A Guide to Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology

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Introduction

The Nature Reviews clinical journals commission leaders in the field to write clinical content of the highest quality, authority and accessibility. Content is subject to rigorous review by our in-house editors and/or peer-review, and counsel is provided by the Editors-in-Chief and international Advisory Boards to ensure comprehensive coverage of topical issues.

The Nature Reviews clinical titles were formerly published as the Nature Clinical Practice series. In 2004 journals covering cardiology, gastroenterology and hepatology, oncology, and urology were launched, followed in 2005 by endocrinology, nephrology, neurology and rheumatology. All these subject areas continue to be covered in the Nature Reviews journals. Whatever your discipline, Nature Reviews provides access to the highest-quality overview of your field.

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Authorship

We do not require all authors of a paper to sign a letter of submission, nor do we impose an order on the list of authors. All authors are, however, required to sign a Declaration of Contribution form to indicate their role in the writing of the paper. If a named author is deemed not to have contributed substantially, their name may be allowed to appear only as an acknowledgment in the published article.

If an article has multiple authors, a corresponding author must be appointed to be the main point of contact with the journal team; the corresponding author is responsible for informing all coauthors of matters arising and ensuring they are dealt with promptly. Unless another name is stipulated at acceptance, this author will also be named in the published article as the contact for any matters arising after publication, and his or her contact email and postal address will be published.

The opinions, data and statements in all articles are deemed to be those of the authors, and not those of Nature Publishing Group or the authors' institutions.

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Organization of content

The Nature Reviews clinical journals are organized into the following main sections: Editorials, Research Highlights, News & Views, Reviews, Perspectives and Case Studies.

Editorials

These are 1–2-page opinion articles written by the in-house team or the Editor-in-Chief. Editorials are published in print and online.

Research Highlights

This current-awareness section provides short summaries based on relevant research articles published by other journals, written by the in-house editorial teams. 'In Brief' items provide concise descriptions of important additional papers. Coverage is decided by the in-house editors, with the advice of the Editors-in-Chief and/or journal Advisory Boards. Research Highlights are published in print and online.

News & Views

This section provides a forum in which clinical news and advances can be communicated and set into context. These are timely, topical, succinct, commentary-type articles around 1,000 words in length (plus 1 display item and 10 references) and are always based on a research paper, clinical guideline or similar. They discuss in a journalistic style key issues arising for practice and research. News & Views articles are published in print and online.

Reviews

Commissioned from leaders in the field, Reviews are around 3,500 words in length (plus display items and up to 120 references) and aim to provide authoritative overviews of a field or topic. These articles are published online as soon as they are finalized (Advance Online Publication) then, once allocated, they are published in print and in the permanent online issue.

Perspectives

This section provides a forum for extended, opinionated discussion of a field or topic. Points of view should be clearly expressed and put into the wider context of the given topic. The articles are around 2,000 words in length (plus 1-3 display items and up to 25 references) and are published in print and online.

Case studies

Case Studies describe one case in detail and discuss the diagnosis and management decisions in the context of alternative approaches. They aim to be educational while presenting novel and interesting disorders and/or situations. Published in print and online, they are around 2,500 words long (plus display items and up to 30 references).

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Manuscript preparation

Detailed instructions on manuscript preparation and processes relating to individuals article types are available in PDF format (News & Views, Reviews, Perspectives, Case Studies) but some general notes are provided here.

Language

Readers struggle with jargon-laden language or concepts, even in disciplines close to their own. Overuse of abbreviations or acronyms can also make text difficult to read and understand. Authors should, therefore, use as plain language as possible to explain concepts, and write as many terms as possible in full while adhering to the word limit. Advice on acceptable abbreviations can be sought from the journal team.

Typography and house style

Typographic and house styles are used to ensure clarity and consistency within and between articles and journals. House style indicates the journal's preferred use of language and way of referring to particular items of information, for example nomenclature, spelling, and reference formatting. Some basic guidelines to help you prepare an article for a clinical Nature Reviews article are below:

  • Use US English spelling
  • International generic drug names should be used as a default whenever possible. If proprietary names must be used (e.g. to differentiate preparations), they should be marked correctly with ® or ™ and the manufacturers' details must be provided
  • Human gene names should follow HUGO gene nomenclature
  • Protein names should follow Uniprot nomenclature
  • SI units should be used in all instances

References

Please do not format your reference list as endnotes, footnotes or linked fields in your submitted document.

References should be cited in the main article text with sequential, superscript numbers and should be listed in numerical order at the end of the article. Any references applicable only to display items (i.e. not cited in the main text) should be cited in the legends and added to the end of the reference list.

The following formats cover the most commonly used reference types:

  1. Author, A. B. and Author, B. C. Title of the article. Nat. Cell Biol. 6, 123–131 (2001).
  2. Author, A. B. Title of the article. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 7, 101–109 (2003).
  3. Author, A. B., Author, Z. X. & Author, B. C. Title of article. EMBO J. 25, 3454–3461 (2006).
  4. Author, A. B. in Title of Book (ed. Surname, I. N.) 75–98 (Publisher, City, 2000).
  5. Author, A. B. Title of article. Web site title complete URL (Year).

If a reference has six or more authors, only the first author should be listed followed by et al.

Do not cite manuscripts in preparation or submitted papers that have not definitely been accepted for publication. Meeting abstracts and presentations may be included in some cases, especially for clinical trial results.

Citations to personal communications and authors' own unpublished data are not encouraged, but we realize they are sometimes necessary. They should be included within the main text, using the format (AN Author, unpublished data) or (AN Author, personal communication); signed permission from the correspondent must be provided to accompany citations of personal communication.

Figures

Figures may include photographs, slides, scan images, graphs and/or drawn schematics. All figures will be styled and/or redrawn by our in-house art editors. All symbols and abbreviations used in the figure must be defined within a key and the figure legend, respectively. For further details on preparation of figures, please see our Artwork Preparation Guidelines document.

Tables

Tables should be used to show information that would be difficult to describe clearly and succinctly in the text. Tables should be provided as part of the main article Word documents. To qualify as a Table more than one column of information must be included. They should be clear and as simple as possible, and must fit on one portrait-oriented A4 page (half a page for News & Views), with all text no smaller than 9-point font. All abbreviations used in a table must be defined in footnotes.

Boxes

Boxes are useful tools for explaining basic concepts to nonspecialist readers, presenting lists, such as disorders to exclude in differential diagnosis, etc. Boxes must contain only one column of text (maximum 300 words), but the information may be subdivided by headings and/or bulleted; they cannot contain figures. All abbreviations used in a box must be defined in footnotes. Boxes should be provided as part of the main article Word document.

If you are unsure about the suitability of content, size, format or style of any display item, of a table, please contact the journal team.

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Submission

Before submission, you must ensure your article has not been submitted to and is not being considered for publication by any other journal.

Nature Reviews journals use a fully web-based manuscript submission and tracking system for all types of article. Manuscripts should be submitted online only; you will receive an access URL from the commissioning editor when you agree to write an article. Please do not send files by post or email unless requested to do so by the journal staff.

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In–house editorial processes

Commissioning articles

All articles are commissioned or written by the in-house editors. We aim to balance content to reflect the various areas covered by the journal's scope, in terms of the amount of research being undertaken in each area, the timing of the articles, and the types of articles published over the course of the year. We welcome suggestions and ideas for articles, but discourage the submission of noncommissioned articles. Proposals for articles should be submitted online through our manuscript submission and tracking system. Click here to access the system. Suggestions should be sent in the form of a synopsis of up to 250 words, including an introductory paragraph, a description of the article structure, and a list of 10-20 key, recent references).

Peer review

Our Reviews, Perspectives and Case Studies are subject to rigorous peer-review. The purpose of peer-review is to ensure that our articles are balanced and accurate. Authors are encouraged to express their opinions, but should distinguish clearly between generally accepted views and more personal perspectives.

On receipt the commissioning editor will check that the article meets the requirements confirmed when the author agreed to write. If the editor feels the criteria are not met he or she might return the manuscript with recommendations or discuss the manuscript with the author by telephone before peer-review.

Articles deemed to meet initial criteria are generally sent to three experts in the field, although the number might vary. After peer-review, the reports will be sent to the corresponding author along with the handling editor's decision (accept in principle with minor revisions, more-substantial revisions needed before deciding how to proceed, or reject). If revisions are requested at this stage, you will be asked to return the manuscript within 2 weeks, along with a rebuttal letter.

Editing and artwork

All articles undergo editing by a content editor, taking into account structure, flow, clarity, language, scientific correctness, consistency and house style, and all figures are redrawn and/or styled by our in-house art editors, to ensure they meet our high publication standards. The degree of editing varies from individual article to article, according to a host of factors, although Reviews and Case Studies are generally edited heavily. All suggested changes are subject to approval by the authors.

Continuing medical education (CME)

In each issue a CME activity is available based on one article—a Review or a Case Study. The article for a given month is selected by the journal team at acceptance. If authors do not want their article to be considered for this scheme, they must opt out by checking the relevant box on the Competing Interests form.

Proofs

Proofs are emailed to the corresponding author in PDF format and should be returned to the editorial office as marked-up faxes. All important changes should have been approved before acceptance; therefore, only changes deemed essential by the editor (factual correctness, typing errors, and serious layout problems) may be made at this stage. Authors have 48 h to check proofs.

Corrections

If an author of a published paper becomes aware of an error in it, he or she should contact the content editor by email. The journal team will decide whether a correction is necessary (e.g. an error relating to factual correctness, data or searchability might warrant a corrections; disagreement about wording might not) to maintain maximum clarity for readers, fairness, and maintenance of the integrity of the published record. Published clarifications can take a variety of formats.

Correspondence

Items of correspondence will be considered for publication online at the editors' discretion. These must relate to articles previously published in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology and should be no more than 500 words long, and contain up to 15 references and no more than 2 display items. Correspondence items are edited by the journal team and the editors reserve the right to request peer review. Letters will be published online only

Correspondence should be submitted by e-mail to: nrgasthep@nature.com

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Consent and permissions

Reuse of content

Where possible, you should submit original text and display items. If, however, you wish to reuse previously published material (your own or another author's) or previously unpublished material owned by another individual, you must indicate this clearly in your cover letter and/or the article (e.g. in the figure legend) so the correct permission can be sought.

Copyright of Nature Reviews articles is transferred to Nature Publishing Group. A copy of the form will be sent to the corresponding author when he or she agrees to write an article, or a version can be obtained here. Certain uses of copyrighted content are allowed, but permission must be sought from Nature Publishing Group beforehand. A detailed explanation of why this policy has been adopted and links to obtain permission are available here.

Patient consent

For all articles including information or clinical photographs that could in any way lead to a patient or patients being identified by readers, written and signed consent to publish must be obtained from each patient concerned before publication—preferably before submission—and forwarded to the journal team. Authors may use their own institution's consent form, or one is available here.

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Reprints

Author reprints

To obtain author reprints of any Nature Reviews article, please visit Nature Publishing Group's reprints page

Commercial reprints

Please contact the following for further details and a quotation of costs:

North America:
Tel: +1 (212) 726 9200
Fax: +1 (212) 679 0843
Japan:
Tel: +81 3 3267 8775
Fax: +34 91 447 4609
Europe/Latin America:
Northern Europe/rest of world
Tel: +44 (0)1256 302 923
Fax: +44 (0)1256 321 531
Southern Europe/Latin America
Tel: +34 91 447 4643
Fax: +34 91 447 4609
India:
Tel: +91 124 288 1053
Fax: +91 124 288 1052

Self-archiving

Nature Publishing Group encourages authors to self-archive their articles. Six months after the official article publication date, authors are free to post their own version of the accepted, peer-reviewed and revised, but unedited, Word or Tex article (not the official published PDF or HTML versions) on their own personal website, in their funding agency's archive, or in their institutional repository. This is consistent with the policies of various funding bodies around the world.

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Online features

There are three main ways to navigate the Nature Reviews journals online. Searching can be done with the Quicksearch feature, which is available on all journal pages, or by using the more advanced search window. Browsing by issue is the second option and is straightforward, but we also support browsing by article type. So, if you want to just look at the most recent Research Highlights that we have published, select the Research Highlights link within the Archive section, to which a link is available on all pages.

How to view an article

There are various options for viewing the article or parts of the article:

  • Full text in HTML format
  • Full text in PDF, printable format
  • Figures and tables index, which allows you to flick through the figures and tables in an article.

Supplementary information

The online version of an article (but not print) may be accompanied by supplementary information, but this should be kept to a minimum and must be directly relevant to the article. Supplementary items will not be edited, so should be provided in a format suitable for converting to PDF for publication. Items should be cited in the main article—for example "(see Supplementary Figure S1)". If references are required, each supplementary item should have its own separate reference list.

Author biographies

A link at the end of the author list, 'About the authors', takes you to a short biography for each listed author.

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Competing financial interests

In the interests of transparency and to help readers to form their own judgments of potential bias, Nature journals require all authors to declare any competing interests in relation to their submitted articles. A detailed explanation of why this policy has been adopted can be found here.

Authors are required, before final acceptance of their contribution, to return a declaration of competing interests. A copy of the form will be sent to the corresponding author when he or she agrees to write an article, or a version can be obtained here. For articles with more than one author, the corresponding author may sign the form on behalf of all coauthors.

A shortened form of the declaration is published as part of the printed article. A more detailed version is published as part of the article online. If an author declares no competing interests, a statement to that effect will be published in print and online.

  • The authors have declared associations with the following companies/organizations: ABC, DEF, GHI. See the article online for full details of the relationship.
  • The authors declared no competing interests.

We recognize that some authors might be bound by confidentiality agreements. In such cases the authors may be invited to use the following standard wording as an alternative to itemized disclosure: "The authors declare that they are bound by confidentiality agreements that prevent them from disclosing their financial interests in this work".

Definition

For the purposes of this statement, competing interests are defined as those that, through their potential influence on behaviour or content or from perception of such potential influences, could undermine the objectivity, integrity or perceived value of a publication. Competing interests from the past 2 years should be declared.

They may include any of the following:

  • Funding: research support (including salaries, equipment, supplies, reimbursement for attending symposia, and other expenses) by organizations that may gain or lose financially through publication of the paper.
  • Employment: recent, present or anticipated employment by any organization that may gain or lose financially through publication of the paper.
  • Personal interests: stocks or shares in companies that may gain or lose financially through publication; consultation fees or other forms of remuneration from organizations that may gain or lose financially; patents or patent applications (personal of institutional on which an author is named) whose value may be affected by publication.
  • Patents: being named individually or on an institutional patent or pending patent application.

It is difficult to specify a threshold at which a financial interest becomes significant. Any such figure is necessarily arbitrary, so we offer as one possible practical alternative guideline: "Any undeclared competing interests that could embarrass you were it to become publicly known after your work was published", and we do not require authors to state the monetary value of their financial interests.

We do not consider diversified mutual funds or investment trusts to constitute a competing financial interest.

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Indexing information

The Nature Reviews clinical titles are indexed in the following places:

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HINARI

Nature Publishing Group is proud to be involved in initiatives that support the communication of scientific research in the developing world. All the Nature Reviews journals are part of the World Health Organization's HINARI, the Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative, which provides free access to public institutions in developing countries.

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