On 24 June 2025, MDPI UK hosted the first ever MDPI Editors Forum in Cambridge, UK, which brought together eighteen Editorial Board Members (EBMs) across seventeen MDPI journals. The event was held at the Pitt Building in central Cambridge and provided editors with the opportunity to learn more about MDPI and have queries addressed directly. The forum provided a space for academic exchange and networking and was part of MDPI’s mission of supporting the academic community and helping strengthen its relationship with editors.

A Warm Welcome from our Manchester Office
The event began with an opening speech from our Journal Relations Project Manager, Dr. Anya Osborn, who extended an official welcome and expressed gratitude to the guests for their attendance.
This was followed by a presentation from our Journal Relations Manager, Ms. Isabel Nelson, who introduced attendees to MDPI’s history, core values and services, the structure of the Manchester Office, and the UK’s recent outreach achievements.

MDPI’s Editorial Process and Publication Ethics
The next presentation was delivered by our Scientific Quality Advisor Lead, Dr. Michael O’Sullivan, who described MDPI’s editorial process and highlighted the rigorous manuscript screening and consistent peer review procedures applied to all journals, including both Special Issues and regular papers. He emphasized that papers published in Special Issues benefited from greater discoverability as well as higher citation frequencies and addressed the direction for Special Issues in 2025. Dr O’Sullivan also provided some insight into MDPI’s AI usage policies for authors, reviewers, and Academic Editors, and the application of AI tools within the editorial process. He rounded off by announcing the latest MDPI UK LinkedIn Live Webinar, the “Impact of AI on Academic Research: Applications of AI in the Publishing Industry”.

The final presentation before we began a Q&A session was delivered by our Research Integrity Specialist, Dr. Tom Hewat, who discussed MDPI’s publication ethics guidelines and its principles of prevention, neutrality, transparency, and consistency. He introduced attendees to the Research Integrity team and their commitment to upholding MDPI’s high ethics standards as well as the processes through which ethical issues are investigated and dealt with internally.

Q&A Session
Audience members were given the opportunity to ask questions regarding MDPI’s editorial process and publication ethics, which were addressed by Dr. Michael O’Sullivan and Dr. Tom Hewat. Some of the topics which were discussed included guidelines for open reviews, the selection process for appropriate reviewers, and the discounts available for universities. Ms. Isabel Nelson provided additional insights throughout the session.

Break Time for Communication and Connections
A twenty-minute break was scheduled, which allowed attendees and our staff to mingle and network over coffee, tea, and snacks. Our staff also used this opportunity to address scholars’ queries, address their suggestions for MDPI’s editorial process or the processing of their journal papers or Special Issue projects, discuss their upcoming conference plans, introduce them to the benefits of becoming Editorial Board Members, and explore interest in hosting an Academic Publishing Workshop (APW).

In their conversations with attendees, the JRSs reported that the overall feedback was very positive, with many participants expressing that they were thoroughly enjoying the event. They were particularly pleased to meet MDPI editors in person and appreciated the strong staff presence, which allowed them to connect with a wide range of representatives.

A Section Editor-in-Chief’s Perspective
Prof. Carol Shoulders from Queen Mary University of London has served as the Section Editor-in-Chief for the “Genetics and Genomics” Section of Biology (ISSN: 2079-7737) since 1 January 2024. She was asked to provide a Section Editor-in-Chief’s perspective, delivering a presentation on the editor’s role in manuscript processing.

During her presentation, Prof. Carol Shoulders discussed some of the responsibilities of a Section Editor-in-Chief, including in assisting pre-check decisions, helping improve the quality of manuscripts at submission, helping to guide authors at the decision stage, and encouraging EBMs to become further involved. She also echoed the importance of Special Issues and reviews in increasing impact factors as well as journal visibility, and expressed her gratitude for the work of EBMs, reviewers, and MDPI’s editorial teams.

Institutional Partnerships
The final presentation of the day was presented by our Institutional Partnerships Manager, Ms. Becky Castellon, who introduced attendees to MDPI’s Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP). She highlighted the benefits of the IOAP for authors and libraries, as well as MDPI’s commitment to supporting UK institutions achieving their open access targets.

Closing Remarks and Lunch
To close the event, our staff discussed some of MDPI’s initiatives that had been designed to support the academic community, including authors, reviewers, and EBMs. We presented our Academic Publishing Workshops, which aim to demystify open access publishing and equip authors with the skills they need to successfully publish their research, as well as our efforts in recognizing and awarding scholars for their hard work, i.e., through travel grants and multiple awards.

Lunch provided the opportunity for JRS representatives to once again mingle with attendees and express gratitude for their participation, as well as wish them a safe journey home.

Thank You to Our Editors
We would like to hugely thank our editors for attending the first MDPI Editors Forum. We look forward to continuing our work with them.