Nature Journal Manuscript Formatting Requirements
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Nature submission requirements
Nature is one of the world's most selective scientific journals, publishing landmark multidisciplinary research. Nature original research articles have strict word limits (main text ≤3,000 words, abstract ≤150 words), require a mandatory data availability statement, author contributions via CRediT taxonomy, competing interests declarations, and a life sciences or social sciences reporting summary where applicable. Nature also has specific requirements for Extended Data figures (maximum 10 items) and Supplementary Information formatting. Our checker validates these Nature-specific requirements so your manuscript is submission-ready.
Nature is the world's most cited scientific journal and one of the most competitive submission targets in academia. With an acceptance rate below 8% and editors who screen manuscripts before sending them to peer review, every formatting error is a reason to return your paper without review. Understanding Nature's specific requirements — and checking them before you submit — is essential for authors serious about publication in this journal.
Word Limits and Manuscript Length
Nature original research articles impose strict length constraints that catch many first-time Nature submitters off guard:
- Abstract: ≤150 words (no subheadings, narrative structure)
- Main text: ≤3,000 words (introduction through discussion, excluding abstract, methods, and references)
- Methods: No specific word limit, but must be concise and can be placed online
- Extended Data: Maximum 10 items (figures or tables)
- References: No enforced limit, but typically 40–60 for Nature articles
The 3,000-word main text limit is among the strictest of any high-impact journal. Authors who reformat papers from other journals often discover their text runs 5,000–6,000 words. Significant cutting is required — not just trimming, but substantive restructuring of argument and evidence presentation. CheckMyManuscript flags manuscripts exceeding Nature's word limits before you invest time formatting figures and supplementary files.
Data and Code Availability
Nature enforces one of the most rigorous data sharing policies in academic publishing. A data availability statement is mandatory for all submissions and must specify where the data supporting the findings is accessible. Repository requirements by data type include:
- Sequencing data: NCBI SRA, NCBI GEO, or ENA — accession numbers assigned before submission
- Protein structures: PDB identifier required
- Mass spectrometry data: PRIDE archive accession
- Imaging data: BioImage Archive or similar
Statements like "data available on request" are accepted only with justification (privacy, legal restrictions). Generic statements without repository information are returned for revision. Nature also requires code availability statements for studies where custom computational tools were central to the findings.
Author Declarations
Nature requires explicit declarations from all authors covering three areas. Author Contributions must use CRediT taxonomy with all 14 defined roles, listing each author against their specific roles. Competing Interests must be declared for every author — either a specific declaration or "The authors declare no competing interests." Acknowledgements must include funder names and grant numbers in standard format.
Missing or incomplete declarations are among the most common administrative reasons for pre-review returns at Nature. The CRediT statement must list every author against at least one role, and every role listed must correspond to at least one named author.
Common Nature Desk Rejection Reasons
Based on Nature's editorial office feedback, the most frequent pre-review return triggers are: manuscript exceeds word count, data availability statement missing or incomplete, reporting summary not submitted, author contributions absent or using non-CRediT language, and competing interests not declared by all authors. CheckMyManuscript validates all five categories before you submit.
Also see: Nature Communications checker | Science journal checker | Avoid desk rejection guide
Nature-specific checks
Abstract ≤150 words
Nature original research requires an abstract of 150 words or fewer with a specific narrative structure.
Main text ≤3,000 words
Nature articles enforce a 3,000-word main text limit excluding abstract, methods, and references.
Data availability statement
Mandatory for all Nature submissions, with specific repository and accession number requirements.
Author contributions (CRediT)
All authors must be listed against CRediT taxonomy roles.
Competing interests
All authors must declare competing interests or explicitly state none.
Reporting summary
Life sciences and social sciences studies require completion of Nature's reporting summary.
Checks relevant to this topic
Part of our 80+ automated checks
Abstract ≤150 words
Nature abstract within word limit and narrative structure.
Main text ≤3,000 words
Core text excluding abstract, methods, references.
Data availability
Mandatory data availability statement with repository links.
Author contributions (CRediT)
CRediT taxonomy statements for all authors.
Competing interests
Competing interests declared by all authors.
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Postdoc Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
A round of suggestions helped to generally refine the text of my paper and, moreover, to present some of its key points in a more focused form.
Oleg
Professor, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
I use it to review my students' papers. It instantly highlights typos, missing references, and unclear sections, helping me focus my feedback on the quality of the research instead of surface errors.
Ilyass
Professor in Mechanical Engineering, ÉTS Montréal
I relied on it throughout my thesis to strengthen my writing. It suggested clearer phrasing, improved flow between sections, and ensured my references were complete before the final deadline.
Manon
Master's Student in Speech Therapy
I write research in both Portuguese and English, and it adapts perfectly to either language. It provided precise feedback in Portuguese, helping me maintain academic tone and consistency across my drafts.
Afonso
PhD Candidate, UFPE
It gave excellent advice on how to rephrase and present ideas more clearly and concisely. The suggestions helped me refine my arguments and make my research more impactful.
Félix
Postdoc Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
A round of suggestions helped to generally refine the text of my paper and, moreover, to present some of its key points in a more focused form.
Oleg
Professor, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
Frequently asked questions
Nature original research articles have a main text limit of approximately 3,000 words, not including the abstract, methods, references, or acknowledgements. The abstract must be ≤150 words. Nature Research Articles (the renamed original research format) follow these constraints strictly.
All Nature papers require a data availability statement specifying where the data supporting the findings is available. Sequencing data must be deposited in public databases (NCBI SRA/GEO or ENA) with accession numbers assigned before submission. Structural data goes to PDB. 'Data available on request' is only accepted with justification tied to privacy or legal restrictions.
Nature requires authors of life sciences and social sciences studies to complete a reporting summary — a questionnaire covering experimental design, statistics, reporting guidelines, and data availability. This summary is reviewed by editors and published as a supplementary file with accepted papers.
Nature original research articles do not use conventional structured abstracts with subheadings. Instead, the ≤150-word abstract should follow a specific narrative structure: opening sentence establishing context, problem statement, approach, key results, and broader implications.
Nature allows up to 10 Extended Data items (figures or tables) published online alongside the paper. Extended Data must be cited in the main text, numbered sequentially (Extended Data Fig. 1), and each item requires a full self-contained legend. Extended Data cannot substitute for proper methods reporting.