Nature Portfolio Food Journals — Author Guideline Skill

Publisher: Nature Portfolio · Verified: 2026-07 · Sources: Nature Food content types · Nature Food formatting · npj Science of Food content types. Confirm at source.

Applies to

• Nature Food — selective; strict word/display limits (below).
• npj Science of Food — open access; more flexible length but same Nature referencing and rigor.

Nature Food article types (word/display limits)

Type	Main text	Abstract	Display items	References
Article	≤3,000 words (excl. abstract, Methods, refs, legends)	≤150 words, unreferenced	≤6 (figs/tables)	~50 (guide)
Perspective	≤1,500 words (incl. abstract, refs, legends), no headings	≤70 words	≤2	—
Brief Communication	≤1,500 words (incl. everything)	≤70 words	small	~20
Review / Analysis	commissioned; confirm limits	—	—	—

Title ≤10 words / ~90 characters. Methods placed after main text (Articles), not counted in the word limit.

npj Science of Food

Standard Article structure (Introduction, Results, Discussion, Methods); no rigid word cap but concise; abstract ~150–200 words; open-access APC applies.

Reference style

Nature style: superscript numbers in order of citation (...as shown previously^12). Reference list numbered. Article titles are required for Nature Food long-form manuscripts. Include DOIs.

Example:

12. Author, A. B. & Author, C. D. Title of the article. Nat. Food 4, 123–130 (2023).

Structure & sections

Articles: Title → Abstract (unreferenced) → main text with headings (Introduction implicit) → Results → Discussion → Methods → References → Figure legends → Tables. Figures cited as Fig. 1, Fig. 2 in sequence. A data availability and code availability statement is mandatory; reporting summary required.

Figures & tables

High-resolution (≥300 dpi at final size); RGB for online; fit ~180 mm double-column; sans-serif labels (Helvetica/Arial); avoid red/green combinations for accessibility. Editable tables.

Submission checklist

• Correct article type + within word/display limits · [ ] Abstract unreferenced within limit
• Nature superscript-numbered refs with article titles + DOIs · [ ] Methods after main text
• Data & code availability statements · [ ] Reporting summary (Nature Food)
• Cover letter (significance, fit) · [ ] Figures ≥300 dpi, accessible palette

Formatting constraints

journal_group: Nature Portfolio (Nature Food, npj Science of Food)
reference_style: nature-superscript-numbered
require_article_titles: true
article_word_limit: 3000
abstract_words: {article: 150, short: 70}
display_items_max: 6
methods: after-main-text
data_availability: required
figure_dpi: 300