Editorials in 2020

The publication of a paper on mentorship, now retracted, led us to reflect on our editorial processes and strengthened our determination in supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in research.

Subduction is the primary driver of plate tectonics, yet we still do not fully understand how subduction zones initiate or the budgets of life-supporting elements recycled via subduction. At Nature Communications, we advocate for more transdisciplinary initiatives and collaborative projects, which are essential if we are to continue to bring new dynamics to subduction research.

Lessons learnt from the current pandemic will be invaluable to tackle a potential second wave, however, gaps remain in our readiness to face future pandemics. At Nature Communications we wish to support further research providing insights into how national and international systems could be shaped for increased preparedness to both local or global epidemics.

Computational chemistry methods with an optimal balance between predictive accuracy and computational cost hold major promise for accelerating the discovery of new molecules and materials. We at Nature Communications are eager to continue our engagement in this exciting and rapidly evolving field.

Coastal regions are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change. Preserving the ecological, economic and societal benefits of these environments will rely on synergy across disciplines.

The robustness of science is best revealed when independent investigations of the same problem arrive at similar conclusions. At Nature Communications, we commit to disregard from our editorial evaluation any competing works that are published while a submission to our journal is under review or under revision by the authors.

Nature Communications are pleased to announce that we are now considering Registered Reports for publication in the fields of cognitive neuroscience, human behaviour and psychology, as well as epidemiology.

Nature Communications encouraged rapid dissemination of results with the launch of Under Consideration in 2017. Today we take one more step by offering an integrated preprint deposition service to our authors as part of the submission process.

Nature Communications launched in April 2010 with the mission to publish significant advances in each field in a multidisciplinary venue. Ten years on, we reflect on our achievements and look at future challenges in a changing publishing landscape.