Nature Communications (journal)

Nature Communications (journal)
Title	Nature Communications
Discipline	Multidisciplinary science
Abbreviation	Nat. Commun.
Publisher	Nature Portfolio
Country	United Kingdom
History	2010–present
Frequency	Continuous
Impact	17.716
Impact-year	2023
Issn	2041-1723

Nature Communications (journal) is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary scientific journal published by Nature Portfolio, launched in 2010. The journal aims to publish high-quality research across the natural sciences including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth science, Materials science, and Engineering. It operates as an open-access venue intended to reach scholars associated with institutions such as the Max Planck Society, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University.

History

Established in 2010 by Nature Portfolio as a response to developments in scholarly communication, the journal followed precedents set by titles such as Nature Physics, Nature Chemistry, Nature Materials, Nature Medicine, and Nature Biotechnology. Its creation occurred during a period of reform influenced by initiatives involving the Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institutes of Health, and policy movements exemplified by the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities and the Budapest Open Access Initiative. Editorial leadership and policies evolved amid discussions involving stakeholders like COPE and governance models seen at publishers including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and Oxford University Press. High-profile launches and editorial commentary referenced conferences such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting and forums hosted by the Research Councils UK and Science Europe.

Scope and Content

The journal covers original research articles, reviews, brief communications, and commentaries spanning disciplines represented at research centers including the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, CERN, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Typical subject areas mirror work reported from institutions such as California Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, and Peking University in fields connected to projects like the Human Genome Project, Large Hadron Collider, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Square Kilometre Array, and Graphene Flagship. The journal frequently features studies partnering with funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation, European Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

Editorial Structure and Peer Review

Editorial oversight is managed by in-house editors drawn from editorial teams analogous to those at Nature, Scientific Reports, Cell Press, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and The Lancet. Editorial decisions follow peer-review practices overseen by bodies like the Committee on Publication Ethics and reflect standards promoted by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Peer reviewers are recruited from networks spanning universities and laboratories such as Columbia University, Yale University, University of Tokyo, Seoul National University, and University of Cape Town. The journal has experimented with transparent peer-review practices paralleling innovations at eLife and policy dialogues seen at the Royal Society and Frontiers Media. Appeals and corrections protocols align with norms advocated by organizations like CrossRef and ORCID, while editorial policies address issues similar to those confronted by outlets such as PLOS ONE and BMJ.

Publication Model and Open Access

Operating as a fully open-access journal, it charges article-processing charges (APCs) in a model comparable to publishers including PLOS, BMC, Frontiers, MDPI, and Taylor & Francis Online. The open-access policy aligns with mandates from funders such as the Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, and the National Institutes of Health. Licensing options commonly include Creative Commons schemes championed by entities like Creative Commons and policy frameworks discussed at meetings of the Lisbon Council and UNESCO. The journal’s continuous online publication system is consistent with platforms used by Wiley Online Library and SpringerLink, and it participates in archive and preservation initiatives involving Portico and the CLOCKSS Archive.

Impact and Reception

The journal’s citation metrics and influence are tracked by services including Clarivate Analytics (Web of Science), Scopus, Google Scholar, and Dimensions. It has been cited in major reviews and policy documents from organizations such as the World Health Organization, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme, European Commission science reports, and white papers by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Reception among academic communities has been compared to that of multidisciplinary journals like Science, Nature, PNAS, and Cell, eliciting commentary in outlets including The Scientist, Times Higher Education, Nature News, and Science Magazine.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in major bibliographic databases and services such as PubMed Central, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Service, ERIC, GeoRef, and Inspec. Its metadata participates in initiatives managed by CrossRef, ORCID, DataCite, and preservation services including Portico and CLOCKSS Archive.

Category:Academic journals