Overview
Submission Instructions
Recent Publications
Frequently Asked Questions
Research Topics
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recent Publications
The evolving landscape of obesity pharmacotherapy
Jonas Petersen, Brian Finan, Valdemar B. I. Johansen, Timo D. Müller, Christoffer Clemmensen
10.1038/s41573-026-01427-1
View Publication
Trends in the landscape of clinical trials of innovative drugs in China since 2015
Sen Liu, Cheng Li, Yusu Jian, Jing Cheng, Xiaoyuan Chen
10.1038/d41573-026-00081-x
View Publication
A peptide-guided strategy for kinase activation
M. Teresa Villanueva
10.1038/d41573-026-00080-y
View Publication
First PROTAC gains FDA approval, bolstering targeted protein degradation and induced proximity ambitions
Asher Mullard
10.1038/d41573-026-00078-6
View Publication
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to publish?
Monthly journal.
Reformat to Nature Reviews Drug Discovery using Livewrite PremiumWhat are the publication costs?
Closed-access journal.
Reformat to Nature Reviews Drug Discovery using Livewrite PremiumResearch 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