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I have meta-info (about a paper I'm submitting) that could help reviewers but can't go into the paper itself. For example, it may preempt questions like Why didn't you address the cutting-edge topic X? (The journal wants "cutting-edge" and is hard-to-get-into.) I expect this meta-info might save review time or even prevent outright rejection by reviewers. It's all in my submission cover letter, which the journal intends for the editor only.

Would passing meta-info to anonymous reviewers be appropriate? If yes, what of the following could work?

  1. In the cover letter, stating "Please forward any parts of this letter to reviewers at your discretion".
  2. Attaching a separate note to future reviewers.
  3. Adding temporary footnotes to the paper itself.

A better option?

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While you can communicate it through the editor, with a suggestion to pass it on, a far better solution is to write the paper so that it isn't needed.

The reviewers aren't the only people (hopefully) that will read your paper and such metadata might be hard to communicate to them. In any case, it complicates an ordinary readers understanding unless you make the paper as clear as possible.

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