Where would we be without the review article? Anyone new to a field will have a favourite tome — dog-eared, if only digitally — that clues them into the basics and conveys all the wisdom of those already in the know. But the review article only appeared in the nineteenth century, two centuries after the first scientific journals surfaced. And the format itself has evolved into a many and varied thing. The launch of Nature Reviews Physics offers the next mutation: an exciting forum for physicists — and the introduction of three new types of review.

Nature Reviews titles first appeared in 2000, offering a short format that championed readability and aesthetic appeal. Nature Physics took up the format, publishing up to ten reviews a year, alongside commentary offering more opinionated perspectives. But dedicated Nature Reviews journals were largely for the benefit of life scientists, until 2016 saw the launch of Nature Reviews Materials, followed in 2017 by Nature Reviews Chemistry, bringing the short-format review to the realm of the physical sciences.

And now, Nature Reviews Physics continues the evolution of the review article by pioneering three new formats. The Technical Review promises to be a one-stop shop for state-of-the-art techniques in a field, a resource offering comprehensive information about a key method to newcomers and experts alike. These details are all too often lost, and Nature Reviews Physics intends to change that — preserving the lessons learned by that brilliant student who hightailed it to Wall Street before the print on her thesis was dry.

Traditional reviews, in a format familiar to our readers, also feature in Nature Reviews Physics, and forthcoming issues will introduce two additional types of review: Roadmaps and Expert Recommendations. Together they will complement our review material and offer physicists a new medium for surveying their most important advances. Take a look online at https://www.nature.com/natrevphys and follow our youngest sibling on Twitter @NatRevPhys.