Announcements
2 February 2024
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Nanomedicine and Nanobiology” Section
2 February 2024
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Microbiology in Human Health and Disease” Section
2 February 2024
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Molecular Genetics and Genetic Diseases” Section
31 January 2024
MDPI Insights: The CEO's Letter #8 - Altmetric and Flat Fee Agreement
Welcome to the MDPI Insights: The CEO's Letter.
In these monthly letters, I will showcase two key aspects of our work at MDPI: our commitment to empowering researchers and our determination to facilitating open scientific exchange.
Opening Thoughts
MDPI and Digital Science Meeting
At MDPI, we are committed to providing our authors with the essential tools to publish, promote, and track their research. In line with this commitment, we have established a longstanding collaboration with Digital Science, a company specializing in research data and analytical insights for the research community. Our collaboration integrates their Altmetric tool, offering us and our authors the ability to track a variety of sources that monitor and report attention surrounding publications.
As part of our collaboration, we recently hosted Cathy Holland, Director of Global Publisher Business Development, and Helen Cooke, Managing Director of Publisher Sales, from Digital Science, at our MDPI headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
Left to right: Facundo Santomé (Senior Marketing Manager, MDPI), Constanze Shelhorn (Indexing Manager, MDPI), Cathy Holland (Director of Global Publisher Business Development, Digital Science), Helen Cooke (Managing Director of Publisher Sales, Digital Science), and Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI) in front of MDPI headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
During our meeting, we discussed MDPI’s publishing philosophy and explored further avenues for collaboration. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Digital Science, aiming to improve our services yet further and meet the needs of our authors more closely than ever.
What is Altmetric?
You will notice that MDPI articles feature an Altmetric score, a colourful doughnut capturing the score in the upper right corner of the article page. This score represents ‘alternative metrics,’ as distinct from traditional metrics such as Impact Factor, CiteScore, and Scimago Journal Rank.
Altmetrics complement traditional citation-based metrics by capturing online discussions related to a specific research topic. By analyzing both sets of data, we can obtain a comprehensive understanding of the attention a particular research output receives and the sources in which it is mentioned.
“Almetric provides visual insights into where research is being discussed”
Sources Tracked by Altmetric
Altmetric badge showing the Altmetric score and colour-coded mention sources.
Altmetric monitors various sources, categorizing them into segments such as policy documents, peer reviews, Wikipedia, news and blogs, and social media, among other sources. Each category is identifiable by a specific colour.
The Altmetric badge provides visual insights into where the research is being discussed. A more colourful badge indicates broader mentions across multiple platforms. Such tracking enables us to gauge the extent of an article’s online dissemination, noting that increased visibility may correlate with higher citation rates.
Read more:
Impactful Research
Ten High-Altmetric Articles Published by MDPI
As at 30 January 2024, Altmetric has tracked 670,500 MDPI research outputs from MDPI, resulting in over 4.3 million mentions. This includes over 71,894 mentions in policy and patents and 294,714 mentions in news and blogs, with some achieving an Altmetric score as high as 28,754.
So, what is a good Altmetric score? There are various ways to put this score into context. You can find out more about the score in context and how to evaluate your work by this means.
Here are ten MDPI papers ranking in the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric.
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“Accuracy in Wrist-Worn, Sensor-Based Measurements of Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure in a Diverse Cohort” J. Pers. Med. 2017, 7(2), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm7020003 Altmetric page: https://mdpi.altmetric.com/details/20477344 Altmetric shows that this article appeared in 253 news stories from 209 outlets including Forbes, BBC, and Fox News. |
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“Daylight Saving Time and Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Meta-Analysis” J. Clin. Med. 2019, 8(3), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8030404 Altmetric page: https://mdpi.altmetric.com/details/57654628 Altmetric shows that this article appeared in 295 news stories from 207 outlets including Forbes, The Atlantic, and New York Times. |
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“The Preliminary Analysis of Cave Lion Cubs Panthera spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) from the Permafrost of Siberia” Quaternary 2021, 4(3), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat4030024 Altmetric page: https://mdpi.altmetric.com/details/111086701 Altmetric shows that this article appeared in 182 news stories from 134 outlets including CBC News, CNN, and National Geographic. |
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“Not the Cat’s Meow? The Impact of Posing with Cats on Female Perceptions of Male Dateability” Animals 2020, 10(6), 1007; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10061007 Altmetric page: https://mdpi.altmetric.com/details/83796184 Altmetric shows that this article appeared in 124 news stories from 98 outlets including VICE, CNN and The Guardian. |
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“Behaviour and Welfare Impacts of Releasing Elephants from Overnight Tethers: A Zimbabwean Case Study” Animals 2022, 12(15), 1933; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12151933 Altmetric page: https://mdpi.altmetric.com/details/133463915 Altmetric shows that this article appeared in 192 news stories from 186 outlets. |
How do I use altmetrics?
Altmetric Explorer provides a detailed step-by-step guide and instruction video for first-time users of the tool. The guide includes useful diagrams that make it easy to get started.
Sharing Research Online
For research to be tracked across different sources, Altmetric needs a research output with a persistent identifier: a DOI, ISBN, PubMed ID, handle ID, etc. When sharing research, it is important to include a link to the original research output.
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“An Update on Eukaryotic Viruses Revived from Ancient Permafrost” Viruses 2023, 15(2), 564; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15020564 Altmetric page: https://mdpi.altmetric.com/details/142929875 Altmetric shows that this article appeared in 250 news stories from 180 outlets including CTV, Fox News, and CNN. |
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“The Global Problem of Insufficient Sleep and Its Serious Public Health Implications” Healthcare 2019, 7(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7010001 Altmetric page: https://mdpi.altmetric.com/details/53406248 Altmetric shows that this article appeared in 252 news stories from 168 outlets including BBC, Harvard Business Review, and Forbes. |
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“A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(4), 1212; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041212 Altmetric page: https://mdpi.altmetric.com/details/86529137 Altmetric shows that this article appeared in 197 news stories from 150 outlets including BBC, The Tribune, and World Economic Forum. |
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“An Empirical Study of Chronic Diseases in the United States: A Visual Analytics Approach to Public Health” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(3), 431; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030431 Altmetric page: https://mdpi.altmetric.com/details/34714141 Altmetric shows that this article appeared in 232 news stories from 149 outlets including Forbes, New York Times, and Harvard Business Review. |
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“Garden Scraps: Agonistic Interactions between Hedgehogs and Sympatric Mammals in Urban Gardens” Animals 2023, 13(4), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040590 Altmetric page: https://mdpi.altmetric.com/details/142934305 Altmetric shows that this article appeared in 172 news stories from 168 outlets including BBC. |
Inside MDPI
MDPI Annual Meeting Celebrations in China
On Thursday 25 January, over 1,300 MDPI colleagues from our two offices in Beijing gathered to kick off MDPI’s traditional ‘Annual Meetings.’ These celebrations take place in MDPI’s offices across China, including Dalian, Tianjin, Wuhan, and Nanjing.
The evenings include performances, informative talks and presentations, awards, and entertainment, providing an ideal platform to recognize our colleagues, celebrate their achievements, and set our sights on the future.
“It is essential that we stay connected and share best practices”
I sent a video congratulating everyone on their work and sharing our vision of building MDPI into the most trusted OA publisher, highlighting the roles each of us has to play in achieving that goal.
Unfortunately I could not join in person, but you may recall my recent trip, when I visited our offices in Beijing and Wuhan, which I look forward to visiting again this year.
Although our headquarters are in Basel, Switzerland, and we are expanding throughout Europe and North America, the majority of MDPI’s workforce is in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including offices in Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and newly opened office in South Korea. It is essential that as a global organization, we stay connected and share best practices in order to grow collectively and continue providing the exceptional service to our authors.
The Annual Meeting is a moment to reflect and enjoy the year’s hard work and dedication.
I extend our best wishes to all for the Chinese New Year (Xīnnián kuàilè)!
Coming Together for Science
MDPI and TU Delft Adopt Flat Fee Model in Extended Partnership
We are excited to announce a renewed three-year partnership with Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands. This collaboration introduces a fixed lump-sum fee, covering publishing costs from 2024 to 2026.
“This initiative reflects our dedication to transparent and inclusive publishing”
TU Delft-affiliated authors will enjoy cost-free publishing in any MDPI journal during this period, aligning with our commitment to removing barriers for open access publishing. The agreement supports Plan S compliance and facilitates a seamless publishing process for TU Delft corresponding authors. This initiative reflects our dedication to transparent and inclusive publishing, providing stability and predictability both for authors and for institutions.
For further details on our Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP), please contact us.
Benefits to MDPI’s IOAP
At MDPI we have a long tradition of partnerships, including our Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP). IOAP supports institutions through simplification, access, transparency, APC discounts, and institutional repository deposits. The program simplifies administrative processes, offers central payment, and allows easy opting in and out. Participants gain free access to Susy, MDPI’s online submission system, with extensive article metadata and exportable data. APC discounts and Book Processing Charge discounts are available for affiliated authors. Automated deposits to institutional repositories and streamlined matching of papers to IOAP participants enhance the overall experience.
For further information, see our IOAP FAQ.
Closing Thoughts
Reflections on the 2024 APE Conference
MDPI was proud to co-sponsor the Academic Publishing in Europe (APE) 2024 Conference that took place in Berlin, Germany, from 9–10 January 2024.
The conference theme, ‘Keep the Conversation Going!’, explored the evolving landscape of scholarly communication. APE is one of the key conferences I make a point to attend each year. January offers a valuable opportunity to engage with new contacts, reconnect with familiar faces, and participate in impactful discussions and presentations among professionals, scholars, and practitioners in the field.
“It's fascinating to see how other publishers are leveraging AI”
Highlights
Some of the standout panels for me include: the role of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the publishing industry. It was encouraging to hear the current status quo, though I was eager also to learn about the exciting projects planned for 2024 and beyond. These will allow us to track progress in subsequent years. At MDPI, we remain committed to promoting Open–Access (OA) content on SDGs through scientific articles and books. Furthermore, we extend our commitment to sustainability by financially supporting researchers through initiatives such as the World Sustainability Award and the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award, as well as waiving the APC for feature papers on each SDG.
In recent years, discussions on AI have become increasingly prominent at such conferences. It’s fascinating to see how other publishers are leveraging AI to meet the evolving needs of their audiences while at the same time using it to safeguard the scientific process. Other engaging panels that I enjoyed included updates on transformation beyond transformative agreements, the principles of lean change, incentive structures related to research integrity, and the panel on reviewer incentives.
“We can share best practices and lessons learned”
Incorporating MDPI’s Insights into Conferences
I must confess that I sometimes feel overlooked when MDPI is not invited to participate in crucial industry discussions. As the leading open access publisher and the third-largest publisher overall, we possess extensive experience in many of these areas and can offer valuable contributions to these discussions. We can share best practices, lessons learned, and our thinking about future trajectories. For instance, in panels discussing reviewer incentives, at MDPI we offer a discount voucher to reviewers for future submissions, reflecting our commitment to fostering a robust peer review process. In 2022 alone, MDPI collected over 1.4 million peer review reports, informing the decision-making processes of our editors. Given our expertise in these areas, it would be natural to include MDPI in such discussions. I therefore extend an invitation to future conference organizers to consider MDPI for speaking engagements and collaborative opportunities.
Chief Executive Officer
MDPI AG
30 January 2024
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Biomedical Materials” Section
26 January 2024
Acknowledgment of the Reviewers of Biomedicines in 2023
26 January 2024
Interview with Dr. Alessandra Bettiol—Winner of the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award 2023
We had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Alessandra Bettiol, one of our distinguished winners of the 2023 Young Investigator Award, to delve into her remarkable journey and insights into biomedical research.
Dr. Alessandra Bettiol is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Italy. Since receiving her Ph.D. in 2018, Dr. Bettiol has worked in the field of rare autoimmune diseases, particularly systemic vasculitis, producing ground-breaking research on the biochemical and pathogenetic mechanisms sustaining these conditions, with a particular focus on the role of oxidative stress and fibrinogen structural and functional modifications in thrombo-inflammation. Also, she has made significant contributions to the field of innovative therapeutic approaches, collecting and analyzing data related to the largest European cohort of patients treated with innovative drugs for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a rare systemic vasculitis. Dr. Bettiol is a highly productive young researcher and has published >120 peer-reviewed articles in high-ranking journals. According to Scopus, her research has received > 1650 citations, and her h-index is 21.
The following is an interview with Dr. Alessandra Bettiol:
1. Could you kindly share your sentiments upon winning the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award 2023?It has been a great surprise and honor for me to receive the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award 2023. I feel honored to see the research efforts made over these years by me and the research group I work with, awarded by this prestigious journal.
Also, I feel privileged to have the possibility, through this award, of enriching my CV and my international impact as a researcher.
2. Would you please provide a brief introduction to your main research focus? Additionally, could you share with us your motivation to pursue this particular area of research?Since my Ph.D. was obtained in 2018, I have worked in the field of rare autoimmune diseases, particularly systemic vasculitis, at the Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine of the University of Florence (Italy).
During this period, I had the chance to collaborate with the most important European centers working on eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a rare systemic vasculitis, and I have authored relevant publications on this rare disease, collecting and analyzing data from the largest European cohorts of patients treated with innovative drugs for this condition.
The close collaboration with clinicians, biochemists, biologists and statisticians, also in the framework of National and International working groups, allowed me to become passionate about this research field, and to conduct ground-breaking research on biochemical and pathogenetic mechanisms of rare immune-mediated diseases. Specifically, I have worked on innovative observational and clinical studies assessing the contribution of oxidative stress and fibrinogen modifications in thromboinflammation associated with Behçet syndrome (BS), and on the role of gut microbiome in EGPA.
My wish is that this research will pave the way for future studies on theragnostic and prognostic markers for several immune-mediated diseases.
3. Could you elaborate on how you initially learned about the Biomedicines journal? And what inspired you to publish with us?The Biomedicines journal is among the referral journals for investigators working in the field of translational medical research. Being particularly interested in pathogenetic, theragnostic and prognostic aspects of rare autoimmune diseases, I have always considered this journal as a potential candidate for the publication of my research works, and I had indeed the chance to publish one paper in this journal in 2022 [Niccolai E, Bettiol A et al. Biomedicines. 2022 May 24;10(6):1227.].
4. Furthermore, what inspired you to apply for the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award 2023? In what ways does this award contribute to the advancement of your professional career?Over the last decade, I have worked with dedication and enthusiasm for identifying research needs, designing and conducting new research studies, and overcoming challenges in the field of rare autoimmune diseases. Applying for the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award 2023 has been the opportunity to have my work recognized, as well as enriching my CV and my international impact as a researcher.
5. Do you have any advice for aspiring young researchers looking to make a meaningful impact in their respective fields?My advice for all young researchers is to be passionate about what they do. Passion, motivation and hard work are always rewarded.
6. How do you believe your experiences, as a woman in this biomedical field, have contributed to your success and the advancements you’ve made in your research? Additionally, what advice would you offer to other aspiring female researchers in the field or facing similar challenges?This award came to be during a very special period as a female researcher, as I was on maternity leave. Being a woman has always been a source of pride for me because I think that society forces us to learn a multi-tasking, translational way of managing things, that becomes an invaluable resource for us and our careers.
My advice for all young female researchers is to turn challenges into opportunities.
26 January 2024
Interview with Dr. Nico Sollmann—Winner of the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award 2023
Recently, we reached out to Dr. Nico Sollmann, a winner of the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award 2023, as we were eager to hear his perspectives on biomedicines and biomedical research.
Dr. Nico Sollmann graduated from the Medical School at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, in 2013. He completed the Ph.D. program “Medical Life Science and Technology” at TUM in 2017, followed by a residency at the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar (TUM). To focus on research in between his clinical rotations, Dr. Sollmann completed an internship at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, in 2016 and held a post-doc position at the University of California San Francisco, USA, in 2021. He currently works as a radiologist in training at the University Hospital Ulm as well as at the Klinikum rechts der Isar (TUM). He has published over 200 PubMed-listed articles and has an h-index of 37. He has been awarded several prestigious scientific awards. Dr. Sollmann continues to serve as a reviewer and editor for multiple journals and is a member of several national and international scientific societies, with a strong focus on neuroimaging and imaging of the spine.
In this interview, Dr. Sollmann offers a glimpse into the dedication and aspirations that have fueled his impactful contributions to the biomedical field.
1. Could you kindly share your sentiments upon winning the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award 2023?
I feel very honored and would like to thank all the Award Committee members for their evaluation and the Section Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Paul Rösch, for awarding me with the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award 2023. Furthermore, given that research is always a team effort, I would like to thank all my co-workers for their constant commitment, dedication, and inspiration. Working on research projects in addition to daily clinical work can sometimes be quite intense, and I consider this award a great motivator for all our upcoming projects.
2. Would you please provide a brief introduction to your main research focus? Additionally, could you highlight any compelling discoveries or unforeseen challenges encountered during your research journey?
I believe my research interests are quite broad but mostly revolve around quantitative in-vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the field of neuroradiology, including imaging of the brain and spine. Two currently ongoing major projects focus on advanced MRI of the neck and shoulder muscles in patients with primary headaches (to elucidate the role of neck and shoulder muscles in the pathophysiology of migraine and tension-type headache) and on longitudinal MRI of the brain following a mild traumatic brain injury (to develop some kind of an individual injury profile that may help to better understand injury-related changes in the brain and to improve patient management and outcome prediction after injury).
One of the main lessons learned over recent years is that most projects take a very different direction than initially thought, and that the success of a project is oftentimes highly dependent on the attitude of the colleagues you work with (not only in terms of the actual findings but also in terms of the joy and gratitude you experience once a project has been completed). Hence, a flexible and curious mindset is key to becoming proficient in science.
3. Could you elaborate on how you initially learned about the Biomedicines journal? Furthermore, what inspired you to apply for the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award 2023?
Together with co-workers, I have published some of our work on spine imaging in the Biomedicines journal before. Hence, I have been aware of the journal and came across the award notification on the journal’s homepage. The announcement appeared to be highly interesting in light of my current career level and scientific profile, thus I wanted to take the chance and applied for this award.
4. In what ways does this award contribute to the advancement of a young/early-career researcher's professional career, such as yours?
I think that an award like the Biomedicines Young Investigator Award can be regarded as a great motivator and a catalyst for ongoing and future projects. Sometimes research projects can be quite time-consuming and demanding, and you do not know whether your efforts will pay off in the end. Hence, such an award helps you to stay on track, and also to keep going during times when you might not see the ultimate benefit of the efforts you put into the research.
5. Do you have any advice for aspiring young researchers looking to make a meaningful impact in their respective fields?
A key piece of advice is to stay on track and make yourself aware that research is often like long-distance running rather than a sprint. Good projects can often take time and you should not get frustrated if initial plans do not exactly work out.
6. As we conclude, could you share your vision for the future of your research and the contributions you aspire to make in the field of biomedicines?
I am most grateful to my colleagues and co-workers for their enthusiasm, and I hope that I can continue relying on and working together with such a great team again in the future. My vision is that our current major projects will lead to clinically meaningful results that can improve patient care and management, and that those results will drive future ideas and collaborations in the field of biomedicines.
19 January 2024
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Gene and Cell Therapy” Section
19 January 2024
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Biomedical Engineering in Human Health” Section
