Journal Guide

Nature Methods is a forum for the publication of novel methods and significant improvements to tried-and-tested basic research techniques in the life sciences. This monthly publication is aimed at a broad, interdisciplinary audience of academic and industry researchers actively involved in laboratory practice. It provides them with new tools to conduct their research and places a strong emphasis on the immediate practical relevance of the work presented.The journal publishes primary research papers as well as overviews of recent technical and methodological developments. We are actively seeking primary methods papers of relevance to the biological and biomedical sciences, including methods grounded in chemistry that have a practical application to the study of biological problems.To enhance the practical relevance of each paper, description of the method must be accompanied by its validation, its application to an important biological question and results illustrating its performance in comparison to available approaches. Articles are selected for publication that present broad interest, thorough assessments of methodological performance and comprehensive technical descriptions that facilitate immediate application.Specific areas of interest include, but are not limited to:* Methods for nucleic acid manipulation, amplification and sequencing* Methods for protein engineering, expression and purification* Methods for proteomics, including mass spectrometry, analysis of binding interactions, microarray-based technologies, display techniques, analysis of post-translational modifications, glycobiology and metabolomics* Methods for systems biology, including proteomics approaches, protein interaction analysis methods and genome wide expression and regulation profiling* Biomolecular structural analysis technologies, including NMR and crystallography* Chemical biology techniques, including chemical labeling, methods for expanding the genetic code and directed evolution* Biophysical methods, including single molecule and lab-on-a-chip technologies* Optical and non-optical imaging technologies, including probe design and labeling methods, microscopy, spectroscopy and in vivo imaging* Techniques for the analysis and manipulation of gene expression, including epigenetics, gene targeting, transduction, RNA interference and microarray-based technologies* Methods for cell culture and manipulation, including stem cells, single cell methods and lab-on-a-chip technologies* Immunological techniques, including production of antibodies, antibody-based assays and immunolabeling* Methods for the study of physiology and disease processes including cancer* Methods involving model organisms and their manipulation and phenotyping* Computational and bioinformatic methods for analysis, modeling or visualization of biological data* Nanotechnology-based methods applied to basic biology.

We are interested in the best research from across the field of microbiology, with our broad scope ensuring that the work published reaches the widest possible audience.

Nature Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary journal that publishes papers of the highest quality and significance in all areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The journal covers research into the design, characterization and production of structures, devices and systems that involve the manipulation and control of materials and phenomena at atomic, molecular and macromolecular scales. Both bottom-up and top-down approaches - and combinations of the two - are covered.Nature Nanotechnology also encourages the exchange of ideas between chemists, physicists, material scientists, biomedical researchers, engineers and other researchers who are active at the frontiers of this diverse and multidisciplinary field. Coverage extends from basic research in physics, chemistry and biology, including computational work and simulations, through to the development of new devices and technologies for applications in a wide range of industrial sectors (including information technology, medicine, manufacturing, high-performance materials, and energy and environmental technologies). Organic, inorganic and hybrid materials are all covered.Research areas covered in the journal include:* Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes* Computational nanotechnology* Electronic properties and devices* Environmental, health and safety issues* Molecular machines and motors* Molecular self-assembly* Nanobiotechnology* Nanofluidics* Nanomagnetism and spintronics* Nanomaterials* Nanomedicine* Nanometrology and instrumentation* Nanoparticles* Nanosensors and other devices* NEMS* Organic–inorganic nanostructures* Photonic structures and devices* Quantum information* Structural properties* Surface patterning and imaging* Synthesis and processingIn addition to primary research, Nature Nanotechnology also publishes review articles, news and views, research highlights about important papers published in other journals, commentaries, book reviews, correspondence, and articles about the broader nanotechnology picture — funding, commercialization, ethical and social issues, and so on. In this way, the journal aims to be the voice of the worldwide nanoscience and nanotechnology community.Nature Nanotechnology offers readers and authors high visibility, access to a broad readership, high standards of copy editing and production, rigorous peer review, rapid publication, and independence from academic societies and other vested interests. .

Nature Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary journal that publishes papers of the highest quality and significance in all areas of neuroscience. The editors welcome contributions in molecular, cellular, systems and cognitive neuroscience, as well as psychophysics, computational modeling and diseases of the nervous system. No area is excluded from consideration, although priority is given to studies that provide fundamental insights into the functioning of the nervous system.Nature Neuroscience provides readers and authors high visibility, emphasis on interdisciplinary communication, accessibility to a broad readership, high standards of copy editing and production, rigorous peer review, rapid publication, and independence from academic societies and other vested interests.In addition to primary research, Nature Neuroscience publishes news and views, reviews, editorials, commentaries, perspectives, book reviews and correspondence. In this way, the journal aims to be the voice of the worldwide neuroscience community.

Photonics — the scientific study and application of light — has evolved to become a key technology behind many devices found in the modern home, factory and research lab. Today, the field is both a Nobel-prize-winning science and a billion-dollar industry, underpinning applications such as fibre-optic communication, data storage, flat-panel displays and materials processing.Nature Photonics is a new monthly journal dedicated to this exciting field that will publish top-quality, peer-reviewed research in all areas of light generation, manipulation and detection.Coverage extends from research into the fundamental properties of light and how it interacts with matter through to the latest designs of optoelectronic device and emerging applications that exploit photons.The journal covers topics including:* Lasers, LEDs and other light sources* Imaging, detectors and sensors* Optoelectronic devices and components* Novel materials and engineered structures* Physics of light propagation, interaction and behaviour* Quantum optics and cryptography* Ultrafast photonics* Biophotonics* Optical data storage* Spectroscopy* Fibre optics and optical communications* Solar energy and photovoltaics* Displays* Terahertz technology* Nonlinear optics* Plasmonics* Nanophotonics* X-raysIn common with other Nature Publishing Group (NPG) journals in the physical sciences, Nature Photonics publishes review articles, research papers, News and Views pieces and research highlights summarizing the latest scientific findings in optoelectronics. This is complemented by a unique mix of articles dedicated to the business side of the industry covering areas such as technology commercialization and market analysis.

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.