A Letter reports an important novel research study, but is less substantial than an Article. Letters typically occupy four printed journal pages. The text is limited to 1, 500 words, excluding the introductory paragraph, Methods, references and figure legends. Letters should have no more than 3–5 display items (figures and/or tables). References are limited to 30.
This format begins with a title of, at most, 15 words, followed by an introductory paragraph (not abstract) of approximately 150 words, summarizing the background, rationale, main results (introduced by "Here we show" or some equivalent phrase) and implications of the study. This paragraph should be referenced, as in Nature style, and should be considered part of the main text, so that any subsequent introductory material avoids too much redundancy with the introductory paragraph.
Article
An Article is a substantial novel research study that often involves several techniques or approaches. The main text (excluding abstract, Methods, references and figure legends) is 2, 000–3, 000 words. Articles have 4–6 display items (figures and/or tables). References are limited to 50.
The maximum title length is 15 words. The abstract is typically 150 words and is unreferenced; it contains a brief account of the background and rationale of the work, followed by a statement of the main conclusions introduced by the phrase "Here we show" or some equivalent. An introduction (without heading) of up to 500 words of referenced text expands on the background of the work (some overlap with the summary is acceptable), followed by a concise, focused account of the findings, ending with one or two short paragraphs of discussion.
Review
A Review is an authoritative, balanced survey of recent developments in a research field. Although reviews should be recognized as scholarly by specialists in the field, they should be written with a view to informing nonspecialist readers. Thus, reviews should be presented using simple prose, avoiding excessive jargon and technical detail. Reviews are approximately 3, 000–5, 000 words and typically include 4–6 display items (figures, tables or boxes). References are limited to 100; citations should be selective. Footnotes are not used. The scope of a Review should be broad enough that it is not dominated by the work of a single laboratory, and particularly not by the authors' own work.
Progress
When the discussion is focused on a developing field that might not yet be mature enough for review, a Progress article is more appropriate. Progress articles are up to 3, 000 words in length, with up to 4 display items (figures, tables or boxes). References are limited to 50.
Reviews and Progress articles are commissioned by the editors, but proposals including a short synopsis are welcome.
Reviews and Progress articles are always peer-reviewed to ensure factual accuracy, appropriate citations and scholarly balance. They do not include received/accepted dates. Authors must provide a competing financial interests statement before publication.
