NR

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery is a journal covering drug discovery and development, featuring Reviews, Perspectives, Comments, News in Brief, Research Highlights and related analysis on therapeutics, targets, clinical trials, regulatory science and biopharma trends.

Looking to publish in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery? Livewrite integrates seamlessly with Word to help you write, edit, and format faster.

Try Livewrite Now
Subject Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Impact Factor 101.8
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Hybrid
ISSN 1474-1776
eISSN 1474-1784
Invitation Only Yes
Cost Range Subscription publication route only; no immediate gold open access publication option.

Submission Instructions

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery is an invitation-only journal. Submissions are accepted by invitation from the editorial board only. The following article types are accepted:

Review

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Manuscripts must include an unstructured abstract. The abstract should ideally be no more than 200 words. The abstract must be unstructured.
Manuscript The manuscript must include an introductory section without subheadings and end with a brief concluding summary section without subheadings, with no more than three levels of headings overall. The manuscript should include 4–6 key points of no more than 30 words each, and any use of a Large Language Model must be documented in the Methods section or another suitable section if no Methods section is available.
References References should be approximately 25 per 1,000 words. References must use Nature Reviews style. References must be cited sequentially as superscript numbers, listed in the order main text, tables, figures and then boxes, and references with six or more authors should list only the first author followed by 'et al.'.
Figures & Tables Display items are limited to 7 or fewer tables, figures and boxes in total. Tables must be provided as part of the article document, whereas tables containing graphical content must be provided as separate image files. Display items must be cited in the main text in order in the format (FIG. 1), tables must have a short title with all abbreviations defined, and figures must be fully labelled with legends that include a short title, describe all components, and define all abbreviations.
Reformat to Nature Reviews Drug Discovery using Livewrite Premium

Consensus Statement

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract An unstructured abstract is required. Abstract should ideally be a maximum of 200 words. Abstract must be unstructured. Abstract must contain no references or display item citations.
Manuscript Manuscript must begin with an introductory opening section without subheadings, include a brief Methods section describing methodology including search strategy, decision-making process, inclusion and/or exclusion criteria and stakeholder details where relevant, and end with a brief concluding summary section without subheadings. Competing interests must be declared within the manuscript, and any use of a Large Language Model must be documented in the Methods section or another suitable section if no Methods section is available.
References References must use Nature Reviews style. References must be cited as sequential superscript numbers and listed in the order of main text, tables, figures, and then boxes, with references of six or more authors listing only the first author followed by 'et al.'.
Figures & Tables No more than 7 display items comprising tables, figures and boxes are allowed. Tables must be provided as part of the article document, except tables containing graphical content, which must be provided as separate image files. Display items must be cited in the main text in order as (FIG. 1), tables and boxes must have short titles, tables must define all abbreviations, and each figure must be fully labelled with a brief legend of approximately 200 words including a short title, descriptions of all components, and definitions of all abbreviations.
Reformat to Nature Reviews Drug Discovery using Livewrite Premium

Evidence-Based Guidelines

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Manuscripts must include an unstructured abstract. Abstracts should ideally be a maximum of 200 words. The abstract must be unstructured.
Manuscript The manuscript must begin with an introduction without subheadings, include a Methods section describing methodology and stakeholders, and end with a brief concluding summary section without subheadings. Competing interests must be declared within the manuscript file, and any use of a Large Language Model must be documented in the Methods section or another suitable section if no Methods section is available.
References References should be approximately 25 per 1,000 words. References must use Nature Reviews style. References must be cited as sequential superscript numbers, listed in the order of main text, tables, figures, and boxes, and references with six or more authors should list only the first author followed by 'et al.'.
Figures & Tables No more than 7 display items, comprising tables, figures, and boxes, are allowed. Tables must be provided as part of the article document, while tables containing graphical content must be provided as separate image files. Display items must be cited in the main text in order as (FIG. 1), tables must have a short title with all abbreviations defined, figures must be fully labelled and accompanied by a brief legend of approximately 200 words, and boxes must have a short title.
Reformat to Nature Reviews Drug Discovery using Livewrite Premium

Correspondence

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript Main text must not exceed 500 words. The first paragraph must cite the original article and no more than two levels of headings are allowed. Competing interests must be declared within the text of the article, and any use of a Large Language Model must be documented in a suitable part of the manuscript if no Methods section is available.
References The article must contain no more than 10 references. References must use the Nature Reviews reference style. References must be cited as sequential superscript numbers, listed with only the first author followed by 'et al.' when there are six or more authors, and ordered by citation in the main text, tables, figures, and then boxes.
Figures & Tables Only one display item can be included. Tables and boxes must be provided as part of the article document, while tables containing graphical content must be provided as separate image files. Tables and boxes must have a short title, figures must be fully labelled with a short title and concise legend, table abbreviations must be defined, and tables must not include a legend.
Reformat to Nature Reviews Drug Discovery using Livewrite Premium

Comment

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript Comment articles are usually around 500–600 words or around 1,000–1,200 words. Comment articles may use only one level of heading. Comments must include a standfirst of no more than 50 words, and only one simple and concise display item may be included at the editor's discretion.
References Comments may include a maximum of 10 references. Comments must use Nature Reviews reference style. References must be cited as superscript numbers in sequential order through the main text, tables, figures, and then boxes, and references with six or more authors should list only the first author followed by 'et al.'.
Figures & Tables Only one simple and concise display item may be included, and a single display item or supplementary information may be included at the editor's discretion. Tables and boxes must be provided as part of the article document, while tables containing graphical content must be provided as separate image files. Tables must contain at least three columns of data and have a short title with no legend, while figures must be fully labelled with a short title and concise legend.
Reformat to Nature Reviews Drug Discovery using Livewrite Premium

Recent Publications

Inhibiting the integrated stress response restores cognition

Sarah Crunkhorn

10.1038/d41573-026-00066-w
View Publication

Cell surface SRC flags tumours

Alex Eccleston

10.1038/d41573-026-00065-x
View Publication

Safety considerations for cereblon-recruiting targeted protein degraders

Helen Garside, Amy Aslamkhan, Danette L. Daniels, Kaushik Datta, Mikael Egebjerg, Renee R. Hukkanen, Lyn H. Jones, Natalie Ketter, Tejas S. Lahoti, Lise I. Loberg, Davorka Messmer, Raegan O’Lone, Timothy Pastoor, Mira Pavkovic, Lucilia Pereira Mouriès, Zoran Rankovic, Aishwarya Rengarajan, Neil Vargesson, Axel Vicart, Ronald L. Wange, Gina Yanochko-Hoffman, Ruth Roberts, James Sidaway

10.1038/s41573-026-01426-2
View Publication

Target identification and assessment in the era of AI

Frank W. Pun, Dmitriy Podolskiy, Evgeny Izumchenko, Andrew Mortlock, Tudor I. Oprea, Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, Kristen Fortney, Eric Morgen, Feng Ren, Alex Zhavoronkov

10.1038/s41573-026-01412-8
View Publication

Biologic degraders push forward in the clinic

Asher Mullard

10.1038/d41573-026-00064-y
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

What are the publication costs?

Research Topics

Science, Research, and Medicine Biotechnology and Related Fields Computational Drug Discovery Methods Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research Biomedical Ethics and Regulation Biosimilars and Bioanalytical Methods CAR-T cell therapy research CRISPR and Genetic Engineering Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling RNA Interference and Gene Delivery Ubiquitin and proteasome pathways Protein Degradation and Inhibitors Health and Medical Research Impacts Pharmacogenetics and Drug Metabolism Immunotherapy and Immune Responses Immune Cell Function and Interaction Pharmaceutical studies and practices Virus-based gene therapy research Click Chemistry and Applications Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers Alzheimer's disease research and treatments Epigenetics and DNA Methylation

Related Journals

NR
Npj Regenerative Medicine NATURE PORTFOLIO
PP
Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeutics Elsevier BV
JR
Jac-antimicrobial Resistance Oxford University Press
NG
Npj Genomic Medicine NATURE PORTFOLIO
NP
Npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine NATURE PORTFOLIO
ER
Expert Review Of Anti-infective Therapy Taylor & Francis