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Nature Human Behaviour

Nature Human Behaviour publishes research, reviews, analysis, comments, perspectives, research briefings and related content on human behaviour across a broad interdisciplinary readership.

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Subject Neurosciences
Impact Factor 15.9
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Hybrid
ISSN 2397-3374
eISSN 2397-3374
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Article Processing Charge (APC) applies for Open Access articles.

Submission Instructions

Nature Human Behaviour accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Article

Cover Letter A cover letter must be included with the submission. Cover letter should explain the importance of the work, explain its suitability for a diverse readership, disclose any related manuscripts under consideration or in press elsewhere, and state whether there were prior discussions with an editor about the work.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must be unreferenced and must not exceed 150 words. Abstract must be unstructured.
Manuscript Main text must not exceed 5,000 words excluding the abstract, Methods, references, and figure legends. Manuscript must be divided into Introduction, Results, Discussion, and Methods, with the Introduction presented without a heading, topical subheadings in Results and Methods, and no subheadings in Discussion.
References References must be numerical. References must be numbered sequentially and include the titles of cited articles, with only one publication per reference.
Figures & Tables Display items are limited to 8 figures and/or tables. Tables must be included at the end of the text document.
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Registered Report

Cover Letter A cover letter is required for Registered Report submissions, with Stage 1 specifically requiring a brief cover letter and Stage 2 requiring confirmations about archived materials and protocol registration. Stage 1 cover letters must include a brief scientific case, confirmation that necessary support is in place, confirmation that data collection will not start until acceptance in principle, an anticipated study timeline, agreement to share raw data/materials/code/laboratory log with any restrictions explained, agreement to register the approved protocol, and agreement to publication of a short summary if the paper is later withdrawn.
Abstract A Stage 2 abstract is required. The Stage 2 abstract must be no more than 150 words. The Stage 2 abstract must be unstructured and unreferenced.
Manuscript The Stage 2 main text must be up to 5,000 words excluding the abstract, Methods, references and figure legends. Stage 2 submissions must be divided into Introduction, Results, Discussion and Methods, with the Introduction presented without a heading, topical subheadings in Results and Methods, and no subheadings in Discussion. Manuscripts must include separate sections entitled Data availability and Code availability, and Stage 2 manuscripts must also contain a standalone Protocol Registration section with the approved Stage 1 protocol link.
References References must be numerical. References must be numbered sequentially in the order Main Text, Methods, Data Availability section, Tables, Figure Legends, Box and Extended Data Figures, with only one publication given for each reference.
Figures & Tables Stage 2 display items are limited to 8 figures and/or tables. Tables must be included at the end of the text document.
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Resource

Cover Letter A cover letter must be included with the submission. Cover letter should explain the importance of the work, why it is appropriate for a diverse readership, disclose related manuscripts under consideration or in press elsewhere, and state whether there have been prior discussions with an editor about the work.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must be no more than 150 words. Abstract must be unstructured and unreferenced.
Manuscript Main text must be up to 5,000 words excluding the abstract, online Methods, references, and figure legends. Manuscript must be divided into Introduction, Results, Discussion, and Methods, with the Introduction presented without a heading, Results and Methods divided by topical subheadings, and Discussion containing no subheadings.
References References must be numerical. References must be numbered sequentially in the order of Main Text, Methods, Data Availability Section, Tables, Figure Legends, Box, and Extended Data Figures, with only one publication given for each reference.
Figures & Tables Display items are limited to 8 figures and/or tables. Tables must be included at the end of the text document.
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Review

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter should explain the importance of the work, why it is appropriate for a diverse readership, disclose any related manuscripts under consideration or in press elsewhere, and state whether there have been prior discussions with an editor about the work.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript Review main text must be 4,000–5,000 words. Review submissions must be narrative reviews only and should not include original unpublished research findings beyond minimal new supporting data.
References Review references typically include approximately 150 references, including approximately 30–40 primary research papers published in the last 3 years. TeX/LaTeX submissions must use numerical references only for citations. References must be numbered sequentially and titles of cited articles are required in the reference list.
Figures & Tables Tables must be included at the end of the text document, and complex tables can be submitted as a separate Excel file. Review illustrations are strongly encouraged.
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Correspondence

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain the importance of the work, explain its appropriateness for a diverse readership, disclose any related manuscripts under consideration or in press elsewhere, and state whether there were prior discussions with an editor about the work.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript Correspondence must be no more than 800 words.
References References must be limited to 10. Reference list entries must omit article titles.
Figures & Tables Display items must be limited to 1. Tables must be included at the end of the text document, and complex tables can be submitted as a separate Excel file.
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Matters Arising

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Submission should indicate if an attempt to contact the original authors was unsuccessful and any correspondence should be attached and clearly labelled 'Correspondence with the Nature Human Behaviour authors'.
Abstract A brief opening paragraph is required and serves as the abstract for submission purposes. Abstract must consist of a brief unstructured opening paragraph.
Manuscript Main text should be as concise as possible and ideally not exceed 1,200 words. Contribution must begin with a brief paragraph summarizing the message without specialized terminology for a non-specialist readership. Manuscript must include competing interests and author contributions statements.
References Contribution may include up to 15 references. References must follow the style used for Articles.
Figures & Tables Contribution should ideally require only one or two small figures or tables, and complex figures or tables may be presented as Extended Data items with ideally no more than three such items. Figures submitted at submission should be of sufficient quality to be assessed by referees, ideally as JPEGs.
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Recent Publications

Social technology use and life satisfaction in a five-wave panel study of US adults

Kostadin Kushlev, Kibum Moon, Matt Motyl, Nathanael J. Fast, Juliana Schroeder

10.1038/s41562-026-02564-8
View Publication

Mentalizing and heuristics as distinct cognitive strategies in human teaching

Sevan K. Harootonian, Thomas L. Griffiths, Yael Niv, Mark K. Ho

10.1038/s41562-026-02540-2
View Publication

Educational interventions are effective in improving students’ ethical and moral outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Geetanjali Basarkod, Liana S. Cahill, Adam Burston, David Barnett, John Mahoney, Shantell Griffith, Ghassani Swaryandini, Emma L. Bradshaw, Emma K. Devine, Md Akhtaruzzaman, Theresa Dicke, Matti Wilks, Peter Slattery, Alexander K. Saeri, Emily A. C. Grundy, Chris Lonsdale, Herbert W. Marsh, Suzanne K. Chambers, Michael Noetel

10.1038/s41562-026-02456-x
View Publication

Public perceptions of polygenic testing and embryo selection for non-medical traits

Edmond Awad, Clara Colombatto, Joanna Demaree-Cotton, Brian D. Earp, Jim A. C. Everett, Peng Liu, G. Owen Schaefer, Ilina Singh, Dominic Wilkinson, Julian Savulescu

10.1038/s41562-026-02562-w
View Publication

Ongoing thoughts at rest reflect functional brain organization and behaviour

Jin Ke, Taylor A. Chamberlain, Hayoung Song, Anna Corriveau, Ziwei Zhang, Taysha Martinez, Laura Sams, Marvin M. Chun, Yuan Chang Leong, Monica D. Rosenberg

10.1038/s41562-026-02563-9
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

Median submission to first editorial decision is 6 days. Median submission to acceptance is 252 days.

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Is a cover letter required?

A cover letter is expected for revised manuscripts when additional information is requested by the editors.

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What are the publication costs?

Open Access publication requires payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC). Primary research articles can be published either through the traditional subscription route or Open Access; non-primary research is not eligible for Open Access.

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Research Topics

Neural dynamics and brain function Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation Misinformation and Its Impacts Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies Mental Health Research Topics Genetic Associations and Epidemiology Behavioral Health and Interventions Functional Brain Connectivity Studies Cultural Differences and Values Social and Intergroup Psychology Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics Language and cultural evolution COVID-19 epidemiological studies scientometrics and bibliometrics research Cognitive Abilities and Testing Visual perception and processing mechanisms Child and Animal Learning Development Memory and Neural Mechanisms Face Recognition and Perception Health disparities and outcomes Health and Medical Research Impacts Social Media and Politics Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

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