Angewandte Chemie vs Nature Communications

Angewandte Chemie International Edition (IF 16.6) and Nature Communications (IF 16.6) have identical impact factors—yet they reach different audiences and carry different signals.

Angewandte Chemie is Wiley's flagship chemistry journal, based in Germany, with a century-plus history as European chemistry's premier venue. The journal publishes across all chemistry subfields. Angewandte Chemie is where chemists publish for chemists.

Nature Communications is multidisciplinary—chemistry sits alongside biology, physics, materials science. When a chemistry paper appears in Nature Communications, it competes for space with breakthroughs in immunology, condensed matter physics, and ecology.

With matching IFs, the choice comes down to audience and positioning. Same prestige; different communities.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Why Impact Factors Are the Same but Prestige Differs

Angewandte Chemie (IF 16.6) and Nature Communications (IF 16.6) have identical impact factors because they're both publishing high-quality, frequently cited research. The difference isn't quality—it's audience composition.

Angewandte Chemie's 16.6 IF reflects citations from chemists, primarily. Nature Communications' 16.6 IF reflects citations from chemists, biologists, physicists, and materials scientists. Same impact factor; different citation ecosystems.

For chemists, Angewandte Chemie publication is the stronger career signal. For researchers optimizing for reach across disciplines, Nature Communications feels more natural.

Angewandte Chemie: Chemistry's International Home

Angewandte Chemie International Edition has been publishing chemistry since the early 1900s. It's the German chemistry community's flagship journal, and over time became the international venue for chemistry.

The journal publishes all areas of chemistry: organic synthesis, catalysis, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, analytical methods, materials chemistry. Angewandte Chemie is where chemists compete for the highest bar within chemistry.

Desk rejection is lower (~10% vs. Nature Communications' ~30%), meaning if your chemistry is technically sound, it likely reaches peer review.

Nature Communications: Chemistry Among All Sciences

Nature Communications publishes chemistry, but in competition with biology, physics, and other fields. A chemistry paper in Nature Communications competes for prestige alongside a Cell Biology breakthrough or a physics discovery.

For pure chemistry research, this is a disadvantage. Angewandte Chemie positions chemistry as the main event. Nature Communications positions it as one scientific advance among many.

For chemistry with clear implications outside chemistry (drug discovery with therapeutic impact, catalysis enabling new materials), Nature Communications' multidisciplinary framing is actually beneficial.