News

Collections in the spotlight: Nature Portfolio

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June 20, 2024

Nature Portfolio is a fundamental part of the Library’s collection. We've gathered data on how frequently WUR researchers read these journals and how often they publish in them. We’ve also asked WUR researchers about their experiences with the editorial process of Nature portfolio journals.

What is special about Nature Portfolio?

  • Nature Portfolio is part of Springer Nature, a leading global publisher of scholarly content. Nature Portfolio was previously known as the Nature Publishing Group. WUR Library also provides access to thousands of other journals from Springer Nature. Together with Elsevier and Wiley, this is one of our most important publishers. This article focuses on Nature Portfolio.
  • The flagship publication of Nature Portfolio is the journal Nature. Nature was first published in London in 1869.
  • The journals in Nature Portfolio are renowned for their rigorous peer-review process, high-impact factors, and influential contributions to scientific research.

To which journals do we have access?

Our library has ongoing subscriptions to 27 of these journals (see complete list below) plus access to all the Open Access journals. As of January 2024, there are 39 hybrid journals and 57 fully Open Access journals within the portfolio, including the journal Scientific Reports, the npj series (nature partner journals) and the Communications Journals.

Additionally, we have access to some of these journals through other databases like Lexis Nexis and Ovid. To see if you can access a specific journal or article, search for the journal's title or the ISSN in WUR Library Search .

What are the user statistics of the Nature Portfolio at WUR?

Nature is by far the most-read journal within the WUR. From May 2023 until May 2024 it was viewed or downloaded around 81,000 times. Other popular journals from Nature Portfolio are Nature Food, Nature Plant, Nature Climate Change, and Nature Biotechnology Each of these journals was viewed or downloaded over 12,000 times last year.

Over the last three years (2021-2023), WUR authors have published the most in the following Nature journals:

  • Nature Communications, 96 publications
  • Nature Food, 55 publications
  • Nature 51, publications

(Data are derived from WUR’s Research Information System.)

WUR Library doesn’t currently have agreements for covering the APC costs of publishing open access in Nature Portfolio journals. However, we do have other agreements to cover APC costs for other Springer Nature journals not included in the Nature Portfolio. To find out if we have an agreement for a specific journal, you can use the WUR Journal Browser.

WUR researchers’ experiences of the editorial process

We’ve asked two WUR authors of recent articles in Nature portfolio journals about their experiences with the Nature portfolio editorial process.

Distinguished professor emeritus Willem de Vos from the Microbiology group recently published in Nature Microbiology. See: De Vos, W.M., Nguyen Trung, M., Davids, M.et al.Phytate metabolism is mediated by microbial cross-feeding in the gut microbiota.Nat Microbiol(2024). https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.1038/s41564-024-01698-7

He reflects: “Over the years, the submission and review process has become more transparent at Nature journals. However, it helps to have a good relationship with editors by reviewing yourself, for example. You can learn a lot from such a review process, also, many reviews are now available online, which is a good learning process."

Just be aware that publishing in high-impact journals can sometimes take a long time (e.g. if more experimental support is needed) and for PhD studies, this is not always possible. And you may also be scooped because novelty and impact are also important. One tip is to submit a pre-submission inquiry so that you hear relatively quickly whether the study is suitable for a journal.
Willem de Vos

Professor Gert-Jan Nabuurs from the Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, recently co-authored an article in Nature communications. See: Zou, Y., Zohner, C.M., Averill, C.et al. Positive feedbacks and alternative stable states in forest leaf types.Nat Commun15, 4658 (2024). https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.1038/s41467-024-48676-5

His experiences with this and other Nature journals, are positive: “The editors are experienced, responsive, and clear. My contact with them has always been positive."

Mind that editors do have quite a lot of control. They can strongly push certain messages from papers to generate media attention. So, it’s wise to be on the alert for that
Gert-Jan Nabuurs

List of subscribed journals from the Nature Portfolio

  1. Journal of Human Genetics
  2. International Journal of Obesity
  3. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
  4. Heredity
  5. Nature Plants
  6. Nature Cell Biology
  7. Nature Climate Change
  8. Nature Ecology & Evolution
  9. Nature Geoscience
  10. Nature Materials
  11. Nature Microbiology
  12. Nature Nanotechnology
  13. Nature Reviews Genetics
  14. Nature Reviews Immunology
  15. Nature Reviews Microbiology
  16. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
  17. Nature
  18. Nature Biotechnology
  19. Nature Genetics
  20. Nature Immunology
  21. Nature Medicine
  22. Nature Methods
  23. Nature Neuroscience
  24. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
  25. Nature Protocols
  26. Nature Sustainability
  27. Nature Food