nature-food

# Nature Portfolio Food Journals — Author Guideline Skill **Publisher:** Nature Portfolio · **Verified:** 2026-07 · Sources: [Nature Food content types](https://www.nature.com/natfood/content) · [Nature Food formatting](https://www.nature.com/natfood/submission-guidelines/aip-and-formatting) · [npj Science of Food content types](https://www.nature.com/npjscifood/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 ```yaml 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 ```