Use when drafting the cover letter (and optional presubmission inquiry) for a Cancer Cell (Cell Press) submission — framing significance, fit, novelty, and suggested/excluded reviewers. It writes the letter; it does not edit the manuscript itself.
SkillScore87Maintained
Automatic
◆Writing & Editing pack
Last verified 8/31/2026
What it changes
Passed 20 of 23 test cases with the skill, and 17 of 23 without it.
Without skill74%
With skill87%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
Includes the bracketed header 【Declarations】.
Includes the bracketed header 【Length / tone】.
Summarizes the central advance in 2 to 3 sentences.
and 5 more in the full report
5 fixed15 passed either way1 still failing2 broke
Pass-rate lift
+13 pp
Tokens
+36%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-6%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/31/2026v120 of 23 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 5 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 5
Prompt
When performing a second-pass cover letter evaluation for a manuscript on renal cell carcinoma HIF-2a inhibitor resistance, what exact columns must be included in the decision ledger table?
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
Includes claim, evidence, blocker, and next edit as decision ledger fields.
Missed
Passed
case-23 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/31/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md82 linessingle file
Cover Letter & Presubmission Inquiry (cc-cover-letter)
When to trigger
Preparing the cover letter for full submission
Considering a Cell Press presubmission inquiry to gauge fit
Need to suggest or exclude reviewers
Need to state exclusivity / prior-communication / preprint status
Presubmission inquiry (optional, fit-saving)
Cell Press allows a short editorial inquiry before full submission. Use it to test fit when uncertain:
1 short paragraph: the central finding and why it suits Cancer Cell.
Attach the abstract/Summary and a key figure or graphical abstract.
Ask directly whether the editors would welcome a full submission.
Cover-letter structure (full submission)
Opening — addressed to the editor; manuscript title and that it is submitted to Cancer Cell.
The advance in 2–3 sentences — the mechanism and the translational relevance, in plain language a broad cancer audience grasps.
Why Cancer Cell — fit with the journal's mechanism + translational scope and interest to its readership.
Evidence strength — note the orthogonal validation (cells + in vivo + human/patient data) that supports the claim.
Novelty vs. closest prior work — one sentence on what is new and why now.
Declarations — original, not under consideration elsewhere; preprint status; any prior editorial communication or transfer; related manuscripts in press.
Reviewer suggestions / exclusions — see below.
Close — corresponding author and contact.
Reviewers
Suggest several genuine experts (different institutions; no recent collaborators, co-authors, mentors/mentees, or same-institution colleagues — avoid conflicts).
Exclude direct competitors only with a brief, professional reason.
Keep suggestions current and reachable; do not pad with marginal names.
Calibrate the pitch
Match claims to evidence exactly as in the manuscript (no extra promises in the letter).
Lead with the discovery; do not bury it under background.
Keep it to roughly one page; respectful, specific, not promotional fluff.