Nature Physics

Nature Physics is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Nature Portfolio, which is part of Springer Nature. It was established in 2005 as a specialized journal focusing on all aspects of physics, publishing research, reviews, and commentary of the highest quality. The journal aims to bring together research from across the physics community, from fundamental concepts to applied research and emerging interdisciplinary fields.

History and background

The journal was launched in October 2005 by the Nature Publishing Group (now Nature Portfolio) as part of a series of disciplinary journals that included titles like Nature Materials and Nature Nanotechnology. Its creation was a strategic response to the growing specialization and volume of high-impact research within the broad field of physics, which was already covered by the flagship journal Nature. The founding Chief Editor was Alison Wright, who helped establish the journal's editorial scope and rigorous standards. Over the years, the editorial team has been based in the journal's offices in London, Berlin, and New York City, reflecting the international nature of its authorship and readership. The launch coincided with a period of significant activity in areas like condensed matter physics, quantum information science, and astrophysics, providing a dedicated platform for these communities.

Scope and content

The journal covers the full spectrum of physical sciences, publishing original research articles in both theoretical and experimental physics. Its core areas include condensed matter physics, quantum physics, particle physics, astrophysics, cosmology, statistical mechanics, and nonlinear dynamics. It also features interdisciplinary work at the boundaries with fields like biophysics, chemical physics, and materials science. Each issue typically contains Letters (short reports of novel research), Articles (more extensive studies), Reviews and Perspectives (summarizing progress in a particular field), and commentary pieces such as News & Views, which are often commissioned from leading scientists like Frank Wilczek or Lisa Randall. The journal is known for publishing groundbreaking studies on topics such as topological insulators, quantum entanglement, gravitational waves detected by collaborations like LIGO, and research related to major facilities like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

Abstracting and indexing

*Nature Physics* is abstracted and indexed in numerous major scientific databases. These services include the Science Citation Index Expanded, which is part of the Web of Science platform operated by Clarivate. It is also indexed in the Scopus database from Elsevier and in Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS). The journal receives an Impact Factor, a metric calculated annually by Clarivate in its Journal Citation Reports, which has consistently ranked it among the top journals in the multidisciplinary physics category. Its articles are also archived in digital repositories such as PubMed Central and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), in line with its hybrid open access publishing model.

Impact and reception

The journal has established itself as one of the most prestigious and selective publications in physics, with a reputation for publishing work of exceptional importance and novelty. Its high Impact Factor and Eigenfactor scores are frequently cited as indicators of its influence within the global research community. Papers published in the journal often receive significant attention in the scientific press and broader media, particularly for discoveries related to major projects like the Event Horizon Telescope or advances in quantum computing. The journal's content is regularly featured in news sections of other prominent publications like Science and Physics Today, and its published research has contributed to award-winning work, including studies recognized by the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Editorial policies and processes

The journal employs a rigorous peer-review process managed by a team of professional editors with academic backgrounds in physics. Manuscripts are typically sent for review to external experts in the relevant subfield, and editorial decisions are based on the criteria of technical soundness, novelty, and broad interest to the physics community. The journal adheres to the publishing policies of the Nature Portfolio, including policies on authorship, competing interests, and data availability. It offers both traditional subscription and open access publishing options, such as under the Creative Commons license. The editorial board includes leading scientists from institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Max Planck Society, and the University of Cambridge, who advise on journal scope and policy.