Nature Letter - September 1, 2004

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

[MOD. NOTE:  This was sent by Nature for wide distribution.]
__________

Nature Publishing Group
345 Park Avenue South
New York NY 10010

1 September 2004

Dear Colleague I am writing to you with news of important developments at
Nature Publishing Group (NPG), as we strive to serve the scientific
community, and the broader public, with our publications. I also want to
inform you of some pricing policies for 2005, which are designed to
provide libraries with more choice and flexibility.

This year has been all about investment at NPG. First, and most
importantly, we have invested in more editors and journalists as we
endeavor not only to publish the best original research, but also to
commission and write news, views, reviews, analysis and comment. We not
only aim to report scientific discoveries, but also to present them in
context. Our hope is to communicate the vitality and relevance of science,
in addition to publishing primary research results. With this objective in
mind, we have been particularly excited by the recent launch of
news@nature.com, with its focus on science news accessible to all readers,
regardless of their background and training.

Our investments in both new and established publications have again been
mirrored by their growth and increasing impact. Nature;s impact factor has
increased to 30.979, and is once again the top multidisciplinary science
journal. Nature journals are the top primary research journals in all the
relevant ISI life science categories, such as immunology, cell biology,
structural biology and genetics. In the physical sciences, Nature
Materials, which was launched in 2001 and received its first impact factor
this year (10.778), is already the top research journal in materials
science. Nature Neuroscience remains the number one research journal in
neuroscience. Submissions are of such high quality that we have decided to
increase the number of articles published in 2005.

We are especially proud of the Nature Reviews titles, which have confirmed
their role as the only essential source for life science reviews � after
only four years, each title is already the leading monthly review journal
in its respective category, far ahead of other comparable journals. Nature
Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, with an impact factor of 35.041, is not
only top in cell biology, but also the fourth highest title in all fields
covered by ISI.

We believe this outstanding success is based on both NPG's commitment to
quality at all stages of the publication process, and its unique service
to authors worldwide through our global network of editorial offices. Most
of our other journals also saw significant increases in their impact
factors (eg Cell Death and Differentiation, Oncogene and
Neuropsychopharmacology) - a reflection of the high degree of editorial
support and guidance that NPG staff provide to academic editors and
societies.

Later this year, we will be launching our first publications for clinical
practitioners. The Nature Clinical Practice series will launch in October
2004 in cardiovascular medicine, gastroenterology, oncology, and urology.
We are confident these publications will be a uniquely relevant, practical
resource for clinicians in their fields.

As publisher of the award-winning AFCS-Nature Signaling Gateway, NPG has
demonstrated its commitment to experimental publishing concepts. We have
recently announced our first author-pays open access publication,
Molecular Systems Biology, to be published solely online, in collaboration
with one of our partners, the European Molecular Biology Organisation
(EMBO). This will exploit its online format to the full, with novel
article formats, and rich linking. Nature Methods, launching in October,
is a methodology journal for life scientists and chemists, and will
provide a much-needed high-impact platform for important new methods and
techniques.

We are continuing our investment in archiving, with the digitization of
Nature back to the year 1950. Other Nature journals are now digitized back
to their launch issues. We have also invested heavily in our web platform,
nature.com, bringing new servers online, providing faster download times,
increasing usability by developing new, user-centered journal designs, and
working towards compliance with important web accessibility standards.

Our journals continue to offer unbeatable value for money. Price lists for
NPG print subscriptions are published at
http://npg.nature.com/npg/forms/07_price.jsp. For 2005, in addition to
Sterling and US Dollar prices, Euro prices will be definitive for all
European countries (excluding UK), and Yen prices will be definitive for
Japan. As with many other publishers, our prices are fixed annually based
on current exchange rates with Sterling each year. Site licenses to Nature
journals due for renewal in 2005 will increase by approximately 5% in
Sterling. Price increases in other regions will be impacted by current
exchange rates.

Most other NPG journals will move to a site license model in 2005,
enabling institutional customers to choose a site license for online
access and/or a print subscription. Site license prices will be based on
the relevant �Full Time Equivalent� (FTE) figure within an institution, in
line with the Nature journals policy. Savings are available to
institutions taking a print subscription and a site license to the same
title. The EMBO Journal (including EMBO reports) will maintain its current
site-license model, and prices will increase by approximately 5%.

To conclude, NPG will continue to invest in all new and existing
publications, and those of our partner societies, to ensure the widest
possible distribution of high impact content. We aim to offer real value
to authors, personal and institutional subscribers, and all our readers
around the world. We thank you for your continued support. Yours sincerely
Annette Thomas Managing Director Nature Publishing Group

Yours sincerely,

Annette Thomas
Managing Editor
Nature Publishing Group