Journal Guide

Nature Physics publishes papers of the highest quality and significance in all areas of physics, pure and applied. The journal content reflects core physics disciplines, but is also open to a broad range of topics whose central theme falls within the bounds of physics. Theoretical physics, particularly where it is pertinent to experiment, also features.

Nature Physics is committed to publishing top-tier original research in physics through a fair and rigorous review process. It offers readers and authors high visibility, access to a broad readership, high standards of copy editing and production, rapid publication, and independence from academic societies and other vested interests.

The journal features one paper format for primary research: the Article. (Please see this recent editorial for an explanation of why.) In addition to publishing primary research, Nature Physics serves as a central source for top-quality information for the physics community through Review Articles, News & Views, Research Highlights on important developments published throughout the physics literature, Commentaries, Book Reviews, and Correspondence.

Nature Protocols is an online journal of laboratory protocols for bench researchers. Protocols are presented in a 'recipe' style providing step-by-step descriptions of procedures which users can take to the lab and immediately apply in their own research. Protocols on the site are fully searchable and organized into logical categories to be easily accessible to researchers.The content, the Nature Protocols, are high quality, peer-reviewed procedures commissioned by the Nature Protocols editorial team. These protocols must have proven themselves in the laboratory, having been used to acquire data reported in published research papers.Nature Protocols aims to publish the protocols being used to answer outstanding biological and biomedical science research questions, including methods grounded in physics and chemistry that have a practical application to the study of biological problems. Further details of our scope can be found here.Brief details of how to submit can be found at for authors.Nature Protocols is associated with the Protocol Exchange which is an open resource through which researchers can share and discuss their Protocols. Protocols within Protocol Exchange come from both academic and commercial lab groups. They are not styled, peer reviewed or copy edited, but shared live soon after uploading.Together Nature Protocols and Protocol Exchange form an invaluable interactive resource for the active experimentalist.

The ultimate aim of cancer research is to eliminate this common and devastating disease from the human population. To develop more effective prevention methods we need to understand what triggers carcinogenesis. To diagnose precancerous lesions and early-stage cancers quickly and accurately we need to detect the earliest molecular changes leading to each type of cancer. To determine a patient's prognosis we need to appreciate which molecular changes affect tumour growth rate and invasiveness. And to tailor therapies to individual tumours we need to understand the fundamental differences, not only between a cancer cell and a 'normal' cell, but also between one cancer cell and another. All of these goals depend on a combination of basic and applied research. Nature Reviews Cancer will be a gateway from which cancer researchers — from those investigating the molecular basis of cancer to those involved in translational research — access the information that they need to further the ability to diagnose, treat and ultimately prevent cancer.Subjects covered * Genomic instability: chromosomal and microsatellite instabilities; defects in DNA repair pathways. * Growth factor signalling to cell cycle progression: proto-oncogenes and their dysregulation. * Growth inhibitory signals: dysregulation of quiescence and differentiation, tumour suppressors and their inactivation. * Cellular immortality and telomere maintenance. * Cell death: evading apoptosis, including avoidance of immune surveillance systems. * Angiogenesis: sustaining tumour growth by building a vascular system. * Metastasis: moving to and surviving in new environments. * Carcinogenesis and cancer prevention: epidemiology, genetic and environmental triggers, gene–environment interactions and strategies for reducing risk. * Cancer diagnosis and prognosis: molecular markers; diagnostic imaging; defining tumour margins; detecting minimal residual disease. * New approaches to cancer therapy: rational drug design, gene therapy, immunotherapy, combination therapies, combating drug resistance and targeting therapies to the individual. * Experimental systems and techniques: cell culture and animal models, genomic and proteomic approaches to studying cancer. * Cancer-associated disease: cancer pain, cachexia, symptoms associated with treatment (hair loss, anaemia, gastrointestinal disease), psychosocial aspects of cancer. * Ethical, legal and social issues surrounding cancer research: trial design, genetic screening, public and professional education, research policy and advocacy. * Conventional approaches to cancer diagnosis and treatment: how do they perform, what are their drawbacks and how might they be improved in the future?.

Nature Reviews' clinical content is written by internationally renowned clinical academics and researchers and targeted towards readers in the medical sciences, from postgraduate level upwards. While intended to be read by practicing doctors, researchers and academics within a specialty, we aim to make all our articles accessible to readers working in any medical discipline.In-depth Reviews present authoritative, up-to-date information on a topic, placing it in the context of a field's history and development. Topical discussion and opinions are proffered in Perspectives and News & Views articles, and in the Research Highlights section we filter primary research from a range of specialty and general medical journals.Subjects covered * Acute coronary syndromes * Arrhythmias * Angina and coronary artery disease * Cardiomyopathy and heart failure * Concomitant disease * Congenital disease * Intervention (devices, reperfusion, revascularization, surgery and transplantation) * Disease markers * Genetics * Hypertension * Imaging and other investigations * Infection * Pathology * Public health * Stroke * Therapy (pharmacotherapy, dietary, exercise) * Thrombosis * Valvular disease * Vascular disease (including aneurysm, atherosclerosis, peripheral vessels, Raynaud).

Nature Reviews' clinical content is written by internationally renowned clinical academics and researchers and targeted towards readers in the medical sciences, from postgraduate level upwards. While intended to be read by practicing doctors, researchers and academics within a specialty, we aim to make all our articles accessible to readers working in any medical discipline.In-depth Reviews present authoritative, up-to-date information on a topic, placing it in the context of a field's history and development. Topical discussion and opinions are proffered in Perspectives and News & Views articles, and in the Research Highlights section we filter primary research from a range of specialty and general medical journals. Finally, Case Studies enable authors to present novel and interesting cases and discuss the most useful features to bear in mind for treating future cases.

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery is a monthly journal aimed at everyone working in the drug discovery and development arena. In addition to the highest-quality reviews and perspectives covering the entire field, each issue includes news stories that investigate the hottest topics in drug discovery, timely summaries of key primary research papers, and concise updates on the latest advances in fast-moving areas such as new drug approvals, patent law and emerging industry trends.Subjects covered * Target discovery * Rational drug design * Combinatorial and parallel synthesis * Medicinal chemistry * Key compound classes * Natural products * High-throughput screening * Novel therapeutic approaches to disease states * Microarrays * Bioinformatics and chemoinformatics * Absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME) * Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics * Pharmacology * Toxicology * Pharmacogenomics and toxicogenomics * Drug delivery * Biopharmaceuticals * Biotechnology * Vaccines * Clinical trial evaluation * Regulatory issues * Pharmacoeconomics.

Our Reviews aim to be balanced and objective analyses of the selected topic – with descriptions of relevant scientific literature and discussions that are easy to grasp for recent graduates in any discipline related to electrical and electronic engineering, as well as informing principal investigators and industry-based research scientists of the latest advances. Reviews should provide the authors' insight into future directions and their opinion of the major challenges faced by researchers in the field.

Nature Reviews' clinical content is written by internationally renowned clinical academics and researchers and targeted towards readers in the medical sciences, from postgraduate level upwards. While intended to be read by practicing doctors, researchers and academics within a specialty, we aim to make all our articles accessible to readers working in any medical discipline.In-depth Reviews present authoritative, up-to-date information on a topic, placing it in the context of a field's history and development. Topical discussion and opinions are proffered in Perspectives and News & Views articles, and in the Research Highlights section we filter primary research from a range of specialty and general medical journals. Finally, Case Studies enable authors to present novel and interesting cases and discuss the most useful features to bear in mind for treating future cases.

The ultimate aim of cancer research is to eliminate this common and devastating disease from the human population. To develop more effective prevention methods we need to understand what triggers carcinogenesis. To diagnose precancerous lesions and early-stage cancers quickly and accurately we need to detect the earliest molecular changes leading to each type of cancer. To determine a patient's prognosis we need to appreciate which molecular changes affect tumour growth rate and invasiveness. And to tailor therapies to individual tumours we need to understand the fundamental differences, not only between a cancer cell and a 'normal' cell, but also between one cancer cell and another. All of these goals depend on a combination of basic and applied research. Nature Reviews Cancer will be a gateway from which cancer researchers — from those investigating the molecular basis of cancer to those involved in translational research — access the information that they need to further the ability to diagnose, treat and ultimately prevent cancer.

To an extent, all life scientists are geneticists because genetic technology and the accumulation of genomic information have enriched all of biology. You may or may not call yourself a geneticist, but if you work on or with genes you need to know about the latest developments. Nature Reviews Genetics covers the full scientific breadth of modern genetics, capturing its excitement, diversity and implications.Subjects covered * Genomics: genome sequencing, genome projects, bioinformatics, cancer genomics, metagenomics, pharmacogenomics, resources * Functional genomics: transcriptomics, functional genomics screens, bioinformatics * Evolutionary genetics: evo-devo, genome evolution, comparative genomics, population genetics, phylogenetics * Technology: new techniques, experimental strategies, therapy, applied genetics and genomics, computational biology * Gene expression: gene regulatory elements, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, regulatory RNAs, broad perspectives on gene regulation, gene expression profiling, gene regulatory networks * Multifactorial genetics: complex traits, mapping strategies, technology, genetic variation * Disease: disease gene identification, relationship between genotype and phenotype, molecular pathology of genetic disease, complex disease, disease susceptibility/resistance * Chromosome biology: DNA elements, telomeres, centromeres, mobile elements, chromosome stability, DNA damage, meiosis and mitosis, nuclear organization, artificial chromosomes * Epigenetics: DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin structure, imprinting, chromatin remodeling, epigenomics * Developmental biology: patterning, differentiation, stem cells, reproductive technology * Systems and networks: systems biology, biological networks, synthetic biology, modelling * Ethical, legal and social implications of genetics and genomics.

Immunology is a diverse and growing discipline that can be defined as the study of the tissues, cells and molecules involved in host defence mechanisms. Immunologists attempt to understand how the immune system develops, how the body defends itself against disease, and what happens when it all goes wrong. Nature Reviews Immunology will provide in-depth coverage of immunology, from fundamental mechanisms to applied aspects. In addition to review articles, it will highlight recent developments and exciting new primary papers, as well as reflecting on the people, papers and events that have influenced the development of immunology.Subjects covered * Allergy and asthma * Autoimmunity * Antigen processing and presentation * Apoptosis in the immune system * Chemokines and chemokine receptors * Cytokines and cytokine receptors * Development and function of cells of the immune system * Development and function of cells of the immune system * Haematopoiesis * Infection and immunity * Immunotherapy * Innate immunity * Mucosal immunology * Regulation of the immune response * Signalling in the immune system * Transplantation * Development and function of cells of the immune system * Tumour immunology * Vaccine development.

Nature Reviews Materials is an international monthly multi-disciplinary review journal, which aims to provide timely, authoritative Reviews and Perspectives that are of broad interest and of exceptional quality.

Materials science is a diverse and fast-growing discipline, which has moved from a largely engineering focus to a position where it has an increasing impact on other classical disciplines such as physics, chemistry and biology. Materials science encompasses both fundamental and applied studies. No other journal in materials science offers the scientific breadth and vast number of Reviews that Nature Reviews Materials provides.

The advent of new technologies and growing recognition of the enormous degree of microbial diversity has revolutionized our understanding of microbiology as a discipline. Microbiology is moving into a new era that focuses less on specific organisms and more on the processes and mechanisms that link them. Nature Reviews Microbiology embraces this new era by encompassing the discipline in its broadest sense. We take an integrated approach to microbiology, bridging fundamental research and its clinical, industrial and environmental applications to create a single information resource for all who share an interest in microbial life. Nature Reviews Microbiology publishes the highest-quality reviews and perspectives highlighting important developments in our understanding of bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi and protozoa, their interaction with their environments, how these organisms are harnessed in human endeavour and their impact on society. Also featured are timely summaries of significant research papers, as well as monthly updates on the latest developments in microbial genomics, post-genomic biology and infectious diseases. In line with our ongoing ambition to overcome the traditional barriers between bacteriology, virology, mycology and archaeal and protozoan biology, articles are tailored to appeal to microbiologists of every persuasion and at every level. The scope of the journal encompasses, but will not be limited to, the following fields pertaining to bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi and protozoa: * Biochemistry, physiology and molecular biology * Genetics and genomics * Ecology, evolution and biodiversity * Cellular microbiology * Environmental microbiology * Pathogenesis and host defence * Clinical and diagnostic microbiology * Infectious diseases * Antimicrobial therapies and vaccines * Epidemiology and public health microbiology * Applied and industrial microbiology * Microbiology education * Microbiology and society.