ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION vs NATURE: Which Should You Submit To?

Nature's impact factor is 48.5 (2024 JCR), while Angewandte Chemie is 16.9 (2024 JCR). Nature is 2.9 times higher. Nature ranks 2nd globally across all sciences; Angewandte Chemie ranks 15th among chemistry journals. Nature sits at the absolute apex of academic publishing. Angewandte Chemie is a top-tier chemistry journal—an elite venue in its own right, but not at Nature's level of prestige.

For career impact: publishing in Nature is career-defining and carries the highest prestige. Publishing in Angewandte Chemie is a major achievement in chemistry and will significantly strengthen your CV. The prestige gap between them is real but not as large as the gap between Angewandte Chemie and lower-tier chemistry journals.

Nature accepts only papers representing major conceptual advances or paradigm shifts across all sciences. The question is explicit: "Will this fundamentally reshape the field?" Approximately 94% of submissions are rejected, often without peer review. Nature editors are gatekeepers with extraordinarily high bars.

Angewandte Chemie has a high bar focused on chemistry excellence. Angewandte Chemie accepts papers representing significant chemical breakthroughs—novel reactions, catalysts, materials, and chemical understanding—that advance the field. The question is: "Does this represent a groundbreaking chemical advance?" A paper does not need to be a paradigm shift across all sciences; it needs to be groundbreaking within chemistry. Approximately 90-93% of submissions are rejected.

In practice: a discovery of a new catalytic transformation that enables previously inaccessible reactions would be excellent for Angewandte Chemie and might work at Nature if it has broad implications beyond chemistry. A new synthetic strategy that revolutionizes how chemists approach certain problems is Angewandte Chemie material and unlikely to interest Nature (unless it has major biomedical applications). A fundamental breakthrough about chemical bonding or reactivity that changes how all chemists think about molecular systems would be strong for both but would likely favor Nature.

Nature: ~6% acceptance rate. Extremely selective.

Angewandte Chemie: ~8% acceptance rate in current Manusights canonical data. Still selective, but materially more accessible than Nature.

Your odds are meaningfully better at Angewandte Chemie than at Nature, especially if the work is excellent chemistry but not broad enough to reshape multiple fields.

Nature: 7 days median to first decision on the current Nature journal information page.

Angewandte Chemie: Desk decision within 2-3 weeks. Peer review typically 4-6 weeks if desk-reviewed. Total: 1.5-3 months on average. Angewandte Chemie is generally faster than Nature, particularly on initial editorial assessment.

If publication speed is a consideration, Nature's triage step is actually very fast; the real difference is whether the paper survives to a longer peer-review cycle.

Nature: Articles are typically 6-8 pages (including figures and methods). Extreme conciseness required.

Angewandte Chemie: Articles are typically 8-12 pages. Allows more space for experimental detail and characterization while maintaining focus.

If your work requires extensive synthesis procedures, characterization data, or mechanistic detail, Angewandte Chemie's format is more accommodating than Nature's. Both require clarity and conciseness, but Angewandte Chemie permits slightly more depth.

Nature: Subscription model. No APC required for subscription publication.

Angewandte Chemie: Subscription model by default. Open access available for an APC of approximately $2,800–3,200.

Both journals are subscription-based and cost authors nothing upfront. If open access is needed, Angewandte Chemie offers it for a standard APC.

Nature editors are highly selective gatekeepers. Most rejections happen at the desk stage without peer review. If your paper passes editorial screening, peer review is rigorous. Reviewer feedback is typically brief and focused on confirming significance.

Angewandte Chemie editors are chemistry experts who are slightly more inclusive than Nature's editors. More papers go to peer review at Angewandte Chemie than at Nature. Reviewer feedback tends to be detailed and constructive, even for papers that are ultimately rejected. You're more likely to receive actionable comments.

Paradigm-shifting discovery with implications across sciences: Try Nature first. If your chemistry work will reshape biology or medicine or physics, Nature is the appropriate target. Angewandte Chemie is your backup if Nature rejects.

Groundbreaking chemical discovery with impact primarily in chemistry: Angewandte Chemie is the better target. Your work doesn't need to appeal to non-chemists; it needs to be excellent chemistry. You have slightly better odds than Nature (~7-9% vs 6%) and are judged by chemistry standards specifically.

Novel synthetic strategy, catalyst, or materials discovery: Angewandte Chemie is the logical home. These are classic Angewandte Chemie papers. Nature will likely desk-reject unless your discovery has implications beyond chemistry (e.g., enables a new drug class or materials technology).

Mechanistic breakthrough or fundamental chemical insight: Angewandte Chemie for work that's important to the chemistry community. Nature if the insight reshapes understanding across scientific disciplines.

Looking for slightly better publication odds: Angewandte Chemie edges out Nature. Your odds are better at Angewandte Chemie (~7-9% vs 6%) if the work is excellent chemistry.

Seeking faster publication: Angewandte Chemie is typically 3-4 weeks faster from submission to decision than Nature.

Common approach: If you believe your chemistry work is paradigm-shifting, submit to Nature first. If Nature desk-rejects (likely), immediately submit to Angewandte Chemie. Use any feedback from Nature to strengthen your Angewandte Chemie submission if possible. The chemistry community will recognize and value Angewandte Chemie publication.

Alternatively, if you're confident the work is groundbreaking chemistry but uncertain about paradigm-shifting status, go directly to Angewandte Chemie. You'll receive a fair evaluation and likely detailed reviewer feedback.

Angewandte Chemie and Nature are both elite journals serving different scopes. Nature is the absolute pinnacle of prestige, requiring paradigm-shifting discovery with broad impact. Angewandte Chemie is a top-tier chemistry journal, requiring groundbreaking chemistry. Both will significantly strengthen your CV. Publishing in Angewandte Chemie is a prestigious achievement in chemistry—not a fallback option. The choice depends on whether your work transcends chemistry (Nature) or is groundbreaking primarily for chemists (Angewandte Chemie).

In most cases, excellent chemistry belongs at Angewandte Chemie. Reserve Nature submissions for work with genuinely broad interdisciplinary impact.