Policies

Our editorial and publishing policies ensure the highest standards of research integrity

Policy categories

Editorial policies

Standards for manuscript submission, peer review and publication decisions

Research ethics

Requirements for ethical conduct in research involving humans and animals

Data policies

Guidelines for data availability, sharing and reproducibility

Open access policies

Our commitment to making research freely available

AI policies

Responsible use of artificial intelligence in research and publishing

Retraction policies

Our approach to post-publication corrections and retractions

Research integrity

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity. Our dedicated team of 75 integrity specialists work to protect the quality of the scientific record.

integrity specialists

25,000

papers identified with AI tools in 2025

16.3%

acceptance rate in 2025, down from 36% in 2015

Codes of conduct

Journal editors

Standards and expectations for editors of Springer Nature journals, covering editorial decisions, conflicts of interest and peer review.

Book volume editors

Guidelines for editors of book volumes, including responsibilities for content quality and contributor management.

Book series editors

Expectations for book series editors overseeing scope, quality and strategic direction of their series.