Nature (magazine)

Nature (magazine)
ESO/M. Kornmesser (photo displayed on the magazine cover) · CC BY 4.0 · source
Title	Nature
Editor	Magdalena Skipper
Frequency	Weekly
Publisher	Springer Nature
Founded	1869
Country	United Kingdom
Based	London
Language	English

Nature (magazine) is a weekly international journal publishing peer-reviewed research across the natural sciences, founded in 1869. It is published by Springer Nature and is known for high-impact research articles, commentary, and news covering developments linking institutions such as the Royal Society, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University. Its pages have featured work connected to figures and entities like Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, and laboratories at Cavendish Laboratory, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Max Planck Society, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

History

Nature was established by Alfred Newton and colleagues during the Victorian expansion of scientific societies, contemporaneous with institutions such as the Royal Society and the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Early editors engaged debates involving personalities like Thomas Huxley and institutions including the British Museum, and the journal reported on events such as the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War and the scientific ramifications of the Industrial Revolution. Through the 20th century Nature carried seminal papers linked to discoveries by Erwin Schrödinger, Max Planck, and teams at Cavendish Laboratory; it navigated geopolitical contexts involving the World War I, World War II, and the Cold War while intersecting with funding sources like National Science Foundation-affiliated programs. Ownership and corporate structures evolved, culminating in the formation of Springer Nature following mergers involving Macmillan Publishers and Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, positioning the journal within global publishing arenas centered on hubs such as London, New York City, and Berlin.

Content and scope

Nature publishes primary research, news, analysis, and opinion pieces spanning biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, and interdisciplinary fields that touch institutions like Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and CERN. Its articles range from molecular studies referencing CRISPR work associated with groups including Broad Institute and University of California, Berkeley, to climate science linked to reports by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and expeditionary work connected to British Antarctic Survey. The journal’s scope includes contributions that interface with clinical research in hospitals such as Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital and technological advances from companies and labs like IBM Research and Bell Labs; it also highlights research connected to awards such as the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and Nobel Prize in Physics.

Editorial processes and peer review

Nature’s editorial workflow involves in-house editors based in offices associated with publishers like Springer Nature and external reviewers drawn from universities and research institutions such as Princeton University, University of Oxford, and California Institute of Technology. Manuscripts undergo initial triage by editors, followed by peer review by anonymous scientists affiliated with bodies like the Royal Society of London or national academies such as the National Academy of Sciences (United States). Decisions can involve editorial consultation with experts from centers including Salk Institute and John Innes Centre, and editorial standards are informed by publication ethics guidelines similar to those promulgated by organizations like the Committee on Publication Ethics. The journal also uses editorial formats—Letters, Articles, Reviews and News features—paralleling structures used by journals like Science (journal).

Influence and reception

Nature’s influence extends through citations indexed in services such as Web of Science and databases maintained by entities like PubMed Central and Scopus (abstract and citation database). Its published findings have informed policy discussions in forums like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and research agendas at funders including European Research Council and Wellcome Trust. Prominent scientists including Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Francis Crick, and Tim Berners-Lee have been associated with research or commentary in outlets of similar stature; Nature’s reception in academia and industry mirrors that of peer publications like Cell (journal) and The Lancet. The journal’s editorial choices influence hiring and grant decisions at universities such as Yale University and University of Chicago and shape public understanding through coverage in media organizations like the BBC and The New York Times.

Controversies and retractions

Nature has faced disputes over reproducibility highlighted alongside debates involving authors from institutions such as Riken and controversies paralleling high-profile cases in journals tied to figures like Hwang Woo-suk. The journal has issued retractions and corrections relating to papers with methodological flaws uncovered by researchers at universities including University of Tokyo and Columbia University. Editorial controversies have involved debates over open access policies promoted by funders like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and institutions advocating for plan models similar to Plan S, and legal disputes intersecting with corporate entities such as Elsevier and publishing industry negotiations in Europe.

Notable articles and special issues

Nature’s pages have carried landmark reports including early publications related to genetics contemporaneous with work by Gregor Mendel (historically contextualized), structure studies connected to Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, and physics breakthroughs associated with Ernest Rutherford and Niels Bohr. Special issues and supplements have focused on topics tied to global initiatives and institutions: climate science reports connected to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, genomic-era special issues aligning with projects like the Human Genome Project, and technology features intersecting with developments at NASA and European Space Agency. The journal has also published perspective pieces by laureates such as Marie Curie and Paul Dirac and special collections edited in collaboration with research centers including Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Category:Scientific journals Category:Publications established in 1869