Archive by category | Author services

End of the line for print journals?

Are the days of print journals numbered — and if they are, what will that mean for how we interact with the scientific literature? These questions are asked in Nature Chemistry‘s September Editorial (1, 421; 2009). The Editorial is sparked by The American Chemical Society’s announcement that, with the exception of the Journal of the American Chemical Society and two review journals, “ACS titles publishing primary research will be printed in a landscape fashion that puts two article pages side-by-side on a single physical page. These changes are accompanied by new pricing schemes that will eliminate discounts for hardcopy journals, while offering subscribers incentives to upgrade from print to digital formats.” This is inevitably seen by several observers as a precursor to eliminating the print editions of these journals.  Read more

Nature Medicine podcast

The Nature Medicine Podcast reports on cutting-edge news in biomedical research from around the globe, featuring interviews with experts and a review of the advances that scientists hope to translate from bench to bedside. Tune into the podcast to learn about breakthroughs and policy developments in medical research. The presenter, Molly Webster, began her broadcasting career at National Public Radio’s Science Friday, where she is still a guest producer. She also creates shows for The Takeaway, a radio production spearheaded by Public Radio International, and writes for various scientific and environmental magazines and journals.  Read more

Nature Methods announces online methods

Nature Methods follows in the footsteps of Nature by ushering in an online methods section, fully integrated with the paper, for all original research articles. Details of the service described in the journal’s current (May) Editorial (Nature Methods 6, 313; 2009), and the editors welcome comments on the service at Methagora, the Nature Methods blog.  Read more

NPG’s press office: a service to authors and the public

Nature Structural and Molecular Biology provides some insight about Nature Publishing Group’s press office in its April Editorial (Nature Structural and Molecular Biology 16, 345; 2009), in particular how it assists authors to help make the general public more aware of the breakthroughs and insights provided by basic science research.  Read more

Cell Death and Differentiation special issue on mechanisms

The journal Cell Death and Differentiation has a special issue on cell death mechanisms this month (16 (3), March 2009), containing an Editorial and three Reviews which are free to access online, as well as a collection of original research papers. From the introduction to the issue: “Although cell death occurs in many different ways, it uses several common and evolutionarily conserved mechanisms. These control distinct forms of cell demise ranging from necrosis and excitotoxicity to autophagy and apoptosis. This review series comprises state-of the art reviews, which summarise our knowledge of basic mechanisms of cell death in a context of different pathological processes. Articles, written by the leaders in the field, present a comprehensive picture of cell-death routines and their role in shaping diseases. This collection of papers should serve as a key resource to researchers in cell biology, neurobiology, oncology, biochemistry and pharmacology.”  … Read more

NSMB Web Focus on splicing

Splicing describes the removal of introns from pre-messenger RNAs to form messenger RNAs, and is carried out by a large complex, the spliceosome. This processing can have a profound effect on the regulation and number of gene products encoded by the genome. In addition, mutations in key components of the splicing machinery, as well as dysfunction of alternative splicing regulators, have been associated with disease, a new Nature Structural and Molecular Biology (NSMB) Web Focus on splicing, free to access online, compiles recent papers that have elucidated the organization, structure and regulation of spliceosomal components, thus shedding light on the mechanistic heart of splicing. An accompanying NPG library highlights recent insights into splicing and the regulation and impact of alternative splicing.  Read more

Happy birthday to, and thank you from, Nature Geoscience

One year has passed since Nature Geoscience presented its first issue to the public, yet for the journal’s editors the excitement of seeing each monthly issue composed in print and online has not worn off. They are delighted to note the public’s interest in the geosciences: “even the James Bond villain now deals in water, not nuclear weapons, and our articles have been reported in outlets ranging from the Metro (a free London newspaper) to the New York Times.  Read more

Web focus on adolescent medicine

The journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics presents Adolescent Medicine, a free web focus that compiles important articles on topics pertinent to adolescents, conditions that afflict them, and strategies for management. Adolescence is a period of accelerated growth and change, bridging the metamorphosis from childhood to adulthood. In addition to physical maturation, adolescents experience psychological maturation, which affects behaviour, patterns of learning, and the adaptation to adult abilities of cognition. Throughout this transition, challenges arise that carry the potential for negative long-term health impact. Examples include the onset of obesity associated with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome; sexual experimentation and an increased incidence of sexually transmitted disease; initiation of cigarette smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse; and reduced adherence to treatment regimens for chronic diseases that have an onset in childhood.  Read more