03 · What You Need to Know
How Presubmission Inquiries Work and Where AI Can Help
What Is a Journal Presubmission Inquiry?
A presubmission inquiry, sometimes called a presubmission enquiry, is a preliminary communication asking a journal whether a proposed manuscript may be suitable for editorial consideration.
It usually occurs before the author formally submits the complete manuscript.
The inquiry may contain the proposed title, an abstract or summary, an explanation of the study's significance, and a brief account of its relevance to the journal. Some journals request additional information, particularly for reviews, perspectives, or other commissioned article types.
The purpose is to obtain an initial indication of editorial interest. It is not equivalent to formal peer review or a complete evaluation of the research.
For example, Nature Computational Science explains in its editorial guidance that presubmission inquiries can help authors assess whether their work is suitable for the journal. Its editors encourage concise scientific arguments rather than exaggerated claims or endorsements from other researchers.
Do All Academic Journals Accept Presubmission Inquiries?
No. Presubmission inquiry procedures vary substantially between journals, including journals published by the same organization.
Some journals actively welcome inquiries. Others restrict them to particular manuscript categories, provide an online inquiry form, or do not offer the service.
For example, Nature provides an online presubmission inquiry service with instructions for different contribution types. By contrast, the published submission guidance for Nature Sustainability and Nature Geoscience states that those journals do not accept presubmission inquiries.
These differences illustrate why authors should not assume that a journal accepts inquiries merely because another journal from the same publisher does.
Watch Out
Before asking AI to draft an inquiry, check the target journal's current official website. Do not rely on an AI-generated email address, an assumed editorial contact, or a generic inquiry template when the journal requires a particular submission procedure.
When Is a Presubmission Inquiry Worth Sending?
A presubmission inquiry is most useful when there is a genuine uncertainty that the editor may be able to resolve before formal submission.
For instance, a researcher might have a manuscript that combines educational technology and computational linguistics. The journal publishes research in both areas, but the author is uncertain whether it considers studies focused primarily on educational practice.
An inquiry could help clarify whether the manuscript's focus is potentially appropriate.
Other situations may involve unusual article formats, interdisciplinary studies, or proposals for reviews and perspectives that require editorial approval before submission.
However, an inquiry may offer little additional value when the journal's scope clearly accommodates the study and the manuscript is ready for formal submission.
A 2026 editorial in Nature Biomedical Engineering explains that presubmission inquiries are particularly useful for clarifying editorial scope and potential interest. It also distinguishes these inquiries from broader discussions with editors about research still in development.
What Information Should a Presubmission Inquiry Contain?
The required information depends on the journal's instructions. A useful inquiry should allow an editor to understand the proposed work without having to reconstruct the research from vague descriptions.
| Information |
Purpose |
What to Verify |
| Manuscript title |
Identifies the proposed work |
Exact or clearly identified provisional title |
| Research problem |
Explains the question addressed |
Consistency with the actual study |
| Study design |
Provides methodological context |
Accurate description of methods and research status |
| Main findings |
Shows what the study contributes |
Results supported by completed analyses |
| Contribution |
Explains the scientific relevance |
Defensible claims about novelty and significance |
| Journal relevance |
Connects the work with editorial scope |
Current aims, scope, and article types |
| Specific question |
Clarifies the decision requested from the editor |
Whether the question is appropriate for an inquiry |
| Required attachments |
Provides supporting information |
Official requirements for abstracts, summaries, references, or other materials |
The inquiry should not become a miniature manuscript unless the journal specifically requests extensive supporting material. Its purpose is to help the editor make a preliminary decision efficiently.
How Can Generative AI Improve the Inquiry?
AI can organize verified research information into a coherent message, reduce unnecessary background discussion, and improve the clarity of the author's central question.
It may be particularly helpful when the researcher has difficulty explaining the significance of an interdisciplinary study to an editor outside the immediate specialty.
For example, an author might provide a detailed technical description of a machine-learning method used in educational research. AI could suggest a shorter explanation that identifies the educational problem, the methodological contribution, and the reason the journal's readership might be interested.
The author must verify that the simplified explanation preserves the scientific meaning. A more accessible description should not become a stronger claim than the evidence permits.
Why AI Should Not Decide the Manuscript's Novelty
Presubmission inquiries often require authors to explain what distinguishes their work from existing studies. This is an area where generative AI may produce confident but poorly supported assertions.
An AI-generated inquiry might claim that a manuscript is the first investigation of a particular phenomenon, even when similar research already exists.
Such statements should be grounded in an appropriate literature assessment. AI can help refine the wording of a verified contribution, but it cannot establish novelty merely by generating persuasive language.
Likewise, assessing alignment with the journal's scope requires current official information rather than an assumed description of the journal's interests.
Should You Send an Email or Use the Journal's Submission System?
Follow the journal's specified procedure.
Some journals accept inquiries by email. Others require an online form or a dedicated presubmission workflow within their manuscript-management system.
For example, Nature provides specific online procedures for presubmission inquiries, while Nature Computational Science has indicated a preference for receiving them through its manuscript system rather than ordinary email.
An AI-generated email should not be sent automatically when the journal requires submission through another channel.
Researchers should also verify the identity of any editorial contact. AI-generated names, titles, and email addresses should not be treated as authoritative.
What Does a Positive Response From the Editor Actually Mean?
A positive response generally indicates that the editor sees sufficient potential relevance to encourage formal submission or further consideration.
It does not ordinarily mean the manuscript has passed peer review or will be accepted.
At the presubmission stage, the editor may have seen only an abstract, a short explanation of the findings, or a proposed article outline. The complete manuscript may reveal methodological limitations, insufficient evidence, or other concerns that were not apparent in the inquiry.
The distinction is explicit in guidance from Nature and Nature Computational Science, which caution that an encouraging response does not guarantee subsequent peer review.
Authors should therefore avoid describing an invitation to submit as an acceptance, endorsement, or confirmation that the study meets the journal's scientific standards.
Can You Use AI to Draft an Inquiry for an Unfinished Study?
That depends on the journal and the purpose of the inquiry.
Some inquiries concern completed manuscripts, while certain journals may consider proposals for review articles, perspectives, or other contribution types before the full work is written.
If the research is unfinished, the inquiry must clearly distinguish completed findings from anticipated results. AI should not turn research objectives into established conclusions.
For an incomplete empirical study, it may be more appropriate to seek guidance through the journal's designated editorial contact, where such communication is permitted, rather than present a speculative manuscript as submission-ready.
What Confidentiality and AI Disclosure Issues Should You Consider?
A presubmission inquiry may contain unpublished findings, methodological details, or commercially sensitive research ideas. Authors should consider whether those materials may legitimately be entered into an external AI service.
Where possible, provide only the information necessary to draft the inquiry. Institutional requirements, intellectual-property arrangements, and the AI provider's data-handling terms may affect what can be shared.
AI-use disclosure policies also vary. Elsevier's updated generative AI policies, for example, distinguish basic language corrections from substantive AI assistance in manuscript preparation. Whether a particular policy applies to presubmission correspondence should be checked rather than assumed.
When disclosure is required, authors should describe the assistance accurately and follow the journal's instructions.
04 · A Practical Example
Drafting a Presubmission Inquiry for an Interdisciplinary Research Manuscript
Hypothetical Example
Asking Whether an Educational Technology Study Fits an Interdisciplinary Journal
A researcher has completed a mixed-methods study examining how university instructors evaluate the reliability of generative AI feedback in student assessment.
The researcher is considering an interdisciplinary journal that publishes work on digital technologies and human decision-making. Although the journal has published studies involving AI, the researcher is uncertain whether the educational setting is sufficiently relevant to its readership.
The journal's official instructions confirm that presubmission inquiries are accepted.
Step 1: Identify the actual uncertainty
The researcher wants to know whether the journal would consider an empirical study focused on instructors' evaluation of AI-generated assessment feedback. The question concerns editorial scope, not a request for guaranteed acceptance.
Step 2: Prepare a verified research summary
The researcher provides the manuscript title, research objectives, completed methods, principal findings, and a concise explanation of the contribution. The journal's current aims and scope are also supplied.
Step 3: Ask AI to draft the inquiry
The researcher instructs AI to produce a brief, professional message that explains the study and asks whether the manuscript falls within the journal's editorial interests. The prompt prohibits invented findings, exaggerated novelty claims, and unsupported statements about the journal.
Step 4: Verify the draft
The researcher checks every factual statement, removes unnecessary promotional language, and confirms that the inquiry follows the journal's prescribed format.
Step 5: Submit through the approved channel
The researcher sends the inquiry through the journal's designated system and waits for an editorial response before deciding whether formal submission is worthwhile.
What Could the Inquiry Look Like?
Illustrative Presubmission Inquiry
Subject: Presubmission Inquiry: [Manuscript Title]
Dear Editor,
I am writing to inquire whether our manuscript, "[Manuscript Title]," might be suitable for consideration in [Journal Name].
The study examines how university instructors evaluate the reliability of generative AI feedback in student assessment. Using a mixed-methods design, we investigate the considerations that influence instructors' decisions to accept, question, or reject AI-generated suggestions.
Our findings contribute to understanding human judgment in AI-supported assessment, particularly the conditions under which instructors consider automated feedback sufficiently reliable for educational use.
Given the journal's interest in [verified area of editorial scope], we would appreciate your preliminary assessment of whether this manuscript may be appropriate for formal submission.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Corresponding Author]
This example assumes that the journal permits email inquiries. If it requires an online presubmission form, the same information should be adapted to the specified fields and supporting-document requirements.
The inquiry asks a limited and appropriate question. It does not request advance acceptance, claim that the journal has already endorsed the study, or suggest that the editor can determine scientific validity from a short summary.
06 · What This Means for You
Decide Whether an Inquiry Is Necessary Before Asking AI to Write One
The first decision is not how to phrase the inquiry. It is whether contacting the journal in advance would resolve a meaningful uncertainty.
If the manuscript clearly fits the journal's scope and is ready for submission, preparing a separate inquiry may add an unnecessary step. If the fit is genuinely uncertain and the journal offers an inquiry service, a carefully prepared message may help inform your submission decision.
A simple decision framework
If the journal explicitly accepts presubmission inquiries
Follow its required format and use AI to refine a verified summary of the proposed manuscript.
If the journal does not accept presubmission inquiries
Do not send an unsolicited inquiry as a substitute for the prescribed submission process.
If your manuscript clearly fits the journal's scope
Consider proceeding directly to formal submission unless there is another legitimate reason to contact the editor.
If your manuscript's relevance is genuinely uncertain
Explain the uncertainty directly and ask for a preliminary assessment without requesting a guarantee.
If the research is unfinished
Check whether the journal considers proposals or work in progress, and distinguish established results from anticipated findings.
A Reusable AI Prompt for a Presubmission Inquiry
Reusable Prompt
Draft a concise, professional presubmission inquiry to an academic journal using only the verified information I provide. Explain the manuscript's research problem, study design, principal contribution, and relevance to the journal's stated scope. Ask whether the manuscript may be suitable for formal submission. Do not invent findings, editorial policies, editor names, contact details, novelty claims, or publication guarantees. If essential information is missing, identify it rather than making assumptions. Follow the journal's supplied inquiry requirements.
Journal name: [Insert verified journal name]
Presubmission inquiry instructions: [Insert official requirements]
Manuscript title: [Insert title]
Research question and methods: [Insert verified details]
Principal findings or proposed contribution: [Insert accurate information]
Journal relevance: [Insert verified connection]
Specific question for the editor: [Insert question]
Once the draft is complete, verify the journal's current submission requirements and review the message for unsupported assertions. This forms part of verifying AI-assisted submission materials before they enter an editorial system.
If the inquiry produces an invitation to submit, the next step is to prepare the complete manuscript according to the journal's official instructions. An encouraging response should inform that decision, not be interpreted as a promise of publication.
