Launching Nature Synthesis: Why this journal is important for the synthesis research community

From January 2022, Nature Synthesis will publish original research articles, reviews, news and opinion articles. In this blog post, Chief Editor, Ali Stoddart, explains how the journal will meet the needs of the synthesis research community.

Q:Why is Nature Synthesis being launched?

Ali Stoddart (AS): Nature Synthesis will publish research at the cutting-edge of chemical and materials synthesis. Synthesis is a large field to target, and there is evidence of high article usage post-publication. A key feature of the journal will be the development of innovative methods and technologies that satisfy the needs of synthetic chemists and material scientists.  These technologies will reveal more efficient and advantageous routes to chemical compounds and materials. Synthesis has close ties to other disciplines too, and has subdisciplines (e.g. organic, inorganic and polymer chemistry) that naturally create bridges to technological innovations (e.g. automation and machine learning), laying a strong foundation for future growth. In addition, the journal will feature content on the wider societal relevance of synthetic research, for example in sustainability and in the healthcare sector.

Q: Why is Nature Synthesis an important title for the community?

AS: Nature Synthesis aims to bring together researchers from all areas of chemical and materials synthesis, publishing work based on their interdisciplinary studies. To extend conceptual understanding for the community, the journal will focus on the development of new synthetic methods and approaches, together with the preparation of molecular- or materials-based products that have practical value in research and society. With an interest in the best research in all areas of synthesis, including the work of scientists in academia and industry, the scope will ensure that published content reaches the broadest possible audience.

Q: What other considerations did you take when undertaking pre-launch research?

AS: Aside from meeting the needs of the community, we considered the greater level of uncertainty for customer budgets compared to previous years and chose this title as it has a large discipline base and funding streams that we think will be attractive to both researchers and librarians.

Q: Nature Portfolio is a unique publisher in that each title has a dedicated editorial team. What does the Nature Synthesis team bring to this journal?

AS: The journal will be edited by a team of dedicated PhD-level scientists, each with a research background in one of the journal’s key themes. The editors will commission Review articles that summarise original research and present an overview of recent developments or a new and rapidly-developing research area. The team will partner with authors to edit manuscripts and bring their most significant work to our readership. The editorial team will also retain close ties to the community by sourcing peer reviewers for articles, and will engage with academic and industrial researchers via virtual conference attendance.

Q: Synthesis research is a rapidly growing field. What advances are you most interested in, and how will Nature Synthesis fit with the research?

AS: To capture the recent upturn in the use of machine learning in synthetic chemistry and materials discovery, articles may report machine learning methods for the identification of new chemical entities for drug discovery pipelines and new materials for use in devices, such as solar cells. The journal will attract articles that offer sustainable solutions to environmental problems. For example, topics may encompass environmentally-benign syntheses, chemical recycling to achieve a circular economy, sustainable and renewable feedstocks for the production of biofuels, or the use of catalysts to make value-added chemicals, to name a few.

To learn more about licensing this new journal, please see our landing page.