Editorials

To build pathways to constructive and engaging peer review for the next generation of scientists, we invite all our reviewers to co-review with an Early Career Researcher in their group and let us know. We will ensure ECRs are recognised for their contribution.

Africa is undergoing a demographic transition¹ that has led to significant reductions in the number of individuals living in extreme poverty, and to positive shifts in related health outcomes, across its diverse populations². Building on these successes requires a consideration of intersecting factors that impact health metrics, which is the focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals³. To support researchers in their efforts towards reaching these goals, Nature Communications, Communications Medicine and Scientific Reports invite submissions of papers that advance our understanding of all aspects of health in Africa.

Orphan crops hold the potential to diversify our food systems. Considering their unique characteristics, our deep understanding of major crops, and the availability of modern genomic tools, taking a different research path from what major crops have gone through could accelerate the genetic improvement of orphan crops.

Climate change is exacerbating challenges both for global food production and from its environmental impacts. Sustainable and socially responsible solutions for future world-wide food security are urgently needed.

The study of Prebiotic Chemistry, and the closely related study of Astrobiology, is ultimately the study of our own point(s) of origin. Aiming to answer the questions of how, when, and where did the building blocks of life—i.e. biologically relevant organic molecules—form? With the imminent analysis of samples successfully returned from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, and continuing discoveries from the Ryugu asteroid samples, the answers to some of these questions may be in sight.

One Health refers to the interconnectedness of the health of humans, animals, and the environment. It recognises that coordination across sectors is needed for effective prevention, detection, and management of infectious disease threats. Although the concept of One Health is not new, it has gained increased prominence following the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting national and international institutions to adopt One Health policies aimed at preventing disease spillover^1–4. At Nature Communications, we have launched a Collection and call for papers in recognition of the need for better scientific evidence to support One Health policy ambitions.

Terrestrial freshwater environments are both affected by and contribute to climate change, with highly complex feedback mechanisms. We must look to the records these environments preserve of past periods of climactic upheaval to be able to prepare for an uncertain future.

Genetic modification is a cornerstone of modern plant biology research and has the potential to transform agriculture. To have the greatest impact, it is essential that the characteristics of new plant genotypes and the methodology used to produce them are accurately reported in the scientific literature. Nature Communications is therefore asking for specific methodological details regarding the production of novel plant genotypes to improve transparency and reporting in plant biology.

Climate change is an expensive collective problem that will be felt unequally around the world and within communities. Sustainable and equitable financing is needed to address disparities and reduce the economic costs of loss and damage from climate change.

Every area of science can contribute to the changes that are required for a sustainable future through the application of its fundamental discoveries. While some fields have clear paths to application, Nature Communications believes that there is great potential for utility and application to be found in, and across, all of  the different disciplines that we publish.

Since 2020 Nature Communications has been considering Registered Reports for publication in the areas of cognitive neuroscience, human behaviour and psychology, and epidemiology. We are excited to announce the publication of our first Registered Report. With this milestone, we also want to open the format to all other areas of research.

Rigorous, robust replication and generalization studies present a significant investment into the quality of the research record, the foundation on which new research is built. Communications Psychology and the Human Behaviour Team at Nature Communications are inviting submissions of replication studies in psychology and the human behavioural sciences.

Starting in 2016, we have offered authors the option to publish the comments received from the reviewers and their responses alongside the paper. As we believe that transparency strengthens the quality of peer review, we are now moving to publish the exchanges between authors and reviewers for all research articles submitted from November 2022 onward and accepted for publication. Referees will still have the option to remain completely anonymous, to sign their reports, and/or to choose to be acknowledged by name as part of our reviewer recognition scheme.

Over the last two and a half years, Nature Communications has received thousands of submissions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and accepted hundreds for publication. To showcase the breadth and quality of this work, we are now launching a COVID-19 Collection, and here we reflect on our editorial processes during this period.

Recent development of analytical techniques – capable of characterizing physicochemical properties during electrochemical measurements – enables new pathways for improving the fundamental understanding of battery systems. This editorial highlights recent research efforts showcasing operando approaches published in Nature Communications.

In this editorial, we present a checklist that aims to improve the data reproducibility in the field of electrochemical N₂ fixation.

To highlight and support research in the important area of child health, the editors at Nature Communications and Communications Medicine invite submissions to a collection of papers on this subject, including infectious diseases, cancer, and neurodevelopment and neurodiversity.

Our peer review programme was launched in 2020 to support Early Career Researchers in building confidence to participate in peer review. The initiative has proved very successful and popular with both ECRs and editors and we are pleased to invite applicants to apply to our 2022 programme.

For nearly a decade, Nature Portfolio journals have asked for information about sex and gender in research studies, and more recently, we have also encouraged authors to use the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines in their work. We are now updating our guidance and practice so that authors are more clearly and actively encouraged to report on select items within the SAGER guidelines.

Graphene and related two-dimensional (2D) materials have been at the core of intense research and development for over fifteen years, however the market penetration of products based on this technology has lagged behind expectations. At Nature Communications we wish to support research providing insights into the path towards the industrialisation of 2D materials. We introduce a Collection that encapsulates the recent progress and outstanding challenges faced by research on atomically thin materials, and we focus, in particular, on the potential of 2D technologies for future impact at the commercial level.