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Infobox Journal|title=Nature

cover=

The 15 February 2001 cover of Nature

discipline=Interdisciplinary

language=English

website=http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html Content URL

http://www.nature.com/nature/about/index.html Informational URL'

publisher=Nature Publishing Group
country=UK
abbreviation=None
history=1869 to present
ISSN=ISSN search link	0028-0836

First title page, November 4, 1869

'Nature' is one of the oldest and most reputable scientific journals, first published on 4 November 1869. Although most scientific journals are now highly specialized, Nature is idiosyncratic (along with other weekly journals such as Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) in still publishing original research articles across a wide range of scientific fields. In most fields of scientific research, many of the most important new advances each year are published as articles or letters in Nature. Among the numerous scientific breakthroughs published in Nature are the discoveries of X-rays, the double-helix structure of DNA and the ozone hole. In astronomy and physical cosmology, most of the serious advances are published in specialist journals, but a short letter is often published in Nature for publicity purposes, in particular to get attention from the mainstream media.

Research scientists are the primary audience for the journal, but article summaries and accompanying articles make many of the most important articles understandable for the general public (and to scientists in other fields). Toward the front of each issue are editorials and news and feature articles on issues of general interest to scientists, including current affairs, science funding, business, scientific ethics and research breakthroughs. There are also sections on books and arts. The remainder of the journal consists mostly of research articles which are often dense and highly technical. Due to strict limits on the length of articles, in many cases the printed text is actually a summary of the work in question with many details relegated to accompanying supplemental material on the journal's website.

Having an article published in Nature is very prestigious, and the articles are often highly cited, leading to promotions, grant funding, and attention from the mainstream media. Because of these positive feedback effects, competition among scientists to publish in high-level journals like Nature and its closest competitor, Science, can be very fierce. Nature's impact factor for 2005 was 29.273 (as measured by Thomson ISI).

As with most other professional scientific journals, articles undergo an initial screening by the editor, followed by peer review (in which other scientists, chosen by the editor for expertise with the subject matter but who have no connection to the research under review, will read and critique articles), before publication. In the case of Nature, they are only sent for review if it is decided that they deal with a topical subject and are sufficiently ground-breaking in that particular field. As a consequence, the majority of submitted articles are rejected without review.

Nature is a weekly journal edited and published in the United Kingdom by Nature Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Macmillan Publishers which in turn is owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. Nature has offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston, Tokyo, Paris, Munich, and Basingstoke. Nature Publishing Group also publishes other specialized journals including Nature Neuroscience, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Methods, Nature Clinical Practice, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology and the Nature Reviews series of journals.

Presently, each issue of Nature is accompanied by the Nature Podcast http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/index.html presented by Naked Scientist, Chris Smith http://www.thenakedscientists.com/html/background/chrisCV.htm. The podcasts feature highlights from the issue and interviews with the articles' authors and the journalists covering the research.

Famous Nature papers that were fraudulent or incorrect

Landmark papers rejected by Nature, and published elsewhere

• Enrico Fermi's paper on the weak interaction theory of beta decay was turned down by NatureRichard Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb, Touchstone, New York, 1986., but promptly published by Zeitschrift für Physik.Fermi, E (1934).' Versuch einer Theorie der beta?strahlen', Zeitschrift für Physik, vol. 88, p. 161.

Published Nature papers that were not peer reviewed

• Publication of Watson and Crick's 1953 paper on the structure of DNA in Nature. This paper was not sent out for peer review. John Maddox stated that "the Watson and Crick paper was not peer-reviewed by Nature... the paper could not have been refereed: its correctness is self-evident. No referee working in the field ... could have kept his mouth shut once he saw the structure..."

Nature family of journals

( Launching in January 2007 ; ISSN 17494885 ; EISSN 17494893 ; http://www.nature.com/nphoton/ website ) :*

Notes

External links

• http://www.nature.com/nature/ The ''Nature'' website
• http://www.nature.com/nature/first/ An electronic version of the first issue from 1869
• http://www.nature.com/reviews/index.html The ''Nature Reviews'' website
• http://www.nature.com/clinicalpractice/ ''Nature Clinical Practice'' website

Category:Scientific journals