Nature (journal) 43427 222868076 2008-07-01T14:34:00Z Ark25 5843028 /* External links */ {{Infobox Journal |title = Nature |cover = <!-- Deleted image removed: [[image:NatureCover2001.jpg|200px|center]] --> |discipline = [[Interdisciplinary]] |language = English |website = http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html |link1 = http://www.nature.com/nature/about/index.html |link1-name = About Nature |publisher = [[Nature Publishing Group]] |country = [[United Kingdom]] |abbreviation = None |history = 1869 to present |frequency = Weekly |ISSN = 0028-0836 }} '''''Nature''''' is a prominent [[scientific journal]], first published on [[November 4]], [[1869]]. Although most scientific journals are now highly specialized, ''Nature'' is one of the few journals, along with other weekly journals such as ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' and ''[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]]'' that still publishes original [[research]] articles across a wide range of [[science|scientific]] fields. In many fields of scientific research, important new advances and original research are published as [[article (publishing)|article]]s or [[letter]]s in ''Nature.'' Research [[scientist]]s are the primary audience for the journal, but summaries and accompanying articles make many of the most important papers understandable for the general public and to scientists in other fields. Toward the front of each issue are [[editorial]]s, 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 ''supplementary material'' on the journal's website. ==History== ===Scientific magazines and journals preceding ''Nature''=== Nineteenth-century Britain was home to a great deal of scientific progress; particularly in the latter half of the 19th century, Britain underwent enormous technological and industrial changes and advances.<ref>Siegel, "A Cooperative Publishing Model for Sustainable Scholarship," p. 88</ref> The most respected scientific journals of this time were the refereed journals of the [[Royal Society]], which had published many of the great works from [[Isaac Newton]], [[Michael Faraday]] through to early works from [[Charles Darwin]]. In addition, during this period, the number of popular science periodicals doubled from the 1850s to the 1860s.<ref name="Bar3"> Barton, "Just Before Nature," p. 3</ref> According to the editors of these popular science magazines, the publications were designed to serve as “organs of science,” in essence, a means of connecting the public to the scientific world.<ref name="Bar3"/> ''Nature'', first created in 1869, was not the first magazine of its kind. One journal to precede ''Nature'' was titled ''Recreative Science: A Record and Remembrancer of Intellectual Observation'', which, created in 1859, began as a natural history magazine and progressed to include more physical observational science and technical subjects and less natural history.<ref name="Bar7"> Barton, "Just Before Nature," p. 7</ref> The journal’s name changed from its original title to ''Intellectual Observer: A Review of Natural History, Microscopic Research, and Recreative Science'' and then later to the ''Student and Intellectual Observer of Science, Literature, and Art''.<ref name="Bar6"> Barton, "Just Before Nature," p. 6</ref> While ''Recreative Science'' had attempted to include more physical sciences such as astronomy and archaeology, the ''Intellectual Observer'' broadened itself further to include literature and art as well.<ref name="Bar6"/> Similar to ''Recreative Science'' was the scientific journal titled ''Popular Science Review'', created in 1862<ref name="Bar13"> Barton, "Just Before Nature," p. 13</ref>, which covered different fields of science by creating subsections titled ‘Scientific Summary’ or ‘Quarterly Retrospect,’ with book reviews and commentary on the latest scientific works and publications.<ref name="Bar13"/> Two other journals produced in England prior to the development of ''Nature'' were titled the ''Quarterly Journal of Science'' and ''Scientific Opinion'', founded in 1864 and 1868, respectively.<ref name="Bar6"/> The journal most closely related to ''Nature'' in its editorship and format was titled ''The Reader'', created in 1864; the publication mixed science with literature and art in an attempt to reach an audience outside of the scientific community, similar to ''Popular Science Review''.<ref name="Bar6"/> These similar journals all ultimately failed. The ''Popular Science Review'' was the longest to survive, lasting 20 years and ending its publication in 1881; ''Recreative Science'' ceased publication as the ''Student and Intellectual Observer'' in 1871. The ''Quarterly Journal'', after undergoing a number of editorial changes, ceased publication in 1885. ''The Reader'' terminated in 1867, and finally, ''Scientific Opinion'' lasted a mere 2 years, until June 1870.<ref name="Bar7"/> ===The creation of ''Nature''=== [[Image:Nature cover, November 4, 1869.jpg|thumb|right|250px|First title page, November 4, 1869]] Not long after the conclusion of ''The Reader'', a former editor, [[Norman Lockyer]], decided to create a new scientific journal titled ''Nature''.<ref name="B248">Browne, ''Charles Darwin: The Power of Place'', p. 248</ref> First owned and published by Alexander MacMillan, ''Nature'' was similar to its predecessors in its attempt to “provide cultivated readers with an accessible forum for reading about advances in scientific knowledge.”<ref name="B248"/> Janet Browne has proposed that “far more than any other science journal of the period, ''Nature'' was conceived, born, and raised to serve polemic purpose.”<ref name="B248"/> Many of the early editions of ''Nature'' consisted of articles written by members of a group that called itself the [[X Club]], a group of scientists known for having liberal, progressive, and somewhat controversial scientific beliefs relative to the time period.<ref name="B248"/> Initiated by [[Thomas Henry Huxley]], the group consisted of such important scientists as [[Joseph Hooker]], [[Herbert Spencer]], and [[John Tyndall]], along with another five scientists and mathematicians; these scientists were all avid supporters of Darwin’s theory of evolution, a theory which, during the latter-half of the 19th century, received a great deal of criticism among more conservative groups of scientists.<ref>Browne, ''Charles Darwin: The Power of Place'', p. 247</ref> Perhaps it was in part its scientific liberality that made ''Nature'' a longer-lasting success than its predecessors. [[John Maddox]], editor of ''Nature'' from 1966 to 1973 as well as from 1980 to 1995, suggested at a celebratory dinner for the journal’s centennial edition that perhaps it was the journalistic qualities of Nature that drew readers in; “journalism” Maddox states, “is a way of creating a sense of community among people who would otherwise be isolated from each other. This is what Lockyer’s journal did from the start.”<ref name="Dinner">"The ''Nature'' Centenary Dinner," p. 13</ref> In addition, Maddox mentions that the financial backing of the journal in its first years by the Macmillan family also allowed the journal to flourish and develop more freely than scientific journals before it.<ref name="Dinner"/> ===''Nature'' in the 20th century=== Nature underwent a great deal of development and expansion during the 20th century, particularly during the latter half of the 90's. ====Editors==== In 1919, Sir Richard Gregory followed Sir [[Norman Lockyer]] to become the second editor of the journal.<ref name="NPG">"Nature Publishing Group: History", retrieved November 15, 2006</ref> Gregory helped to establish ''Nature'' in the international scientific community. His obituary by the Royal Society stated: “Gregory was always very interested in the international contacts of science, and in the columns of ''Nature'' he always gave generous space to accounts of the activities of the International Scientific Unions.”<ref>"Richard Arman Gregory, 1864-1952," p. 413</ref> During the years 1945 to 1973, editorship of ''Nature'' changed three times, first to A.J.V. Gale and L.J.F. Brimble in 1945 (who in 1958 became the sole editor), then to Sir [[John Maddox]] in 1965, and finally to David Davies in 1973.<ref name="NPG"/> In 1980, Sir [[John Maddox]] returned as editor and retained his position until 1995. Dr. [[Philip Campbell (scientist)|Philip Campbell]] has since become Editor-in-chief of all ''Nature'' publications.<ref name="NPG"/> ====''Nature''’s expansion and development==== In 1970, ''Nature'' first opened its Washington office; other branches opened in New York in 1985, Tokyo and Munich in 1987, Paris in 1989, San Francisco in 2001, and Boston in 2004. Starting in the 1980’s, the journal underwent a great deal of expansion, launching over ten new journals. These new journals comprise the Nature Publishing Group, which was created in 1999 and includes ''Nature'', Nature Research Journals, Stockton Press Specialist Journals and Macmillan Reference (renamed NPG Reference). In 1997, ''Nature'' created its own website, www.nature.com, and in 1999 Nature Publishing Group began its series of ''Nature Reviews''.<ref name="NPG" /> Some articles and papers are available for free on the Nature Web site. Others require the purchase of premium access to the site. Nature claims a readership of over 300,000 senior scientists and executives and over 600,000 total readers. The journal has a circulation of around 65,000 but studies have concluded that on average the journal is shared by as many as 10 people.<ref>[http://www.nature.com/advertising/demographics/demographics.html?prod_code=NATURE&prod=Nature Demographics: Nature], a profile of Nature's readership.</ref> ==Publishing in ''Nature''== Having an article published in ''Nature'' is very prestigious, and the articles are often highly cited, which can lead 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]], a measure of how many citations a journal generates in other works, was 29.273 in 2005 (as measured by [[Institute for Scientific Information|Thomson ISI]]), among the highest of any science journal. 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. According to ''Nature'''s [[mission statement]]: <blockquote>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.</blockquote> ===Landmark papers=== Many of the most significant scientific breakthroughs in modern history have been first published in ''Nature''. The following is a selection of scientific breakthroughs published in ''Nature'', all of which had far-reaching consequences, and the citation for the article in which they were published. *[[X-rays]] &mdash; {{cite journal | author=[[W. C. Röntgen]] | authorlink= | title=On a new kind of rays | journal=Nature | year=1896 | volume=53 | pages=274–276| doi=10.1038/053274b0}} *[[Wave nature]] of particles &mdash; {{cite journal | author=[[C. Davisson]] and [[L. H. Germer]] | title=The scattering of electrons by a single crystal of nickel | journal=Nature | year=1927 | volume=119 | pages=558–560 | doi=10.1038/119558a0}} *The [[neutron]] &mdash; {{cite journal | author=[[J. Chadwick]] | title=Possible existence of a neutron | journal=Nature | year=1932 | volume=129 | pages=312 | doi=10.1038/129312a0}} *[[Nuclear fission]] &mdash; {{cite journal | author=[[L. Meitner]] and [[O. R. Frisch]] | title=Disintegration of uranium by neutrons: a new type of nuclear reaction | journal=Nature | year=1939 | volume=143 | pages=239–240 | doi=10.1038/143239a0}} *The structure of [[DNA]] &mdash; {{cite journal | author=[[J. D. Watson]] and [[F. H. C. Crick]] | title=[[Molecular structure of Nucleic Acids|Molecular structure of Nucleic Acids: A structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid]] | journal=Nature | year=1953 | volume=171 | pages=737–738 | doi=10.1038/171737a0}} *First molecular [[protein]] structure ([[myoglobin]]) &mdash; {{cite journal | author= J. C. Kendrew, G. Bodo, H. M. Dintzis, R. G. Parrish, H. Wyckoff and D. C. Phillips | title=A three-dimensional model of the myoglobin molecule obtained by X-ray analysis | journal=Nature | year=1958 | volume=181 | pages=662–666 | doi = 10.1038/181662a0 <!--Retrieved from CrossRef by DOI bot-->}} *[[Plate tectonics]] &mdash; {{cite journal | author=[[J. Tuzo Wilson]]| title=Did the Atlantic close and then re-open? | journal=Nature | year=1966 | volume=211 | pages=676–681| doi=10.1038/211676a0| unused_data=|<!-- doi=10.1038/211676a0|--> issue=5050}} *The [[ozone hole]] &mdash; {{cite journal | author=J. C. Farman, B. G. Gardiner and J. D. Shanklin | title=Large losses of total ozone in Antarctica reveal seasonal ClOx/NOx interaction | journal=Nature | year=1985 | volume=315 | pages=207–210 | doi=10.1038/315207a0 | issue=6016}} *First [[cloning]] of a [[mammal]] ([[Dolly the sheep]]) &mdash; {{cite journal | author=I. Wilmut, A. E. Schnieke, J. McWhir, A. J. Kind and K. H. S. Campbell | title=Viable offspring derived from fetal and adult mammalian cells | journal=Nature | year=1997 | volume=385 | pages=810–813 | doi=10.1038/385810a0 | issue=6619}} *The [[human genome]] &mdash; {{cite journal | author=International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium | title=Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome | journal=Nature | year=2001 | volume=409 | issue=6822 | pages=860–921 | doi=10.1038/35057062}} ===Peer review=== Due to the intense competition to publish in ''Nature'' and the subsequent large volumes of submitted manuscripts, errors and irregularities in [[peer review]] are inevitable. There are a number of well-known cases in ''Nature'' where such anomalies in the peer-review process occurred. A series of five fraudulent papers by [[Jan Hendrik Schön]] were published in ''Nature'' in the 2000-2001 period. The papers, about [[superconductivity]], were revealed to contain falsified data and other scientific fraud. In 2003 the papers were retracted by ''Nature''. The Schön Scandal was not limited to ''Nature''. Other prominent journals such as ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' and ''[[Physical Review]]'' retracted Schön's papers.<ref>{{Cite journal | url = http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v422/n6927/index.html | journal = Nature | date = 2003-03-06 | title = Retractions' realities | volume = 422 | issue = 6927 | pages = p. 1 | doi = 10.1038/422001a}}</ref> Before publishing one of its most famous discoveries, [[Watson and Crick]]'s 1953 paper on the structure of DNA, ''Nature'' did not send the paper out for peer review at all. [[John Maddox]], ''Nature'''s editor, 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..." An earlier error occurred when [[Enrico Fermi]] submitted his breakthrough paper on the weak interaction theory of [[beta decay]]. ''Nature'' turned down the paper because it was considered too remote from reality. <ref>Richard Rhodes, ''The Making of the Atomic Bomb,'' Touchstone, New York, 1986.</ref> Fermi's paper was published by ''[[Zeitschrift für Physik]]'' in 1934, and finally published by ''Nature'' 5 years later, after Fermi's work had been widely accepted.<ref>Fermi, E (1934).' Versuch einer Theorie der beta–strahlen', ''Zeitschrift für Physik'', vol. 88, p. 161.</ref> When [[Paul Lauterbur]] and [[Peter Mansfield]] won a [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] for research initially rejected by ''Nature'' and published only after Lauterbur appealed the rejection,''Nature'' acknowledged more of its own missteps in rejecting papers in an editorial titled "Coping with Peer Rejection": :"(T)here are unarguable ''faux pas'' in our history. These include the rejection of [[Čerenkov radiation|Cerenkov radiation]], [[Hideki Yukawa|Hideki Yukawa’s]] [[meson]], work on [[photosynthesis]] by [[Johann Deisenhofer]], [[Robert Huber]] and [[Hartmut Michel]], and the initial rejection (but eventual acceptance) of [[Stephen Hawking|Stephen Hawking’s]] [[Hawking radiation|black-hole radiation]]."<ref>{{Cite journal | url = http://http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v425/n6959/full/425645a.html | journal = Nature | date = 2003-10-16 | title = Coping with peer rejection | volume = 425 | pages = p. 645 | doi = 10.1038/425645a}}</ref> ==Publication of ''Nature'' and related journals== ''Nature'' is 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, California|San Francisco]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Tokyo]], [[Paris]], [[Munich]], and [[Basingstoke]]. Nature Publishing Group also publishes other specialized journals including ''[[Nature Neuroscience]]'', ''Nature Biotechnology,'' ''Nature Methods'', the ''Nature Clinical Practice'' series of journals, ''Nature Structural & Molecular Biology'' and the ''Nature Reviews'' series of journals. Presently, each issue of ''Nature'' is accompanied by the ''[[Nature Podcast]]''<ref>{{Cite web| url = http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/index.html | work = [[Nature Podcast]] |title = nature.com}}</ref> featuring highlights from the issue and interviews with the articles' authors and the journalists covering the research. In 2007, Nature Publishing Group began publishing ''Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics'', “the official journal of the American Society of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics” and ''Molecular Therapy'', the American Society of Gene Therapy’s official journal, as well as the ''International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) Journal''. Nature Publishing Group launched ''Nature Photonics'' in 2007 and ''Nature Geoscience'' in 2008. ''Nature Chemistry ''is slated to commence publication in 2009. Nature Publishing Group actively supports the self-archiving process and in 2002 was one of the first publishers to allow authors to post their contributions on their personal websites, by requesting an exclusive licence to publish, rather than requiring authors to transfer copyright. In December 2007, Nature Publishing Group introduced the Creative Commons attribution-non commercial-share alike unported licence for those articles in Nature journals that are publishing the primary sequence of an organism's genome for the first time. ===Nature family of journals === In addition to ''Nature'' itself, there are three families of ''Nature''-branded journals published by the [[Nature Publishing Group]]<ref> [http://www.nature.com/authors/author_services/about_nature_family.html family of journals]</ref>: :'''Research journals''': :*''[[Nature Biotechnology]]'' :*''[[Nature Cell Biology]]'' :*''[[Nature Chemical Biology]]'' :*''[[Nature Genetics]]'' :*''[[Nature Geoscience]]'' (launched in January 2008) :*''[[Nature Immunology]]'' :*''[[Nature Materials]]'' :*''[[Nature Medicine]]'' :*''[[Nature Methods]]'' :*''[[Nature Nanotechnology]]'' (Launched in October 2006) :*''[[Nature Neuroscience]]'' :*''[[Nature Photonics]]'' (Launched in January 2007 ; ISSN 1749-4885 ; EISSN 1749-4893 ; [http://www.nature.com/nphoton/ website]) :*''[[Nature Physics]]'' :*''[[Nature Structural and Molecular Biology]]'' :'''Protocol''': :*''[[Nature Protocols]]'' (Launched in June 2006, [http://www.nature.com/nprot/index.html journal homepage]) :'''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]]'' :'''Nature Online Publications''': :*''[[Nature China]]'' (Launched in January 2007) :*''[[Nature India]]'' (Launched in February 2008) ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} ==References== *(1953). "Richard Arman Gregory, 1864-1952." ''Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society'' 8(22). *(1970). "The 'Nature' Centenary Dinner." ''Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London'' 25(1). *(2006). "Nature Publishing Group: History." Retrieved November 15, 2006, from http://npg.nature.com/npg/servlet/Content?data=xml/02_history.xml&style=xml/02_history.xsl *(2006). "About the journal: Nature." Retrieved November 20, 2006, from http://www.nature.com/nature/about/index.html *Barton, R. (1996). "Just Before Nature: The Purposes of Science and the Purposes of Popularization in Some English Popular Science Journals of the 1860s." ''Annals of Science'' 55: 33. *Browne, J. (2002). ''Charles Darwin: The Power of Place''. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. *Siegel, R. S. a. G. E. (2006). "A Cooperative Publishing Model for Sustainable Scholarship " ''Journal of Scholarly Publishing'' 37(2): 13. ==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/nature/archive/index.html Nature archive, 1869-2008] * [http://www.nature.com/reviews/index.html The ''Nature Reviews'' website] * [http://www.nature.com/clinicalpractice/ ''Nature Clinical Practice'' website] * [http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail1864.html Interview with Timo Hannay, director of web publishing for Nature Publishing Group] * [http://www.nature.com/nature/history/ History of the journal ''Nature''] [[Category:Scientific journals]] [[Category:Weekly magazines]] [[Category:British science and technology magazines]] [[Category:English-language journals]] [[Category:Nature journals| ]] [[Category:Publications established in 1869]] [[ar:مجلة نيتشر]] [[ca:Nature]] [[cs:Nature]] [[da:Nature]] [[de:Nature]] [[es:Nature]] [[fr:Nature (journal)]] [[ko:네이처]] [[id:Nature]] [[is:Nature]] [[it:Nature]] [[he:Nature]] [[nl:Nature]] [[ja:ネイチャー]] [[no:Nature]] [[pl:Nature (czasopismo)]] [[pt:Nature]] [[ro:Nature]] [[ru:Nature (журнал)]] [[sl:Nature]] [[fi:Nature]] [[sv:Nature (tidskrift)]] [[ur:نیچر]] [[zh:自然 (雜誌)]]