Carbon-Based Nanomaterials: Replication and Validation

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon-based nanomaterials have enjoyed continuous advancement in terms of their material properties, scale, and widespread adoption. However, like other sectors in the physical sciences, most journals prioritize novelty in their acceptance criteria. This bias, coupled with the "publish or perish" mindset, brings forth questions regarding experimental repeatability, which is the cornerstone of the scientific method. To strengthen the long-term prospects of carbon-based nanomaterials, a venue that emphasizes repeatability over novelty and validation over stratification is required.

This Special Issue welcomes high-quality contributions focused on the synthesis, characterization, development, and application of carbon-based nanomaterials, but only when the research either validates or refutes past experimental studies and does not solely focus on novel developments. Direct comparisons to the original studies are encouraged and contradictory or null results are acceptable. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Reproducing an experiment that generates a new independent dataset. Some novel modifications and systematic intentional variations are acceptable, provided the contribution focuses on repeating past work;
• Validating previous published results with alternate experimental procedures;
• Compiling and re-analyzing older data with new methods that validate or refute a previously published result;
• Surveying properties, equipment, or procedures across many sources through independent measurement and cataloguing.

In all these cases of replication and validation, statistical robustness, the application of standardized measurement protocols, and the availability of easily interpretable and optimally raw datasets are emphasized. The authors of the past work being repeated may participate in the current contribution, although this must be clearly stated in the text and new data must be generated.

Dr. John S. Bulmer
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• metascience
• replication crisis
• fullerene
• carbon nanotube
• graphene
• graphite
• carbon fiber
• synthesis
• characterization
• application