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2 July 2025
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Biomedical Engineering and Materials” Section
2 July 2025
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Neurobiology and Clinical Neuroscience” Section
2 July 2025
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Microbiology in Human Health and Disease” Section
2 July 2025
MDPI INSIGHTS: The CEO's Letter #24 - 2024 Impact Factor & CiteScore, MDPI Summits France & USA, Tu Youyou Award
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’s 2024 Impact Factor Highlights
For those of our readers who are new to academic publishing, you may have heard some news in June around the Impact Factor release. Every year, typically in June, Clarivate releases its annual Journal Citation Reports (JCR), which include Journal Impact Factors (JIF). This metric is widely used in academic publishing to reflect the average number of citations received by recent articles in each journal.
While Impact Factor is just one of many indicators of journal influence, it remains a major milestone for authors, editors, and publishers. It’s used to assess journal visibility, researcher recognition, and scholarly reach. Throughout our international meetings and events, it’s clear that the Impact Factor is something many of our authors and editorial board members care about, as it can influence where they choose to submit an article and the funding they receive for their research.
“These results reflect the trust that the scholarly community places in MDPI”
MDPI’s 2024 Impact Factor Highlights
- 298 MDPI journals received a Journal Impact Factor.
- 60 journals earned their first-ever Impact Factor
- To put this in perspective: MDPI’s 60 new journal acceptances into the Web of Science was the second highest number of any publisher in 2024, behind Elsevier and ahead of Springer Nature. Our 87% acceptance rate for journals submitted to Web of Science shows the strength of our editorial process and our proven ability to develop journals aligned with Clarivate’s 24 evaluation criteria.
- Notably, Textiles, Mathematics, International Journal of Neonatal Screening, Smart Cities, Systems, and Pharmaceutics ranked in the top 10% in their respective categories, highlighting their growing influence and prestige within their academic fields. This shows that high-quality indexing goes beyond visibility; it upholds credibility and trust.
- 193 MDPI journals are now ranked in the top 50% (Q1/Q2) of their subject categories.
- What does this mean, and why is it important? Journals are ranked by quartiles within their field, based on their Impact Factor. Q1 represents the top 25% of journals in their category, Q2 the next 25%, and so on. Being in Q1 or Q2 shows that a journal is performing well relative to other journals in its category. Authors and institutions often look at quartile rankings when choosing where to publish – it’s an important indicator of visibility and recognition, within its respective category.
- 116 of our previously ranked journals increased their Impact Factor.
- 14 MDPI journals achieved an Impact Factor of 5.0 or higher, suggesting a high degree of influence and visibility.
These results reflect our staff's hard work: from our editorial and production teams to our indexing, communications, and data teams, and beyond. This also reflects the trust that the scholarly community places in MDPI, reinforcing the message that when researchers publish with MDPI, they publish with impact.
Open Access with Impact
As the leading fully open access publisher, our journals have received a total of 18.4 million citations in the Web of Science by the end of 2024, reflecting the growing reach and engagement of research published with MDPI. We are committed to making scientific research freely accessible to everyone, everywhere. With the support of more than 4.2 million contributing authors, we’re proud to support the global shift toward open access.
Further Reading
If you’d like to better understand how journals get indexed and why Impact Factors matter, please read this recent interview with Dr. Constanze Schelhorn (Head of Indexing). It gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the role our indexing team plays in supporting journal indexing and visibility.
You can also read our official news announcement shared last week: MDPI Journals in the 2024 Journal Citation Reports.
Thank you to everyone, from our authors and reviewers to our editors and internal teams, who contributed to the progress of our journal indexing in 2024. We’re continuing to build journals that are recognized and trusted across disciplines.
Impactful Research
MDPI Journals See Continued Growth in 2024 CiteScore Results
Continuing our indexing updates, I’m pleased to share that MDPI has achieved strong results in the latest CiteScore metrics, released on 5 June by Scopus. These results reflect the collective efforts of our editors, reviewers, authors, and internal teams, with their dedication to quality and visibility in scientific publishing. You can read the full announcement here.
2024 Highlights:
- 322 MDPI journals received a CiteScore (up from 274 last year).
- 283 journals (88%) are ranked in Q1 or Q2 of their subject categories.
- 237 journals (85%) saw an increase in their CiteScore compared to last year.
- 48 journals received a CiteScore for the first time.
- 39 journals are now placed in the top 10% of their subject areas.
“This growth highlights our commitment to supporting open, trusted science”
What is CiteScore and how is it measured?
CiteScore metrics are developed by Elsevier as an alternative to the Impact Factor. They measure the citation impact of journals and can be accessed freely on Scopus. The metric represents the yearly average number of citations to recent articles published in a journal. If you’re interested in learning more about citation metrics and how we use them, check out this blog post.
Why is this important?
These results show the growing recognition for, and impact of, MDPI journals across disciplines. CiteScore rankings help researchers, institutions, and funders assess where high-quality work is being published. This growth improves our journals’ positioning in the publishing landscape and highlights our commitment to supporting open, trusted science.
Inside MDPI
Highlights from the MDPI USA Summit in Boston (5–6 June)
With several Summits already behind us, I think this is a good time to reflect on the purpose of these Summits.
Why do we organize MDPI Summits?
These one-and-a-half-day, invite-only gatherings are designed to improve our relationships with Chief Editors who lead our journals and are respected voices in their fields. The Summits aim to:
- Share MDPI’s values, achievements, editorial practices, and local market collaborations.
- Collect feedback on MDPI operations and journal practices.
- Empower Chief Editors to confidently represent MDPI beyond the Summit.
While Chief Editors know their journals well, these events help them better understand MDPI. We want them to be ambassadors for our brand. The aim is for them to walk away informed, engaged, and equipped to share positively about MDPI.
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About the Boston Summit
Held on 5–6 June, our first USA Summit gathered over 25 Chief Editors to learn more about MDPI’s activities and collaborations in the USA. The program included presentations, Q&A, and a panel discussion.
Agenda Highlights:
Moderated by Summer Huggard (Operations Manager [Toronto], MDPI), the program featured:
- MDPI Overview and USA Collaboration – Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI)
- AI in Publishing and MDPI's Actions – Feichi Lu (Junior Data Scientist, MDPI)
- MDPI Editorial Process and Research Integrity – Dr. Giulia Stefenelli (Scientific Communications Lead, MDPI)
- Panel Discussion – Stefan, Feichi, Giulia, Claudia
- Society Partnerships – Dr. Clàudia Aunós (Society Partnerships Senior Manager, MDPI)
- Voice of the Customer and Closing Remarks – Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI)
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MDPI & the USA: Facts and Figures
- With over 216,000 publications, the USA is MDPI’s second-largest contributor after China.
- In 2024, the USA ranked 2nd in total submissions and 2nd in total MDPI publications, with more than 28,200 publications.
- As of 2020, the cumulative number of authors from the USA until April 2025 was 352,099.
- As at April 2025, there are more than 12,035 active Editorial Board Members (EBMs) from the USA, with 55% having an H-index over 26.
- Among them, 96 serve as Editors-in-Chief (EiC) and 218 as section-Editors-in-Chief (SEiC)
- MDPI has more than 920 Institutional Open Access Program agreements worldwide, with over 130 from the USA.
A special thanks to our Toronto team, and everyone who worked behind the scenes to make this event run smoothly.
Coming Together for Science
Highlights from the MDPI France Summit in Paris (12–13 June)
We completed our first MDPI France Summit in Paris last week, and it was a special event. Attendees were engaged from beginning to end, remaining after hours to network and collaborate.
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Why a France Summit?
We chose to host a France Summit in view of the recent challenges MDPI has faced with the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). What we took away from the event is that our authors and editors very much appreciate and enjoy working with us, but we need to address the concerns raised by CNRS, around Article Processing Charges (APCs) and the funding of gold open access publications.
“Our authors and editors very much enjoy working with us”
Some of the claims made in the June 2023 interview with Alain Schuhl, the Deputy CEO for Science at the CNRS, are simply not factual. For example, they state that MDPI’s “average APC charges per article are now around the same as Springer Nature’s.” Here is the relevant passage, reproduced verbatim:
This is not accurate.
A recent preprint analysing APC data from Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, PLOS, MDPI, and Frontiers (2019–2023) shows that MDPI’s average APCs remain significantly lower than those of Springer Nature and several other major publishers.
The MDPI Summits are part of our outreach and communication efforts to address misconceptions and clarify MDPI’s position as one of the most accessible and affordable major gold open access publishers in the world.
Summit Overview
Held on 12–13 June, the France Summit gathered over 20 Chief Editors to learn more about MDPI’s activities and collaborations in France. Many of these editors are influential in their institutions and professional societies. Several also have connections to CNRS, which makes this an important opportunity to clarify how we operate and build trust through open and transparent communication and hopefully turn our editors into informed advocates of MDPI.
Summit Feedback
The feedback has been very positive, with most attendees completing the post-event survey and all rating the experience as Excellent or Good. A few highlights:
- “The whole thing was highly professional and, above all, provided quantified details that will allow us to better answer questions surrounding MDPI.”
- “The summit was an opportunity to meet personally various people directly engaged in the organization and policies of MDPI, which made it possible to clarify some important points concerning publishing with MDPI.”
- “Very well organized! A great opportunity to see all French MDPI partners and editors.”
Program Highlights:
Moderated by Miruna Adelina Nicolcioiu (Senior Conference Producer), the program featured:
- MDPI Overview and France Collaboration – Stefan Tochev (CEO)
- MDPI Editorial Process and Peer-Review Quality – Dr. Marta Colomer (Public Affairs Specialist)
- Institutional Partnerships and Open Access Funding Models – Becky Castellon (Institutional Partnerships Manager)
- AI in Publishing and MDPI's Actions – Daniele Raimondi (Data Scientist)
- Publication Ethics: Global Trends – Diana Cristina Apodaritei (Research Integrity Specialist)
- Closing Remarks – Stefan Tochev
- Panel Discussion – Diana, Becky, Prof. Dr. Patrick Da Cost, and Stefan
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MDPI & France: Facts and Figures
- With over 51,000 publications, France is MDPI's tenth-largest contributor, and fifth largest among EU countries after Italy, Spain, Germany, and Poland.
- As of 2020, the cumulative number of authors from France until April 2025 was 87,592.
- As at April 2025, there are more than 2,800 active Editorial Board Members (EBMs) from France, with 59% having an H-index over 26.
- Among them, 22 serve as Editors-in-Chief (EiC) and 61 as section-Editors-in-Chief (SEiC)
- In 2024, IJMS, JCM, and Molecules were the top three MDPI journals in terms of submissions from French-affiliated authors.
Special thanks to our colleagues from Romanian offices for organizing this successful event.
Closing Thoughts
Richard DiMarchi and Rolf Müller Share the 2024 Tu Youyou Award
As we wrap up this month’s newsletter, I’d like to take a moment to recognize the winners of the 2024 Tu Youyou Award, presented by our journal Molecules. I am pleased to share that the 2024 Tu Youyou Award has been conferred upon Richard DiMarchi and Rolf Müller, in recognition of their significant contributions to natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.
I invite you to read the editorial co-authored by the Tu Youyou Award Committee, which highlights the significance of the award and the remarkable impact of the recipients’ research.
A sincere thank-you to the 2024 Award Committee for their dedication and selection process, and congratulations once again to this year’s honourees. Your work exemplifies the kind of research MDPI is proud to support and amplify.
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About the Tu Youyou Award For further information about the award and the winners, please visit the Tu Youyou Award website. |
Chief Executive Officer
MDPI AG
1 July 2025
Meet Us at the CRS 2025 Annual Meeting and Exposition, 14–18 July 2025, Philadelphia, USA
28 June 2025
Meet Us at the 17th Academic Conference of the Chinese Pharmacological Society, 22–26 July 2025, Xiong An, China
26 June 2025
Meet Us at the 2nd International Congress of Advanced Medical Engineering (I-CAME2025), 25–27 June 2025, Shangai, China
25 June 2025
Biomedicines Receives an Updated Impact Factor of 3.9
12 June 2025
International Albinism Awareness Day—“Demanding Our Rights: Protect Our Skin, Preserve Our Lives”, 13 June 2025
International Albinism Awareness Day 2025 underscores the urgent need for increased awareness, preventive care, and accessible healthcare for people with albinism. This year’s theme highlights the life-threatening impact of skin cancer among individuals with albinism and reinforces the importance of sun protection, early detection, and timely treatment.
Albinism is a rare, inherited genetic condition that affects the body’s ability to produce melanin, the pigment responsible for the color of our skin, hair, and eyes. People with albinism typically have very light skin and hair, alongside various vision impairments. While it is not contagious and does not affect intelligence, albinism is often misunderstood. This leads to stigmatization, discrimination, and even human rights violations in some regions where harmful myths persist.
Because they have little to no melanin, individuals with albinism are especially vulnerable to sun damage and face a significantly increased risk of developing skin cancer. Addressing this requires more than just clinical intervention—it calls for integrated healthcare policies and inclusive social systems that acknowledge both the medical and socio-political dimensions of the condition.
In recognition of this global observance, we invite you to explore a curated collection of articles and Special Issues from selected MDPI journals, including Biomedicines, Cancers, Children, Diagnostics, Genes, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Journal of Clinical Medicine and Molecules. These open-access resources provide critical insights into the diagnosis, management, and complications of albinism, and promote cross-disciplinary collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and advocacy groups.
Together, through science, education, and empathy, we can foster a more inclusive world where people with albinism live free from discrimination and with access to the care they deserve.
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“Can a Portable Flash Visual Evoked Potential (VEP) Device Identify Chiasmal Decussation Anomalies in Albinism?”
by Eloise Keeling, Perry Carter, Abdi Malik Musa, Fatima Shawkat, Helena Lee and Jay E. Self
Diagnostics 2025, 15(11), 1395; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15111395
“Common Variants in the TYR Gene with Unclear Pathogenicity as the Cause of Oculocutaneous Albinism in a Cohort of Russian Patients”
by Olga Shchagina, Anna Stepanova, Polina Mishakova, Vitaliy Kadyshev, Nina Demina, Ludmila Bessonova, Sofya Ionova, Daria Guseva, Andrey Marakhonov, Rena Zinchenko et al.
Biomedicines 2024, 12(10), 2234; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12102234
“Functional Characterization of Splice Variants in the Diagnosis of Albinism”
by Modibo Diallo, Cécile Courdier, Elina Mercier, Angèle Sequeira, Alicia Defay-Stinat, Claudio Plaisant, Shahram Mesdaghi, Daniel Rigden, Sophie Javerzat, Eulalie Lasseaux et al.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(16), 8657; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25168657
“Genetic Linkage between CAPN5 and TYR Variants in the Context of Albinism and Autosomal Dominant Neovascular Inflammatory Vitreoretinopathy Absence: A Case Report”
by Mirjana Bjeloš, Ana Ćurić, Mladen Bušić, Benedict Rak and Biljana Kuzmanović Elabjer
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(12), 6442; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25126442
“Missing Heritability in Albinism: Deep Characterization of a Hungarian Albinism Cohort Raises the Possibility of the Digenic Genetic Background of the Disease”
by Nikoletta Nagy, Margit Pal, Jozsef Kun, Bence Galik, Peter Urban, Marta Medvecz, Beata Fabos, Alexandra Neller, Aliasgari Abdolreza, Judit Danis, Viktoria Szabo, Zhuo Yang, Stefanie Fenske, Martin Biel, Attila Gyenesei, Eva Adam and Marta Szell
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(2), 1271; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25021271
“Does Foveal Hypoplasia Affect Emmetropization in Patients with Albinism?”
by Line Kessel, Christine Dahlgren Bohnsack Kjølholm and Joaquim Torner Jordana
Children 2023, 10(12), 1910; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10121910
“Vision-Related Quality of Life in Danish Patients with Albinism and the Impact of an Updated Optical Rehabilitation”
by Kristian Lisbjerg, Joaquim Torner Jordana, Vibeke N. Brandt, Christine Kjølholm and Line Kessel
J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(17), 5451; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12175451
“Skin Pigmentation Types, Causes and Treatment—A Review”
by Amin Mahmood Thawabteh, Alaa Jibreen, Donia Karaman, Alà Thawabteh and Rafik Karaman
Molecules 2023, 28(12), 4839; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28124839
“Report of Hermansky–Pudlak Syndrome in Two Families with Novel Variants in HPS3 and HPS4 Genes”
by Sadeeda Qaiser Zaman, Muhammad Anas, Gauhar Rehman, Qadeem Khan, Aiman Iftikhar, Mashal Ahmad, Muhammad Owais, Ilyas Ahmad, Osama Yousef Muthaffar, Angham Abdulrhman Abdulkareem et al.
Genes 2023, 14(1), 145; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14010145
“Diagnostic Yield of Genetic Testing for Ocular and Oculocutaneous Albinism in a Diverse United States Pediatric Population”
by Kyle S. Chan, Brenda L. Bohnsack, Alexander Ing, Andy Drackley, Valerie Castelluccio, Kevin X. Zhang, Hanta Ralay-Ranaivo and Jennifer L. Rossen
Genes 2023, 14(1), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14010135
| “More than Skin Deep—Latest Advances in Congenital and Autoimmune Pigmentation Disorders” Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Reinhart M. Speeckaert Submission deadline: 25 August 2025 |
“Melanin Pigmentation: Physiology and Pathology” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Shosuke Ito and Prof. Dr. Manickam Sugumaran Submission deadline: 20 October 2025 |
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10 June 2025
Biomedicines Receives an Increased CiteScore of 6.8
