Nature Communications Impact Factor 2025: Current JIF and Submission Context
Targeting Nature Communications?
See scope, acceptance rate, submission tips, and what editors actually want.
Nature Communications has a Journal Impact Factor of 15.7 in JCR 2024. That's the number you'll see referenced as "Nature Communications impact factor 2025" since JCR 2024 data is released in mid-2025 and remains current through 2026.
Quick Numbers
Metric | Value |
|---|---|
Impact Factor (JCR 2024) | 15.7 |
5-Year Impact Factor | 16.6 |
Publisher | Springer Nature |
Open access | Fully open access |
APC | ~$6,290 |
Acceptance rate | ~25% |
Annual submissions | ~60,000 |
What 15.7 Means in Context
Nature Communications sits in a specific tier: above specialist journals like PNAS (IF 9.1) and Science Advances (IF 12.5), but well below the Nature flagship (48.5). It's the highest-impact fully open-access multidisciplinary journal.
Journal | IF | Key difference |
|---|---|---|
48.5 | Far more selective, requires breakthrough-level work | |
Nature Communications | 15.7 | Sound, significant science across all fields |
12.5 | AAAS family, slightly lower IF, similar scope | |
9.1 | Broad scope, member-track available | |
2.6 | Technical soundness only, much lower bar |
IF Trend Over Time
Nature Communications' IF has been remarkably stable:
- 2020: 14.9
- 2021: 17.7 (pandemic citation boost)
- 2022: 16.6
- 2023: 14.7
- 2024: 15.7
The 2021 spike reflected elevated citation rates during COVID-19 across many journals. The current 15.7 represents a return to the journal's natural range.
Should You Use IF to Pick Nature Communications?
IF tells you about the journal's aggregate citation performance. It doesn't tell you whether your specific paper belongs there.
Better questions to ask:
- Is your work significant but not necessarily groundbreaking? Nature Communications accepts strong science that doesn't require the "wow factor" of Nature or Science
- Do you need open access? If your funder mandates OA, Nature Communications is the highest-IF option in the Nature Portfolio
- Is your work multidisciplinary? Nature Communications' broad readership is an advantage for cross-field papers
- Can you afford the APC? At ~$6,290, the publication cost is substantial
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Target Nature Communications
Good fit:
- Solid multidisciplinary research with clear significance
- Papers rejected from Nature/Science that are still strong
- Work where open access reach matters (global health, ecology, public policy)
- Cross-field studies that don't fit neatly in a specialist journal
Think twice if:
- Your work is narrow and specialist — a focused journal may reach your actual audience better
- Budget constraints make the APC prohibitive
- You're chasing IF rather than fit — a well-matched specialist journal often yields better career returns
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