Source: Nature Communications: Article guidelines (Springer Nature). Summarized by PublicationGod, last checked 22 September 2026. Always confirm details in the official guidelines before submitting. PublicationGod is not affiliated with or endorsed by this journal or its publisher.
Scope in one sentence
An open access, multidisciplinary journal for important advances within a specific field, across the biological, physical, chemical and Earth sciences. Decisions are made by full-time professional editors rather than an external editorial board.
Length limits (Article)
| Element | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Main text | Ideally up to 5,000 words, excluding abstract, Methods, references and figure legends |
| Title | Up to 15 words |
| Abstract | Up to 200 words, no references |
| Methods | Typically under 3,000 words |
| Figure legends | Up to 350 words each |
| Display items | Up to 10; manuscripts under 2,000 words should have no more than 4 |
| References | Up to about 70, as a guide |
Nature Communications publishes original research in a single format, the Article, from short communications to in-depth studies.
What each section should do
- Abstract: both a general introduction to the topic and a short, non-technical summary of the main results and their implications.
- Introduction: a referenced section expanding on the background; some overlap with the abstract is fine.
- Results: divided by topical subheadings.
- Discussion: succinct, without subheadings.
- Methods: divided by topical subheadings. Footnotes are not used anywhere.
Submission
- Initial submissions can be in any reasonable format; detailed formatting instructions come with a revision request.
- Presubmission enquiries are not considered; the journal prefers the full manuscript.
- Competing interests and author contributions statements are required before publication.
- Preprints are supported.
- Manuscripts rejected by another Nature journal can be transferred, including referee reports and identities; authors can instead choose a fresh review by submitting without the transfer link.
Fees
Fully open access with an article processing charge. See the journal's open access fees page for current amounts.
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