Writing for Nature Reviews Materials? This template gives you a submission-ready structure—sections, abstract, and references—so you focus on the research, not the formatting.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
Submitting to Nature Reviews Materials goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Nature Reviews Materials 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.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Nature Reviews Materials. 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 Reviews Materials journal page before you draft.
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 Reviews Materials guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
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 Reviews Materials guide for authors before you submit.
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 author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through Editorial Manager / Snapp.
| Element | NRM requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | 200 words max (ideally ~150); unstructured; no references; no specialist jargon; serves as a 'taster' |
| 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 | Required |
| References | Nature style; superscript sequential numbers; journal abbreviations in italics, volume bold; first author + et al. for 6 |
| Peer review | Single-blind peer review (invited reviews only) |
| Submission | editorialmanager.com |
Read the Nature Reviews Materials 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 Reviews Materials in under a page.
Skim two or three recent NRM 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 Reviews Materials journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Nature Reviews Materials guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager / Snapp.