Announcements

MDPI has just become the first open access (OA) publisher to reach the milestone of one million articles published. That is one million articles freely available to all, to circulate and build upon! We are proud to share this special moment with the global scientific community.

This landmark has been reached thanks to the immeasurable support of more than 600,000 expert reviewers, 66,000 editorial board members and 6700 hard-working colleagues across MDPI’s global offices.

Within more than 25 years of publishing, our journals received 2.1 million manuscripts and generated 4.6 million peer review reports to get to one million papers published.

Reaching the milestone of one million articles published reinforces our mission to remove any existing barriers and to make scientific research accessible to all. Since its inception, MDPI’s goal has been to create reliable processes to make science open. This is a path towards facilitating the dissemination of novel insights in scientific communities.

Regular feedback from authors and reviewers shows that our service is greatly appreciated and needed. At the same time, the feedback helps us identify areas for further improvement.

As it stands, a significant share of published research findings remain closed access. More than half of the content published with the most well-known legacy publishers stays behind a paywall, and that is not including articles published in hybrid OA journals, or made available months or years after publication.

A new policy announced by the US administration in August 2022 requires that, as of January 2026, all US federally funded research be made freely and immediately available after publication. While the new policy does not mandate articles be published under an open access license, it is aligned with the open access movement in removing all barriers to research. Similarly, some of the most advanced research institutions in the world intend to have all funded research articles published in open access by 2025.

MDPI is proud to be the leading agent of the transition to open access.

"Thanks a Million" to all the contributors!

We are pleased to announce that the website of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation has been revamped! For the past couple of months, our UX UI team and front-end developers have been working hard to launch the website in time for the opening of the Sustainability Awards nominations.

The website is not the only thing that has had a remodeling. Indeed, the format of the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award (ESLA) has been updated. ESLA is now a competition open to individual researchers or start-ups founded by researchers under the age of 35. Nominee applications will go through 2 rounds of selection until the final 3 are decided. The finalists will then be invited to give pitch presentations during the Award Ceremony to win either first place (10,000 USD) or runner-up (2 x 5000 USD).

The World Sustainability Award, on the other hand, remains the same: a total prize money of 100,000 USD is up for grabs by senior individual researchers or groups of researchers from the international research community.

Nominations for both the World Sustainability Award and the Emerging Sustainability Leader award are now open! Check out our new website for more information on how to nominate.

1. “Fractals: An Eclectic Survey, Part-I”
by Akhlaq Husain, Manikyala Navaneeth Nanda, Movva Sitaram Chowdary and Mohammad Sajid
Fractal Fract. 2022, 6(2), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6020089
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/2/89

2. “Cardiovascular Circulatory System and Left Carotid Model: A Fractional Approach to Disease Modeling”
by José Emilio Traver, Cristina Nuevo-Gallardo, Inés Tejado, Javier Fernández-Portales, Juan Francisco Ortega-Morán, J. Blas Pagador and Blas M. Vinagre
Fractal Fract. 2022, 6(2), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6020064
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/2/64

3. “Fractal Analysis on Surface Topography of Thin Films: A Review”
by Wenmeng Zhou, Yating Cao, Haolin Zhao, Zhiwei Li, Pingfa Feng and Feng Feng
Fractal Fract. 2022, 6(3), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6030135
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/3/135

4. “On the Existence and Stability of Variable Order Caputo Type Fractional Differential Equations”
by Shahzad Sarwar
Fractal Fract. 2022, 6(2), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6020051
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/2/51

5. “Influence of MgO on the Hydration and Shrinkage Behavior of Low Heat Portland Cement-Based Materials via Pore Structural and Fractal Analysis”
by Lei Wang, Xiao Lu, Lisheng Liu, Jie Xiao, Ge Zhang, Fanxing Guo and Li Li
Fractal Fract. 2022, 6(1), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6010040
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/1/40

6. “Geometric Properties of a Certain Class of Mittag–Leffler-Type Functions”
by Hari M. Srivastava, Anish Kumar, Sourav Das and Khaled Mehrez
Fractal Fract. 2022, 6(2), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6020054
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/2/54

7. “Elementary Fractal Geometry. 2. Carpets Involving Irrational Rotations”
by Christoph Bandt and Dmitry Mekhontsev
Fractal Fract. 2022, 6(1), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6010039
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/1/39

8. “Recent Advances and Applications of Spiral Dynamics Optimization Algorithm: A Review”
by Madiah Binti Omar, Kishore Bingi, B Rajanarayan Prusty and Rosdiazli Ibrahim
Fractal Fract. 2022, 6(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6010027
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/1/27

9. “Influence of Groundwater Depth on Pile–Soil Mechanical Properties and Fractal Characteristics under Cyclic Loading”
by Bingxiang Yuan, Zhijie Li, Weijie Chen, Jin Zhao, Jianbing Lv, Jie Song and Xudong Cao
Fractal Fract. 2022, 6(4), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6040198
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/4/198

10. “Examining the Position of Wright’s Fallingwater in the Context of His Larger Body of Work: An Analysis Using Fractal Dimensions”
by Josephine Vaughan and Michael J. Ostwald
Fractal Fract. 2022, 6(4), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract6040187
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/6/4/187

The Fractal and Fractional (ISSN: 2504-3110; IF: 3.577) Editorial Office is pleased to inform you that applications are open for the Topical Advisory Panel (TAP).

The benefits of becoming a Topical Advisory Panel Member include the following:

• The opportunity to publish 3−4 papers, with a certain discount, per year in Fractal and Fractional, in addition to potential discounts for additional papers you invite;
• Receiving a certificate in recognition of becoming a Topical Advisory Panel Member of Fractal and Fractional;
• Journal sponsorships for conferences organized by Topical Advisory Panel Members.

The main responsibilities of the new members of the Topical Advisory Panel are as follows:

• Providing regular reviews of manuscripts;
• Setting up at least one Special Issue (SI) in partnership with a senior researcher within two years of the appointment. The topic of the proposal should be within the scope of Fractal and Fractional;
• Providing a strategy plan for the SI, including assisting in preparing the Special Issue’s/Topic’s title, aim and scope, summary, and keywords, as well as soliciting papers for and promoting the SI;
• Promoting our journal at conferences, social media, and other relevant platforms;
• Collaborating with the Editorial Office to promote high-quality/featured papers.

To qualify as a Topical Advisory Panel Member, applicants must fit the following criteria:

• Have expertise and experience in the field related to Fractal and Fractional;
• Have published at least six papers in the last five years as a first author or corresponding author;
• Currently hold an independent research position in academia or a government institute.

For the full list of Topical Advisory Panel Members, please see the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/fractalfract/topical_advisory_panel.

If you are interested in this role, please contact the Editorial Office (fractalfract@mdpi.com). You can also click on the following link to submit your application: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/fractalfract/topical_advisory_panel_application.

Fractal and Fractional Editorial Office

Peer Review Week began 19 September 2022 under the theme of “Research Integrity: Creating and Supporting Trust in Research”. Through various blog articles, podcast, and webinar, we discussed this crucial subject throughout the week, celebrating the essential role peer review plays in maintaining research quality.

To begin, we held a Webinar on the topic. Professor Peter W. Choate and Dr. Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi joined Dr. Ioana Craciun, one of MDPI’s scientific officers, for an in-depth discussion.

We invite you to view the event recording:

During the week, the MDPI Blog in a series articles highlighted how good Peer Review safeguards research integrity. The following topics were covered:

• Peer Review Week 2022
• Research Integrity
• What We’ve Learned About Peer Review Reports
• 4 Steps to the Perfect Peer Review Report
• How to Write the Perfect Peer Review Report: An Interview
• Inviting Great Peer Reviewers

In a new edition of Insight Faster, an MDPI podcast, we were delighted to talk to the co-chairs of the Peer Review Week committee, Jayashree Rajagopalan (Senior Manager of Global Community Engagement for CACTUS) and Danielle Padula (Head of Marketing and Community Development at Scholastica) to get their take on this year’s event and its related topics.

You can find the Podcast here.

We hope you enjoy the contents!

MDPI will be attending the Conference on Complex Systems (CCS2022) in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, which will take place from 17 to 21 October 2022. The CCS is the largest and most important annual meeting of the international complex systems community. It comes under the auspices of the Complex Systems Society. This edition, organized by IFISC, takes place after previous events held in Lyon, Singapore, Thessaloniki, and Cancun.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Entropy;
• Fractal and Fractional;
• Symmetry;
• Mathematics;
• Dynamics;
• Algorithms;
• Systems;
• Informatics;
• MAKE;
• Information;
• Future Internet;
• Applied System Innovation;
• Data.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to stop by our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person to answer any questions you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: https://www.ccs2022.org/.

We are pleased to announce that five new scholars have been appointed Editorial Board Members for the journal Fractal and Fractional (ISSN: 2504-3110):

• Prof. Dr. VuKim Tuan (University of West Georgia, USA);
• Prof. Dr. Sabir Umarov (University of New Haven, USA);
• Prof. Dr. Vy Khoi Le (Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA);
• Prof. Dr. Damian Słota (Silesian University of Technology, Poland);
• Prof. Dr. Francesco Marotti De Sciarra (University of Naples Federico II, Italy).

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Haci Mehmet Baskonus has been appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Mathematical Physics” in Fractal and Fractional (ISSN: 2504-3110).

Name: Prof. Dr. Haci Mehmet Baskonus
Email: hmbaskonus@gmail.com
Affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education, Harran University, Sanliurfa 63100, Turkey
Interests: partial differential equations; fractional calculus; analytical methods; numerical methods; mathematical physics
Homepage: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Haci-Mehmet-Baskonus

Prof. Dr. Haci Mehmet Baskonus is currently a Full Professor at Harran University, Faculty of Education, Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Sanliurfa, Turkey. His research interests include the analytical and numerical methods for nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs), mathematical physics, and PDEs with ordinary, partial order (fractional/integer). He has supervised many Ph.D. students and M.Sc. students. He has been the external evaluator for many Ph.D. theses and research projects from all over the world. Prof. Dr. Baskonus is an editor of several leading and prestigious international journals. He was announced Highly Cited Researcher-2021 by Clarivate.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Haci Mehmet Baskonus, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Editor-in-Chief?
   I know this journal well from its beginning, and I supported it with my all energy. This is one of my happiest achievements.

2. What is your vision for the journal?
   My vision for our journal is to bring it to a top point among other journals by considering newly developed tools from all over the world.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?
   The field of our journal is one of the most studied areas in science. This is why we can collect many citations and earn a high SCIE score.

4. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?
   This is necessary and compulsory in scientific activities because new tools based on science are increasing day by day. Thus, I believe that Open Access is really contributing to the spread of new ideas.

The editorial team warmly welcomes Prof. Dr. Haci Mehmet Baskonus as the Section Editor-in-Chief of the “Mathematical Physics” Section, and we look forward to his contribution to the continued success of Fractal and Fractional. You can find more information about the journal Sections here.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Riccardo Caponetto has been appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Numerical and Computational Methods” in Fractal and Fractional (ISSN: 2504-3110). His term started in August 2022.

Name: Dr. Riccardo Caponetto
Email: riccardo.caponetto@unict.it
Affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica Elettronica e Informatica, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: systems modeling and control; fractional order systems; soft computing techniques
Homepage: https://www.dieei.unict.it/docenti/riccardo.caponetto

Dr. Riccardo Caponetto was born in Catania, Italy, in 1966. He received his electronic engineering degree from the University of Catania in 1991 and Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1995. He worked in STMicroelectronics as a researcher from 1994 to 2001. Since then, he has been an Associate Professor at University of Catania, Italy, D.I.E.E.I. His interests include systems modeling and control, fractional order systems and soft computing techniques. Dr. Riccardo Caponetto is a co-author of 9 international patents, 6 books, 7 book chapters, 64 publications in international journals and 108 publications in international conferences.

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Riccardo Caponetto, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take on the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?

I initially appreciated Fractal and Fractional as an author and later also as an Editor. It interests me because the contents of the journal cover all aspects related to fractional calculations from the purely theoretical ones to the more applicative ones.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

Being an engineer, I am very interested in the real applications of all mathematical methodologies, so my specific contribution will be to highlight the applicative advantages in modeling and in the control of non-integer systems. To this end, the availability of effective "Numerical and Computational Methods" Section is essential.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

The interest in fractional calculus is ever-growing and therefore rigorous scientific production must be maintained.

4. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?

In accordance with the spirit of the Declaration of the Budapest Open Access Initiative, the ECHO Charter, and the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing, the Berlin Declaration was written to promote the Internet as a useful tool for general basic scientific knowledge. The open access policy is therefore now an established and shared tool for sharing knowledge.

The editorial team warmly welcomes Dr. Riccardo Caponetto as the Section Editor-in-Chief of the “Numerical and Computational Methods” Section and looks forward to his contributions to the continued success of Fractal and Fractional.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. António M. Lopes has been appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Complexity” in Fractal and Fractional (ISSN: 2504-3110). His term began in July 2022.

Name: Dr. António M. Lopes
Email: aml@fe.up.pt
Affiliation: Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200–465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: complex systems; nonlinear dynamics; robotics; control; fractional calculus; simulation
Homepage: https://sigarra.up.pt/feup/en/FUNC_GERAL.FORMVIEW?P_CODIGO=211599

Dr. António M. Lopes is an associate professor with Habilitation of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), Portugal. He is also the Senior Researcher and Coordinator of the research group Intelligent Systems and Control at the Laboratory for Energy, Transport and Aeronautics (LAETA) at the Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI). His research interests include complex systems, nonlinear dynamics, robotics, control, fractional calculus, and simulation.

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. António M. Lopes, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Editor-in-Chief?

I have collaborated with MDPI for a long time, as an author and as an Editorial Board Member of several journals, and my experience has been excellent. Despite being relatively young, Fractal and Fractional has developed fast, its impact factor has increased continuously, and the journal is, nowadays, a reference in the field. The journal has a dynamic team of Editorial Board Members, and the MDPI staff has a way of working that differs from traditional publishing. This is crucial for speeding up the peer-review process and editorial decisions, which is widely appreciated by authors. There are also new opportunities for attracting authors to the journal since the Fractal and Fractional research community is still growing.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

I envisage steady progress towards increasing the impact indices and scientific quality, which will confirm Fractal and Fractional as a reference journal in the field. This must be achieved with rigorous peer-review processes to maintain high standards of publication and citation.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

The Fractal and Fractional research community is still growing, however, the concepts of fractals and fractional calculus have been developing fast in recent years. New theoretical findings and applications in science and engineering will contribute to a better understanding of real-world systems and phenomena. Therefore, many developments are expected in mathematics, numerical algorithms, computational methods, modeling, simulation, control, and applications.

4. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?

Open access is the future of scientific publishing. Indeed, this publishing model has been increasingly adopted not only by new journals but also by well-established ones, which are adopting hybrid or open access publishing models. The knowledge must be freely available, and open access will facilitate the exchange of scientific results to all. Institutions have become more aware of the need to fund open access publications, which has become a part of the budget in most project proposals. Although some (wrong) preconceptions that are held by some funding agencies and authors still exist, linking the publishing model to quality, this will soon vanish.

The editorial team warmly welcomes Dr. António M. Lopes as the Section Editor-in-Chief of “Complexity”, and we look forward to his contribution to the continued success of Fractal and Fractional. For further information on the journal’s Sections, please click here.