MDPI INSIGHTS: The CEO's Letter #22 - 300 Journals in WoS, Norway & Sweden Consortiums, Self-citations
Opening Thoughts
Over 300 MDPI Journals are Indexed in Web of Science
Indexing is essential to scholarly publishing as it promotes visibility and the impact of research. I’m excited to share that MDPI now has over 300 journals indexed in the Web of Science (WoS). This milestone reflects the work of our authors, editors, reviewers, and the entire MDPI staff, contributing to greater visibility and impact for open access research.
Publish with MDPI, publish with impact.
Having over 300 MDPI journals indexed in the Web of Science is more than a numbers game. It represents a recognition of the quality, consistency, and relevance of the research published in our journals. For the academic community, it reflects the growing trust in MDPI as a reputable publisher, leading the way in open access publishing.
A closer look at the achievement
Being indexed in the WoS nvolves meeting a list of quality criteria, including 24 quality benchmarks for ESCI journals.
For MDPI, rigorous editorial standards and scientific integrity are key. These enabled over 300 journals to pass the Web of Science quality criteria for indexing.
Here we share a blog post discussing the importance of this milestone for MDPI and open scholarly research. In this post, Constanze Schelhorn, Head of Indexing, at MDPI, and Giulia Stefenelli, Scientific Communications Lead, share their thoughts and insights on what this achievement means for our commitment to high-quality research.
“MDPI has a well-structured quality assurance framework that applies to all our journals. We also apply clear, standardized peer-review policies across our portfolio, ensuring transparency and consistency.” – Constanze Schelhorn, Head of Indexing
“This achievement is a step forward for Open Access research, reinforcing the mission to share scientific knowledge globally and facilitate research progress.” – Giulia Stefenelli, Scientific Communications Lead
Read the blog here: https://blog.mdpi.com/2025/04/03/300-mdpi-journals/
Looking to the future
This milestone is a testament to MDPI’s dedication to peer review, editorial excellence, and innovation in academic publishing. It highlights our role as leaders in open access publishing.
Personally, I see this as just the beginning. We will continue to support researchers, expand our contributions to scholarly communication, and push the boundaries of academic publishing.
Impactful Research
Nearly 920 partner institutions in MDPI’s Institutional Open Access Program
I’m pleased to share some exciting progress from MDPI's Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP), which now includes nearly 920 partner institutions worldwide. This is more than just a number. It reflects the growing trust and collaboration we’ve built with universities, libraries, and research organizations across the globe.
The IOAP offers institutions discounted Article Processing Charges (APCs), access to a dedicated institutional dashboard, and transparency throughout the publishing process.
Norway’s Sikt Consortium Renews national agreement with MDPI
MDPI has renewed its national agreement with the Sikt Consortium, which now supports 36 institutions across Norway. New partners, such as Kristiania University of Applied Sciences, join long-standing collaborators such as NTNU, the University of Bergen, and UiT, The Arctic University of Norway. The agreement promotes affordable, high-quality open access publishing through centralized APC funding, and reinforces Norway’s leadership in open science.
These agreements reflect MDPI’s mission to remove barriers to scientific publishing and make research freely available to all. By collaborating with national consortia and institutions, we advance the open access and strengthen our global network and collaborations.
Our IOAP Team
A big thank-you to our IOAP team for driving these important collaborations. Their work includes increasing MDPI’s visibility in scholarly communications, strengthening relationships with IOAP partners, and building trust with key stakeholders.
These efforts not only help researchers to publish their work openly and affordably but also reinforce MDPI’s position as a trusted leader in open access.
What are the benefits of MDPI’s IOAP?
For Authors: Researchers affiliated with IOAP partner institutions benefit from automatic discounts on APCs, Book Processing Charges (BPCs), JAMS, and Author Services across MDPI’s journals. The process is seamless as there is no need for codes or special applications. The publishing experience is smoother and more affordable, and centralized invoicing helps simplify the process, allowing authors to focus on their research rather than administration.
For Libraries: Participating libraries receive access to a dedicated institutional dashboard with live metadata on submissions from affiliated authors, past and present. They also benefit from flexible invoicing options (direct, collective, or prepayment) to help streamline administration, while clear, transparent agreements ensure that there are no hidden clauses or small print. Automated deposits into Institutional Repositories further reduce manual work, supporting libraries in their mission to advance open access and serve their research communities.
Inside MDPI
MDPI Self-citation study shows industry alignment
Earlier this month, Dr. Giulia Stefenelli and Dr. Enric Sayas published a thoughtful and transparent article on the ALPSP blog, presenting a self-citation analysis across MDPI’s 237 journals indexed in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR).
They found that MDPI's average self-citation rate in 2024 was 14.85%, well within industry norms and ranking 6th among the top ten publishers. Only 2.3% of MDPI journals were identified as outliers with high self-citation rates, compared to 4.7% among other leading publishers. An alternative approach, using weighted average by publication volume, shows MDPI’s self-citation rate rises from 14% to 19.7%, shifting our rank from 6th to 3rd. The study also shows that the impact of self-citation on journal quartile placement is minimal.
Read the full article on the ALPSP blog: https://blog.alpsp.org/2025/03/mdpi-self-citations-study-highlights.html
Why is this important?
As explained in the full article, the results “reinforce the fact that self-citations have minimal influence on MDPI journal rankings, emphasizing the integrity of editorial practices and the absence of any deliberate efforts to manipulate impact.”
Self-citation is a hot topic, and MDPI is sometimes unfairly singled out in this area. This analysis helps put some perspective to that narrative.
At MDPI, we are committed to transparency and to using data-driven insights to address common misconceptions about open access publishing. Our focus on self-citation reflects this commitment, and we plan to extend our efforts to other areas where the Gold OA model is often misunderstood.
About the authors
Dr. Giulia Stefenelli, Scientific Communications Lead, leverages her expertise in science communication, editorial processes, and Open Access (OA) promotion to address both institutional and country-specific challenges. She collaborates with teams across PR, Editorial Procedures, Institutional Partnerships, Research Integrity, AI and more, developing strategies to engage stakeholders, including policymakers, academics, and industry leaders. Her responsibilities include enhancing MDPI’s scientific network and promoting OA initiatives at events worldwide, supporting the efforts of various departments, and ensuring effective communication to both specialist and broader audiences.
Dr. Enric Sayas is a Business Analyst specializing in the integration of AI and Machine Learning in scientific publishing.
Within MDPI’s AI team, Enric combines his editorial expertise with his passion for AI to support the development of AI-driven solutions tailored to editorial needs, enhancing efficiency and improving decision-making.
Enric’s interests extend to data science methodologies applied to scientific publishing, as well as the broader impact of AI on open science, peer review, and the future of scientific publishing.
Coming Together for Science
Plants 2025: From Seeds to Food Security
Prof. Dr. Dilantha Fernando presenting at Plants 2025 in Barcelona, Spain.
The MDPI Conference Plants 2025: From Seeds to Food Security took place in Barcelona, Spain, from 31 March to 2 April 2025.
It was chaired by Editor-in-Chief of MDPI journal Plants (Q1 journal); Prof. Dr. Dilantha Fernando from the University of Manitoba, in Canada, and Section Editor-in-Chief of Plants; Dr. Fermín Morales from Instituto de Agrobiotecnología (IdAB) – CSIC, in Spain; and Prof. Dr. Oscar Vicente from Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) in Spain.
The conference brought plant scientists together to discuss innovations in sustainable agriculture, crop improvement, and environmental conservation.
With the global population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, the conference addressed key challenges such as food security, climate change, and sustainable agroecosystems through keynote talks and seven specialized sessions.
The conference gathered 111 attendees from 36 different countries, featuring 1 keynote speaker, 9 invited speakers, and 41 selected talks, along with 56 posters. The event received just over 200 submissions and 102 accepted abstracts.
From insightful talks, engaging poster sessions and engaging networking moments, Plants 2025 was a special experience. You can relive the highlights from the Plants 2025 conference here with our after movie!
Awards
Four awards were presented at the conclusion of the conference, sponsored by the journal Plants: two Best Poster Awards (€250 each) and two Best Oral Presentation Awards (€300 each).
Plants 2025 Conference Team
The Plants 2025 Conference was organized by colleagues from MDPI’s Conference Team: Ana Sanchis (Conference Manager), Cédric Spinnler (Senior Conference Organizer), Raquel Sellès (Conference Organizer) and Laura Perez (Conference Assistant).
Upcoming event
5–7 May 2025
The 2nd International Electronic Conference on Metals
Location: Online event (Central European Summer Time)
As one of the pillar technologies that support the development of modern society and metallurgy, IECME 2025 will present the state-of-the-art of Metallurgy and Metals.
Find more upcoming MDPI events here.
Closing Thoughts
Swedish consortium renews partnership with MDPI
I’m pleased to share that MDPI has renewed its national partnership with Sweden’s Bibsam Consortium. This is a continued commitment to advancing open access publishing and supporting Sweden’s vision for fully open research.
Under this renewed agreement, 22 leading institutions including KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University, Linnaeus University, and Linköping University, will continue to benefit from MDPI’s IOAP. This provides discounts on APCs and a more streamlined, researcher-friendly publishing experience.
MDPI and Bibsam renew national agreement for Sweden
“With robust backing from national open science guidelines, Sweden’s open-access landscape is rapidly advancing,” says Becky Castellon, institutional partnerships manager at MDPI.
“In fact, fewer than 15% of all Swedish research outputs were locked behind paywalls in 2023. We are passionate about the positive impact our ongoing partnership with the Bibsam Consortium will have on Swedish research, paving the way for ground-breaking developments and a more inclusive, open scientific community. Through flexible solutions and tailored policies, we enable institutions to prioritize research, foster innovation, and enhance accessibility, driving the shift to full open access.”
Recent MDPI IOAP Consortium signings from 2025:
- The UK’s Jisc Consortium extended its national agreement, continuing support for more than 60 institutions across the UK.
- Switzerland’s CSAL (Consortium of Swiss Academic Libraries) renewed its agreement, continuing our collaboration with top institutions such as ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne.
- In Germany, we signed a new national agreement with ZB MED that includes over 100 universities and research institutions, with 78 institutions joining under a central or flat-fee model to simplify APC coverage.