Nature Microbiology Template
Draft for Nature Microbiology with confidence. The template sets the correct structure, abstract, and references up front, so your manuscript clears editorial screening.
4.6
How to Use the Nature Microbiology Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
Submitting to Nature Microbiology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Nature Microbiology guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
What is the Nature Microbiology Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Nature Microbiology. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Nature Microbiology journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a NM submission:
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Nature Microbiology guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Nature Microbiology guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Nature Microbiology Template include?
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the editorial policies. When your draft is ready, upload it through the Nature Portfolio submission system.
Steps to Use This Template with Scispace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page. The Scispace Agent prompt screen opens with the template loaded.
- Use the loaded template, or upload a version your group already uses for NM.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Nature Microbiology guide for authors.
- Run the prompt. The agent drafts into the correct structure and reference style.
- Use View Outputs to verify required statements and formatting are present.
- Export and submit through the Nature Portfolio submission system.
Nature Microbiology Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | NM requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Article: Unstructured, up to 150 words, unreferenced. Analysis: Unstructured, 100-150 words, unreferenced. Brief Communication: Brief unstructured, 3 sentences, up to 70 words, unreferenced. Resource: Unstructured, 100-150 words, unreferenced. Review, Perspective, Comment: No specific abstract requirements stated in guidelines. Correspondence: No abstract (piece is 300-800 words total). |
| Main text | Section order and length per article type |
| Declarations | Ethics, competing interests, funding, data as required |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not requested (journal does not use author keywords) |
| References | Numbered sequential citation style (Nature style). References numbered sequentially through Main Text, Methods, Data Availability Section, Tables, Figure Legends, Box, and Extended Data Figures. For long-form manuscripts (Articles, Letters, Review Articles, Perspectives), article titles are required in citations. For shorter pieces (Commentaries, News & Views), article titles are omitted. At initial submission, formatting is flexible, but after acceptance in principle (AIP), Nature style is required. |
| Peer review | Single-blind (default) or double-anonymized (optional). Nature Microbiology offers double-anonymized peer review as an option that authors can choose at submission. The standard peer review model is single-blind where reviewers know author identities but authors do not know reviewer identities. The journal also offers transparent peer review where some elements of the peer review process may be published alongside the article. |
| Submission | nature.com |
Quick Tips for Using the Nature Microbiology Template
Read the Nature Microbiology guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Nature Microbiology in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent NM papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Nature Microbiology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the Nature Microbiology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the Nature Portfolio submission system.
