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Interview


We are all so strongly connected to the work we do and the fields that we are working in”


“It’s so much more than a job.


What do you think it takes to be a Nature editor? Tell us more about your role... Let me start with the second part of your question. There are two, interconnected aspects to my role: I am editor-in-chief of Nature and chief editorial advisor for Nature Research. Nature doesn’t typically need an introduction, and yet sometimes it may be all too easy to forget that it is unusual among scientific journals in that it combines science journalism and opinion with original scientific papers. An important focus of my role is to make the most of the synergy within Nature – the journalistic part AND the journal part, which is the original research part. The whole can be so much more than the sum of its parts! I am also ultimately accountable for what Nature publishes, although, of course, what we publish is very much a result of a team effort. As editor-in-chief, I represent Nature and


Nature Research externally, and in general my time is very much split between externally focused and internally focused activities. In addition, an important aspect of my role involves being the champion and the guardian of the Nature brand. When I describe what I do to those who do not work in publishing, I often say I am like a conductor of an orchestra – without the amazingly talented colleagues around me I could do very little, but our collective output is enhanced and amplified by our co-ordinated efforts. What does it take to be a Nature editor?


It takes passion, dedication, understanding and a drive to bring the fascinating and vast research worlds we work in, before our readers. It takes the desire to work with the research community to help them disseminate their work in a rigorous and transparent way. Editors at Nature are all former researchers who continue to grow their expert knowledge of their fields. They need to have an eye for detail, and they need to be persistent and patient.


Why do you think Nature has had so few editors? In Nature’s 150-year history there have been only seven editors-in-chief before me. My predecessor held this role for more than 22 years! I think it goes back to


www.researchinformation.info | @researchinfo


your question around what it takes to be a Nature editor – passion and dedication. It’s so much more than a job. We are all so strongly connected to the work we do and the fields that we are working in. It is a labour of love for many and the


ability to support the outstanding work of the researchers who publish in Nature keeps us all here. It is a role that we are all incredibly proud of. We also recognise the privilege to be able to engage with, as well as help shape Nature’s future, to ensure that it remains a relevant platform for research communication, news, engagement and the advancement of robust scientific discoveries. I believe that it is also the reflection of


how receptive the publishers of Nature have been to the editors’ desire to evolve the journal and adapt it to the changing needs of the research community; this is also what has kept my predecessors in their role for so long. One good example comes from the very early days of our history – Nature was originally not meant to include first reports of original scientific findings; it was meant to be more like Scientific American of today. But the scientists of the day wanted a new platform for rapid communication


The international journal of science / 7 November 2019


NATURE’S CO-CITATION NETWORK


Here, more than 88,000 papers published by Nature since 1900 are each represented by a dot, coloured by discipline. Papers are linked if another scientific paper cites both; the dot size reflects the number of these co-citation links. The complex network reveals the relationships between papers and captures the multidisciplinary scope of the journal.


among themselves and not to the public – the original intention. It is entirely possible that without the flexibility to change and follow the research community’s needs we might not be here today. Being editor-in- chief is not a role one can get bored in!


What have you done, or do you plan to do, that your predecessors haven’t? New ideas or directions are rarely born overnight; in most cases they take shape over time. And so many ideas I have for where Nature should be focusing started gathering momentum before I came into the role.


I am currently very keen for Nature


to engage much more with early career researchers. Such closer engagement will be mutually beneficial and it will be interesting to see where it may take us; could it ultimately mean new formats for disseminating research, could it mean greater emphasis on other platforms, including the multimedia? Time will tell. One very exciting aspect of this focus is that our own drive towards open research and transparency is also very much at the forefront of many early career researchers’ minds. For some time now, Nature has championed the sharing of data, materials g


A web of multidisciplinary research and discovery


EXPLORE INTERACTIVE NETWORK


150 YEARS OF NATURE


Arts Biology Biomedical research Chemistry Clinical medicine Earth and space Engineering and technology Health Humanities Mathematics Physics Business and management Psychology Social sciences


December 2019/January 2020 Research Information 13


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