What to write in journal cover letter when research was conducted several years ago I am in the process of submitting a paper to a peer reviewed journal. The paper reports a study that was conducted 7 years ago. In the cover letter to editors that I have prepared, I point out that the topic remains timely, and I provide relevant references to illustrate this (which have also been used to update the paper). I feel that this information is sufficient at this time of initial submission, and that if the editors ask the reason for the delay in submitting the article, I can address it then. Any thoughts regarding this? Any suggestions for anything else to mention in the cover letter (aside from what normally goes in cover letters)?
Delays in publishing results are normal for several reasons. Seven years might be a long time, but as long as your results are still relevant and writing a new publication on them has not become obsolete, it is irrelevant when they were generated. So do not mention it in the cover letter at all.