明阐述主要成果、重要性及范围契合度。指导如何披露前置工作或重叠内容，强调诚实具体、篇幅精简，协助作者通过编辑初审筛选。
触发场景
准备向 Annals of Mathematics 投稿的最终稿件包
需要撰写简短说明以传达研究重要性和期刊范围契合度的编辑信
存在需提前披露的前置工作、arXiv预印本或内容重叠
安装
npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill anmath-cover-letter -g -y
SKILL.md
Frontmatter
{
"name": "anmath-cover-letter",
"description": "Use when drafting the cover note to the editors for an Annals of Mathematics submission — concisely conveying the main result, its significance, scope fit, and any priority\/overlap disclosures. Frames the submission; does not write the paper. Verify whether a cover letter is requested on the official submission page."
}
Cover Letter to the Editors (anmath-cover-letter)
When to trigger
- The manuscript is final and you are preparing the submission package
- You need a short note conveying significance and scope fit to the editor
- There is prior work, an arXiv posting, or overlap that should be disclosed up front
First verify on the official submission page whether a cover letter is expected and in what form. Some math journals want a brief note; others collect the same information in the portal. Keep it short either way — the paper carries the weight.
What an Annals cover letter does
The editors triage on importance and fit. The letter's job is to let an editor see, in under a page, why this result clears the Annals bar and which area it belongs to — not to re-prove anything.
| Element | One to two sentences |
|---|---|
| Result | State the Main Theorem in plain terms (the precise version is in the paper) |
| Significance | Which recognized problem/program it advances and why it matters |
| Advance over prior work | What is new: removed hypothesis, settled conjecture, new method |
| Scope / area | The MSC area and why Annals is the right venue |
| Disclosures | arXiv id; related/overlapping work; priority context; computer-assisted parts |
| Logistics | Suggested area/handling editor if invited; any conflicts to declare |
Drafting guidance
- Lead with the result and its significance, in language an editor outside your subfield can parse. Save technical precision for the manuscript.
- Be honest and specific about the advance; do not inflate. Editors and referees will check, and overstatement damages credibility.
- Disclose proactively: an arXiv preprint, a companion paper, partial prior announcements, or a computer-assisted step. Surprises later read as concealment.
- Keep it to a page. No proof sketches, no exhaustive literature review — that is the introduction's job.
- Suggested referees and conflicts: only if the portal asks; keep it factual.
Editor signal hierarchy
Use the cover note to answer the editor's triage questions in order:
- What is the theorem? A plain-language version of the main result, not a slogan.
- Why is it important now? The conjecture, program, obstruction, or method barrier that the result moves.
- What exactly is new? Removed hypothesis, stronger range, new technique, unexpected bridge between areas, or settlement of a recognized problem.
- Why Annals rather than a specialist journal? The mathematical audience that reaches beyond the immediate subfield.
- What must be disclosed? arXiv history, companion papers, priority context, computational dependence, or conflicts.
If the letter cannot answer the first three without adjectives, the introduction likely needs one more pass before submission.
Checklist
- Confirmed whether a cover letter is requested (official page)
- Main result stated in plain terms in one to two sentences
- Significance tied to a recognized problem/program
- The specific advance over prior work is named, not inflated
- MSC area and rationale for Annals stated
- arXiv id and any related/overlapping work disclosed
- Computer-assisted components (if any) flagged
- Letter fits on a single page; no re-proving
Anti-patterns
- A page of hype with no precise sense of what is actually new
- Overstating significance beyond what the theorem supports
- Hiding an arXiv preprint or an overlapping companion paper
- Re-proving the theorem in the letter instead of pointing to the paper
- Generic boilerplate ("we believe this will interest your readers") with no content
- Failing to declare a known conflict or a computer-assisted dependency
Output format
【Cover letter requested?】yes / no (per official page)
【Result, plain terms】...
【Significance】advances problem/program: ...
【Advance over prior】...
【MSC area + why Annals】...
【Disclosures】arXiv: ...; related work: ...; computer-assisted: ...
【Length】≤ 1 page — confirmed
【Next step】anmath-submission
版本历史
- 1839142 当前 2026-07-05 12:22
