Nature Communications has come a long way since our first submission five years ago. We have now published more than 5,000 papers, 2,000 in 2014 alone. Our editorial team has grown from just 4 to over 30 staff spanning three continents, and our expertise now covers the breadth of the natural sciences. This tremendous expansion, together with our growing recognition within the scientific community, would not have been possible without the trust of our authors and the boundless efforts of our referees and Editorial Advisory Panel, for which we are truly grateful.