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Nature Mental Health

Nature Mental Health is a monthly online-only journal publishing original, peer-reviewed research from the breadth of sciences exploring mental health and mental health disorders.

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Subject Psychiatry
Impact Factor 8.7
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Hybrid
eISSN 2731-6076
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Article Processing Charge (APC) applies for open access articles.

Submission Instructions

Nature Mental Health accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Article

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter should explain the importance of the work, why it suits the journal’s diverse readership, disclose any related manuscripts under consideration or in press elsewhere, and state whether there were prior discussions with an editor.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must be up to 150 words. Abstract must be unstructured and unreferenced.
Manuscript Main text must be up to 3,000 words excluding abstract, methods, references, and figure or table captions, and the Methods section must not exceed 3,000 words. Manuscript must include an Introduction without a heading followed by separate Results and Discussion sections or a combined Results and discussion section, with an optional Conclusions section at the end. Methods must be subdivided by topical subheadings as appropriate, the Methods section cannot contain figures or tables, use of a large language model must be documented in Methods or another suitable manuscript section, and supplementary information may be included.
References References are typically recommended up to 50. References must be numbered sequentially in citation order, include only one publication per reference, and include the titles of cited articles.
Figures & Tables Display items are limited to 6 figures and/or tables, and a maximum of 10 Extended Data display items is permitted. Tables must be included at the end of the text document, and the Methods section cannot contain figures or tables. All figures must be cited in sequence in the main text, and each figure legend must include a brief title and a short description of each panel cited in sequence.
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Analysis

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter should explain the importance of the work and its suitability for the journal’s broad readership, disclose related manuscripts under consideration or in press elsewhere, and state any prior discussions with an editor.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must be 100–150 words. Abstract must be unstructured and unreferenced.
Manuscript Main text must be up to 4,000 words excluding the abstract, online Methods, references and figure legends. Manuscript must include an Introduction without a heading and sections headed Results, Discussion and Online Methods, with topical subheadings in Results and Online Methods but no subheadings in the Discussion. Use of a large language model must be documented in the Methods section or, if no Methods section is available, in another suitable part of the manuscript.
References References are typically recommended up to 50. References must be numerical. References must be numbered sequentially in the order of main text, Methods, tables, figure legends, boxes and Extended Data figures, with only one publication listed 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. All figures must be cited sequentially in the main text.
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Review

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter should explain the importance of the work, why it suits the journal’s diverse readership, disclose related manuscripts under consideration or in press elsewhere, and state any prior discussions with an editor.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must be no more than 150 words. Abstract must be unstructured and unreferenced.
Manuscript Main text must be no more than 6,000 words, excluding the abstract, references, figure or table captions, and boxes. Manuscript must include Methods, and this article type must not include original previously unpublished research findings beyond minimal new supporting data. Use of a large language model must be documented in the Methods section or, if no Methods section is available, in another suitable part of the manuscript.
References References must not exceed 100. References must be numbered sequentially in citation order, only one publication may be given for each reference, and titles of cited articles are required.
Figures & Tables Display items must not exceed 8 in total across figures, tables, and boxes. Tables must be included at the end of the text document, although complex tables may be submitted as a separate Excel file. All figures must be cited in sequence in the main text and each figure legend must include a brief title and short description of each panel.
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Correspondence

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter should explain the importance of the work, why it suits the journal’s diverse readership, disclose related manuscripts under consideration or in press elsewhere, and state any prior discussions with an editor.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript Manuscript length must be 300–800 words. Correspondence must not include original previously unpublished research findings and may contain only minimal new supporting data. Use of a large language model must be documented in the Methods section or, if no Methods section is available, in another suitable part of the manuscript.
References References are limited to 10. References must be numbered sequentially in citation order, with article titles omitted from the reference list and only one publication listed per reference.
Figures & Tables Display items are limited to 1. Tables must be included at the end of the text document, while complex tables may be submitted as a separate Excel file.
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Recent Publications

Modeling how autistic and non-autistic groups learn about their own and each other’s preferences

Shannon Cahalan, Raphael Perla, Sophia Block, Mikaila Loughlin, Christoph W. Korn, Gabriela Rosenblau

10.1038/s44220-026-00650-4
View Publication

Multiscale heterogeneity of atypical functional connectivity in autism

Iva Ilioska, Marianne Oldehinkel, Alberto Llera, Maroš Rovný, Ting Mei, Seyed Mostafa Kia, Dorothea L. Floris, Julian Tillmann, Rosemary J. Holt, Eva Loth, Tony Charman, Declan G. M. Murphy, Christine Ecker, Tobias Banaschewski, Maarten Mennes, Christian F. Beckmann, Andre Marquand, Jan K. Buitelaar, Alex Fornito

10.1038/s44220-026-00656-y
View Publication

The association between autistic traits and trajectories of anxiety in middle-aged and older adults: an 8-year growth mixture model analysis

Aphrodite Eshetu, Saloni Ghai, Anne Corbett, Clive Ballard, Adam Hampshire, Elizabeth O’Nions, William Mandy, Joshua Stott, Amber John, Gavin R. Stewart

10.1038/s44220-026-00654-0
View Publication

A systematic review and meta-analysis of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for autism spectrum disorder

Yunhao Gu, Mia Fox, Di Zhao

10.1038/s44220-026-00652-2
View Publication

Intersecting trajectories of childhood ADHD, socioeconomic deprivation and distinct multimorbidity patterns in women

Naomi Wilson, Kirstie O’Hare, Helen Minnis, Michael Fleming, Ian Kelleher, Ruchika Gajwani

10.1038/s44220-026-00653-1
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

Median 20 days from submission to first editorial decision and median 232 days from submission to acceptance.

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Is a cover letter required?

A cover letter is required for revised manuscripts when requested by the editors and should provide any additional information requested by the editors.

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What are the publication costs?

Primary research articles may be published open access with an Article Processing Charge (APC); traditional publication is also available. Non-primary research is not eligible for open access.

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Research Topics

Functional Brain Connectivity Studies Mental Health Research Topics Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Tryptophan and brain disorders Schizophrenia research and treatment Health disparities and outcomes Mental Health Treatment and Access Suicide and Self-Harm Studies Digital Mental Health Interventions Treatment of Major Depression Resilience and Mental Health Genetic Associations and Epidemiology Climate Change and Health Impacts Mental Health and Psychiatry Psychedelics and Drug Studies Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Stress Responses and Cortisol Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research Autism Spectrum Disorder Research COVID-19 and Mental Health Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

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