Content Types

Letter

A Letter reports an important research study of immediate interest to the broad climate change community. Letters typically occupy four printed journal pages. The text is limited to 2,000 words, excluding the introductory paragraph, online-only Methods, references and figure legends. Letters should have no more than 3–5 display items (figures and/or tables). As a guideline, Letters allow up to 30 references (excluding those cited exclusively in Methods).

Methods should be described in either a single online-only Methods section or incorporated into the Supplementary Information. Online-only Methods can be up to 3,000 words (no display items permitted, however, equations are allowed); references for this section should continue the numbering from the main text. The entire Methods section should be included in the Supplementary Information if it requires a large number of display items.

The title of the paper should not exceed 90 characters (including spaces), without punctuation. The paper should then start with an introductory paragraph (not abstract) of no more than 200 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 fully referenced; any subsequent introductory material should avoid redundancy with the introductory paragraph.

Letters include received/accepted dates and may be accompanied by supplementary information. They are always peer-reviewed.

Article

An Article is a substantial, in-depth research study of wide interest to the broad climate change research community. The main text (excluding the abstract, online-only Methods, references and figure legends) should not exceed 3,000 words. Main sections of text are separated by short crossheadings, without punctuation. Articles have 4–6 display items (figures and/or tables). As a guideline, Articles allow up to 50 references (excluding those cited exclusively in Methods). The maximum title length is 90 characters (including spaces) and without punctuation.

An Article starts with an unreferenced 100-150 word abstract, which should contain 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), and is followed by a concise, focused account of the findings, ending with one or two short paragraphs of discussion.

Articles include received/accepted dates and may be accompanied by supplementary information. They are always peer-reviewed.

Review Article

A Review Article is an authoritative, balanced survey of recent developments in a research field. Although Review Articles should be recognized as scholarly by specialists in the field, they should be written with a view to informing nonspecialist readers. Thus, Review Articles should be presented using simple prose, avoiding excessive jargon and technical detail. Review Articles are approximately 3,000–5,000 words and typically include 4–6 display items (figures, tables or boxes). As a guideline, Reviews allow up to 100 references; citations should be selective. Footnotes are not used. The scope of a Review Article should be broad enough that it is not dominated by the work of a single research institution, and particularly not by the authors' own work.

Most Review Articles are invited by the editors: considerations when commissioning Review Articles include – in addition to assessing the interest and importance of each individual topic – the balance of subject coverage in the journal, the timeliness of the topic to be reviewed, and the limited number of slots available (around 12 a year, or one per issue).

Given the competition for space, authors wishing to propose an unsolicited Review Article are strongly advised to submit a brief synopsis through our online submission system before preparing a manuscript for formal submission. The synopsis should outline the topics that will be covered, list any recent, key publications in the area, and state the last time the topic was reviewed (if it has been reviewed previously).

Perspective

A Perspective is intended to provide a forum for authors to discuss models and ideas from a personal viewpoint. They are more forward looking and/or speculative than Review Articles and may take a narrower field of view. They may be opinionated but should remain balanced and are intended to stimulate discussion and new experimental approaches.

Perspectives follow the same formatting guidelines as Reviews. These articles are peer-reviewed and edited substantially by Nature Climate Change's editors in consultation with the author. As with Review Articles, many Perspectives are invited by the editors, and similar considerations apply when commissioning, so it is again advisable to send a pre-submission enquiry including a synopsis before preparing a manuscript for formal submission.

News and Views

News and Views articles inform readers about the latest advances in climate research, as reported in recently published papers (either in Nature Climate Change or elsewhere) or at scientific meetings. Most articles are commissioned, but proposals can be made to the editors in advance of publication of the paper or well before the meeting is held. News and Views articles are not peer-reviewed, but undergo editing in consultation with the author.

Correspondence

The Correspondence section provides a forum for comment on papers or discussion of issues relevant to the journal’s community. A Correspondence should not exceed more than one printed page and is typically 250–500 words; it is limited to one display item and, as guideline, Correspondence allows up to 10 references. Article titles are omitted from the reference list. Titles for Correspondences are supplied by the editors. Correspondence may be peer-reviewed at the editors’ discretion. Note that Correspondence pieces are not technical comments on peer-reviewed research papers which would be considered Matters Arising.

Matters Arising

Matters Arising are exceptionally interesting and timely scientific comments and clarifications on original research papers published in Nature Climate Change. These comments should ideally be based on knowledge contemporaneous with the original paper, rather than subsequent scientific developments.

For detailed information on how to submit a Matters Arising, please follow instructions here.

Commentary

Commentary articles are opinionated pieces that focus on a topical issue in climate research that is relevant to policy, the economy or society. These pieces are intended to be agenda-setting, authoritative and informed, and can be provocative articles calling for action on topical issues pertaining to climate research and its political, ethical and social ramifications. If so, they must road-map a proposed solution in detail, not simply snapshot a problem.

Single-author articles are preferred as this is an 'opinion' section of the journal. Commentaries are usually commissioned by the editors, but proposals are welcome. They should be of immediate interest to a broad readership and should be written in an accessible, non-technical style. Figures and diagrams are encouraged, but are not a requirement. Commentaries are typically no longer than 1,500 words, though preferably shorter, and include up to 15 references. Article titles are omitted from the reference list.

Commentaries may be peer-reviewed at the editors' discretion.

Books & Arts

The Books & Arts section of Nature Climate Change publishes timely reviews of books, art exhibitions or other cultural resources on climate change. These pieces are generally limited to one page in the journal. Reviews and articles in this section are usually commissioned, though unsolicited contributions from academics and journalists are welcome, as are suggestions for appropriate titles and events to review. To be considered for review, books must be sent at least 3 months prior to publication to the editor of Nature Climate Change at The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London N1 9XW.

Features and News Features

These sections are written and commissioned by the journal editors. They do not contain unsolicited material. We are, however, keen to accept freelance pitches of exclusive stories, particularly conference coverage from locations where we do not have staff, or reports from interesting field work. As well as covering physical climate science, we are especially keen to accept pitches for features on the societal impacts of climate change and on social sciences research.

All of our features are written with a lively, proactive tone, using language that is clear even to readers for whom English is not their native tongue. Stories should be accessible to those with a general interest and background in science — this means someone with a degree in atmospheric science should be able to understand, and be interested by, a story about sociology.

For details on how to pitch to Nature Climate Change, contact nclimate@nature.com.