Nucleic Acids Research

Nucleic Acids Research
Title	Nucleic Acids Research
Discipline	Molecular biology
Editor	Tim Blumenthal
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Country	United Kingdom
Frequency	Biweekly (open access)
History	1974–present
Impact	19.160 (2023)

Nucleic Acids Research is a peer-reviewed scientific journal focusing on research related to deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid, their structures, functions, and technologies. Founded in the 1970s during rapid developments in molecular biology and biotechnology, the journal became notable for early dissemination of sequence databases, computational tools, and methodological advances. It operates as an open-access venue with a strong emphasis on databases and computational resources used across genomics, structural biology, and bioinformatics.

History

The journal was established in the milieu of molecular advances that included contributions from figures associated with Watson–Crick model, Max Perutz, Frederick Sanger, and institutions such as Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and National Institutes of Health. Early editorial leadership drew on networks connected to Nature (journal), Science (journal), and Cell (journal), reflecting the expanding community around sequence determination pioneered by laboratories like Sanger Centre and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Through the 1980s and 1990s the journal intersected with milestones such as the Human Genome Project, the emergence of GenBank, and the foundation of resources like Protein Data Bank and Ensembl. In the 21st century its evolution paralleled initiatives from Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, and publishing shifts exemplified by Public Library of Science and BioMed Central.

Scope and Content

The journal publishes original research, reviews, technical notes, and database papers spanning experimental and computational studies linked to James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin-era DNA investigations through modern high-throughput sequencing methods developed at platforms like Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Topics regularly cover nucleic acid chemistry associated with labs such as Scripps Research Institute, RNA biology traced to work by Thomas Cech and Sidney Altman, structural studies related to European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, and bioinformatics algorithms similar to those from groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. The journal also features database descriptions comparable to services provided by UniProt, RefSeq, KEGG, and Gene Ontology Consortium, and methodological contributions akin to assays from Thermo Fisher Scientific and computational frameworks influenced by National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Publication and Editorial Policies

Editorial oversight has involved editors and boards drawn from communities around University of Cambridge, Harvard University, University of Oxford, Max Planck Society, and University of California, San Francisco. Peer review practices align with standards observed at Royal Society journals and publishing groups like Oxford University Press and Elsevier (publisher), while adapting open-access policies seen in mandates from European Commission and funders such as National Science Foundation. The journal instituted dedicated sections for database papers and technical notes similar to policy shifts at Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and has adopted data-sharing expectations resonant with initiatives from Global Alliance for Genomics and Health and FAIR principles advocates. Conflicts of interest and ethical standards reflect frameworks endorsed by organizations like Committee on Publication Ethics and sponsorship norms comparable to those at Wellcome Trust.

Abstracting and Indexing

Coverage includes indexing services and platforms analogous to Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and specialist aggregators linked to EMBASE and BIOSIS. Citation metrics and impact evaluations place the journal among outlet cohorts including Bioinformatics (journal), Genome Research, and Nature Genetics. Library and consortium access practices mirror arrangements negotiated with entities such as JSTOR, HathiTrust, and national libraries like the British Library and Library of Congress.

Reception and Impact

The journal has been cited in landmark works associated with institutions and projects including ENCODE Project, 1000 Genomes Project, Cancer Genome Atlas, and consortia led by Broad Institute and Sanger Institute. Its database issues and methodological papers influenced tool development in groups at European Bioinformatics Institute, Roche, and academic centers such as Yale University and Columbia University. Impact assessments often compare it with titles like Nature Methods, Nucleic Acids Research Database Issue being a recognized resource among communities at Génolevures and other international sequencing initiatives supported by CNRS and national academies.

Notable Articles and Databases

Famous contributions include foundational database descriptions and software reports akin to entries for BLAST, Clustal, MAFFT, HMMER, and resources comparable to UniProtKB and Pfam. Landmark database papers published in the journal have been used by researchers at European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute, National Center for Biotechnology Information, and commercial partners like Qiagen and Agilent Technologies. The annual Database Issue remains a focal point for community resources similar in influence to KEGG pathway collections, Reactome annotations, and curated datasets maintained by Human Genome Organisation and the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration.

Category:Academic journals