Nature Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

Nature describes the print-space budget for Articles. Physical-sciences papers do not normally exceed six pages on average; biological, clinical, and social-sciences papers do not normally exceed eight. The editor decides final print length.

Source: Nature formatting guide, Articles and Text, checked October 8, 2026. These are examples, not guaranteed allowances.

A composite figure that needs half a page leaves less room for prose than a modest display item. The useful decision is therefore not “Can I fit six numbered figures?” It is “Will the main argument, readable figures, and legends fit the length the editor expects?” Keep essential evidence in the Article; move technical detail to Methods or suitable Extended Data rather than shrinking labels until they cannot be read.

Nature says Articles typically have no more than 50 main-text references as a guideline, if needed and within the page budget. Additional Methods or Supplementary Information references are not included in that guideline. The old blanket advice to cut an Article to 30 references was wrong.

An Article starts with a fully referenced summary paragraph, ideally no more than 200 words, written for readers outside the discipline. Nature describes a progression from field context to rationale, the main conclusion, and its broader meaning. This is not a requirement to write a citation-free 150-word technical abstract and a second non-specialist summary.

For the final Article text, Nature specifies this sequence:

1. Title, authors, affiliations, and the bold opening summary paragraph.
2. Main text and main references.
3. Tables, then figure legends.
4. Online-only Methods and Methods references, including data and code availability statements at the end of Methods.
5. Acknowledgements, funding, author contributions, competing interests, additional information, and Extended Data legends.

Sources: Nature formatting guide and final-submission instructions, checked October 8, 2026.

The easily missed correction is figure legends before Methods in the final text. At initial submission, Nature encourages authors to put each figure legend with its figure in the review file. These are different stages, not contradictory instructions. The Methods section itself should contain enough information to interpret and replicate the results; Nature describes about 3,000 words as a typical guideline, not a separate universal hard cap.

For initial review, Nature encourages manuscript text and figures in one Word or PDF file of up to 30 MB, with figures placed in the text or grouped at the end and legends with their figures. It asks authors to include line numbers. If necessary, separate image files can be supplied. There is no requirement to upload a single PDF produced from a particular template.

For accepted-in-principle work, production-quality print figures and Extended Data files are separate from the final text file. Nature's final-submission guide prefers editable vector artwork for line drawings; photographic images need at least 300 dpi at the largest intended size. RGB is recommended for colour art. Its standard figure widths are 89 mm for one column and 183 mm for two. These final artwork specifications should not be presented as mandatory checks on an initial review PDF.

Extended Data figures and tables support the Article online; they are not a way to hide evidence needed to understand the main claim. Supplementary Information is separate peer-reviewed material suited to another format or too extensive for print. Nature's Supplementary Information instructions say sound/video files and combined PDFs can be up to 30 MB each, with a 150 MB cumulative maximum. The previously stated 50 MB-per-file limit was incorrect. Check the current file-type and size rules before upload.

For source data, unprocessed gel and blot images, and a pre-upload decision matrix for each figure, see Nature figure guidelines.

At initial submission, choose a review file the editor and referees can read. Nature encourages one Word or PDF file; it does not say a PDF is mandatory. At final submission, Nature prefers Word for text. If you wrote in TeX/LaTeX, Nature asks for the source and an accompanying PDF and converts the text to Word after acceptance. It permits standard class files rather than requiring one specific Springer Nature class. Our Nature LaTeX template guide covers that workflow separately.

Number references in the order they appear. Nature uses superscript reference numbers in text and has further production instructions for citation fields and reference files in its final-submission guide. Don't spend the first submission typesetting every reference to final house style while a missing control or unclear central claim remains unresolved.

A cover letter is optional, according to Nature's initial-submission page. If you include one, use it to explain the work's importance and fit or to disclose confidential information to the editor, rather than repeating the abstract. A presubmission enquiry is also optional, not a prerequisite to submit.

This is Manusights' decision framework, not a claim that we have observed Nature's private editorial decisions. It prioritizes comprehension and evidence while using the correct requirements for the correct stage. If you want a manuscript-specific check, review the Nature submission package.

• Nature submission process explains the editorial stages rather than this page's file rules.
• Nature submission guide covers scope and submission decisions.
• Nature formatting guide: Article length, summary, references, figure layout, and Methods order; checked October 8, 2026.
• Nature initial submission: flexible first-file format and optional cover letter; checked October 8, 2026.
• Nature final submission: final text and production artwork; checked October 8, 2026.
• Nature Supplementary Information: file categories and sizes; checked October 8, 2026.