Nature (journal)
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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 2004 was 32.182 (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.
Publication
Nature was founded in 1869 by Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer, an astronomer and physicist best known as the co-discoverer of helium. Lockyer was also the first editor of the journal from its founding until 1919. In Nature's mission statement, it says:- It is intended, FIRST, to place before the general public the grand results of Scientific Work and Scientific Discovery; and to urge the claims of Science to a more general recognition in Education and in Daily Life; and, SECONDLY, to aid Scientific men themselves, by giving early information of all advances made in any branch of Natural knowledge throughout the world, and by affording them an opportunity of discussing the various Scientific questions which arise from time to time.
Presently, each issue of Nature is accompanied by the Nature Podcast [link] presented by Naked Scientist, Chris Smith [link]. The podcasts feature highlights from the issue and interviews with the articles' authors and the journalists covering the research.
Landmark papers
The following is a selection of scientific breakthroughs published in Nature, all of which had far-reaching consequences.
- :
- Wave nature of particles
- The Neutron
- The structure of DNA
- The ozone hole
- First cloning of a mammal (Dolly the sheep)
- The human genome
Relation to open science publishing
As of 2005, Nature has only partially responded to the challenge from the Public Library of Science and its supporters, who in 2001 signed a petition calling for all scientists to pledge that from September of 2001 they would discontinue submission of papers to journals which did not make the full-text of their papers available to all, free and unfettered after a six-month period from publication. Nature's response was to allow authors to self-archive their original submission, after an embargo date, for example on the arXiv.org e-print archive.Nature family of journals
In addition to Nature itself, there are three families of Nature-branded journals published by the Nature Publishing Group:- Nature research journals:
- *Nature Biotechnology
- *Nature Cell Biology
- *Nature Chemical Biology
- *Nature Genetics
- *Nature Immunology
- *Nature Materials
- *Nature Medicine
- *Nature Methods
- *Nature Nanotechnology (starts October 2006)
- *Nature Neuroscience
- *Nature Photonics ( Launching in January 2007 ; ISSN 17494885 ; EISSN 17494893 ; [website] )
- *Nature Physics
- *Nature Structural and Molecular Biology
- Nature Reviews journals:
- *Nature Reviews Cancer
- *Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
- *Nature Reviews Genetics
- *Nature Reviews Immunology
- *Nature Reviews Microbiology
- *Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
- *Nature Reviews Neuroscience
- Nature Clinical Practice journals:
- *Nature Clinical Practice Cardiovascular Medicine
- *Nature Clinical Practice Endocrinology and Metabolism
- *Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- *''Nature Clinical Practice Neurology
- *Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology
- *Nature Clinical Practice Oncology
- *Nature Clinical Practice Rheumatology
- *Nature Clinical Practice Urology
- *European Journal of Human Genetics
External links
- [The Nature website]
- [An electronic version of the first issue from 1869]
- [The Nature Reviews website]
- [Nature Clinical Practice website]
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