Announcements

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Jacob Lorenzo-Morales has been appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Parasitic Pathogens” in Pathogens (ISSN: 2076-0817). With his extensive background in scientific research and publishing, he will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this prestigious role.

Dr. Jacob Lorenzo-Morales graduated from the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of La Laguna (ULL), Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain in 2001. He was granted a Ph.D. degree in parasitology from the same university in 2006. Since then, he has been working on water-borne and zoonotic diseases (mainly protozoa) in different institutions such as the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland, United Kingdom. Currently he is working as the Senior Researcher at the University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, ULL. His interests and areas of research include epidemiology, molecular biology and therapy against emerging pathogens such as free-living amoebae and zoonotic parasites, and vector control.

Dr. Jacob Lorenzo Morales has been working on free-living amoebae (FLA) for the last ten years. His main research field focuses on the Acanthamoeba genus, where he is trying to identify potential targets using siRNA to develop novel therapeutic approaches against this pathogen. Other FLA that he works on include Balamuthia mandrillaris, Sappinia, and Naegleria fowleri, all of which have the ability to cause fatal encephalitis in humans and other animals. During the past few years, he has been working on the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 as well as the elucidation of novel antiviral devices and agents. With more than 15 years of experience in tropical diseases and emerging pathogen diagnosis and treatment, Dr. Jacob Lorenzo Morales presents an h-index of 41 with more than 6800 cites, with this being more than 3900 after the year 2019. He has published more than 250 articles in JCR-indexed journals in the fields of tropical medicine, parasitology, and protozoology, and has presented more than 300 communications at national and international congresses.

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Jacob Lorenzo-Morales, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views on 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 Section Editor-in-Chief?
Pathogens is becoming a highly respected journal in the field of parasitology and emerging diseases. I was delighted to be offered this opportunity since parasitic and tropical diseases are still highly neglected and the chance of this journal to gather contributions in the field is a challenge I am prepared to take.

2. What is your vision for the journal?
The journal’s rank is currently a Q2, I am aiming to get it to a Q1 position to be able to reach the most parasitologists in the world to ask them to submit contributions to this journal to get it to be a key one in the field. We will be working on increasing the impact factor, the number of submissions and the Editorial Board, so scientists worldwide feel like this is their journal.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?
Parasitic and vector-borne diseases are increasing worldwide due to climate change and globalization. These diseases were neglected and in the incoming years they will become pathologies of global concern. Hence, the future of this research is good but there is still a lot of work to be done.

4. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?
Open access is the way to go, research needs to be publicly accessible. Unfortunately, open access is costly. I think the way Pathogens and MDPI are working on open access is the way to go, charges apply, but at least the review process is fast (always following strict reviewing rules) and authors can publish their results without having to wait a long period.

I have been working with the staff in charge of the editorial department to offer waivers, discounts, and ease publication in open access in Pathogens, and the feedback is good. Nevertheless, as I said, open access is the way science should go.

We warmly welcome Dr. Jacob Lorenzo-Morales as the Section Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Parasitic Pathogens”, and we look forward to achieving many milestones under his leadership.

MDPI is pleased to announce the inclusion of 237 journals in the 2024 release of the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) and share the key results (see above).

This year, journals covered in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) received category ranks together with journals in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). Overall, 139 MDPI journals indexed in ESCI are included in the new unified rankings for the first time.

Enhanced Comparability of Data

According to Clarivate, "the creation of unified category rankings [provides] a simpler and more complete category view for the evaluation of journal performance. [...] The category-first approach simplifies journal performance assessment with a holistic view of all journals in each subject category."

We are thrilled to announce that 72% of our ranked MDPI journals (171 of 237) are above average, in Q1 or Q2. Twenty-nine of our journals received their first Impact Factor this year, accounting for more than 5% of the journals accepted into the Web of Science last year.

MDPI Journals Ranked in JCR

The following data includes all MDPI journals indexed in SCIE, SSCI, ESCI and AHCI.

Source: 2023 Journal Impact Factors, Journal Citation Reports ^TM (Clarivate, 2024)

About MDPI

A pioneer in scholarly, open access publishing, MDPI has supported academic communities since 1996. MDPI is leading the transition to open science by making more research free and accessible to everyone. Over 3.5 million researchers have entrusted MDPI with publishing their scientific discoveries. MDPI’s editorial process is bolstered by a network of dedicated reviewers, a team of 6000 professional, well-trained staff members, and an in-house article submission platform that was designed to ensure efficient processes within its 440 fully open access titles.

We are pleased to inform you that Pathogens (ISSN: 2076-0817) has received a heightened CiteScore of 6.4.

CiteScore provides transparent metrics that enable well-informed publishing strategy, library collection development, and the benchmarking of journal performance. It is now a standard citation metric alongside SNIP and SJR that gives an up-to-date view of a journal’s impact.

The 2023 CiteScore provides an assessment of the scientific influence of journals in the 2020 to 2023 period.

This is a reflection of the excellent performance, support, and dedication of all journal editors, reviewers, authors, and readers.

Pathogens’ CiteScore ranks as follows:

• Q2 (16 out of 61) in the “General Immunology and Microbiology” category;
• Q2 (102 out of 344) in the “Infectious Diseases” category;
• Q2 (53 out of 140) in the “Microbiology (medical)” category; 
• Q2 (90 out of 233) in the “Immunology and Allergy” category;  
• Q2 (191 out of 410) in the “Molecular Biology” category.

For more journal statistics, please visit https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogens/stats.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the journal.

Pathogens Editorial Office

MDPI will be attending the 28th International ICFMH Conference, which will be held from 8 to 11 July 2024, in BURGOS, Spain.

This conference will focus on the latest advances in new technologies in food production and microbiological analysis. It is an opportunity to delve into cutting-edge research and technological breakthroughs, exploring the ways in which innovation is driving improvements in food safety and quality.

The conference covers a range of topics, including new trends in food processing, innovative approaches to food safety and quality, and novel methods for microbial analysis. In addition, some emerging field topics are discussed for the first time, such as microplastics and microbiome interactions.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Foods;
• Microorganisms;
• Pathogens;
• Obesities;
• Applied Microbiology;
• Dietetics;
• Applied Biosciences;
• Dairy;
• Nutrients;
• Life;
• Fermentation;
• Antibiotics.

On UNESCO’s 2024 Oceans Day, MDPI encourages the scientific community to increase the accessibility of ocean research to accelerate ocean conservation.

Basel, Switzerland, June 7, 2024: MDPI, a leading open access (OA) publisher, is proud to announce its active support for World Oceans Day 2024, celebrated under UNESCO’s Ocean Decade framework. MDPI’s CEO, Stefan Tochev hopes that “the latest ocean research can be made freely accessible to help empower scientists and communities at large to save our oceans,” under UNESCO’s Ocean Decade until 2030.

Open Access: A Catalyst for Ocean Action

MDPI’s presence at the UNESCO Ocean Decade Conference 2024 highlights our unwavering commitment to using OA to advance ocean science, support research communities, and promote sustainable ocean management.

"Our involvement in the UNESCO Ocean Decade Conference underscores MDPI's commitment to the underfunded Ocean SDG. By promoting OA to scientific articles and books on SDGs, we aim to inspire critical actions," said Tochev. "Our initiatives, like the World Sustainability Award and Emerging Sustainability Award, further demonstrate our dedication to advancing sustainability.”

Showcasing MDPI’s Contributions to Ocean Research

Over the past three years, MDPI has published 30,000 papers focused on ocean research and related topics. Key MDPI journals contributing to this body of work include:

• Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (4.9k papers)
• Remote Sensing (2.6k papers)
• Sustainability (2k papers)
• International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS) (1.7k papers)
• Marine Drugs (1.5k papers)
• Water (1.5k papers)

These publications highlight MDPI’s contributions to ocean science, reinforcing our role in the broader sustainability agenda by promoting blue innovation and economy.

Additionally, MDPI has launched Oceans, an international, peer-reviewed forum specifically aimed at publishing studies related to all branches of oceanography with an emphasis on the functioning of the ocean and the sustainable use of its resources and ecosystem services.

Affirming MDPI’s Commitment to Ocean Science

MDPI’s commitment to OA is pivotal in addressing critical global challenges, from climate change to ocean sustainability. Our efforts resonate with Outcome 4 of the UNESCO Ocean Decade action roadmap: an accessible ocean with open and equitable access to data, information, technology, and innovation. By aligning with UNESCO’s goals, MDPI continues to contribute to shaping a sustainable future for our oceans, reinforcing our position as a forward-thinking publisher dedicated to environmental stewardship and scientific excellence.

For more information, contact Rui Duarte at rui.duarte@mdpi.com or +41764313242.

About MDPI

The International Mycological Congress (IMC12) represents a unique opportunity for mycologists from around the world to get together and engage in excellent discussions on their fields of expertise and science at large in one of Europe’s most impressive cities.

This four-day meeting will include keynote lectures by scientific leaders, bridging sessions and workshops focused on six themes:

• Cell biology, biochemistry and physiology;
• The environment, ecology and interactions;
• Evolution, biodiversity and systematics;
• Fungal pathogenesis and disease control;
• Genomics, genetics and molecular biology;
• Applied mycology and nomenclature.
  

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Journal of Fungi;
• Pathogens;
• Microorganisms;
• Microbiology Research;
• Diversity;
• Life.

If you are participating in this conference, please feel free to engage with us online prior to attendance. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person at booth #08 and answering any questions you may have. For more information regarding the conference, please visit the following link: https://imc12.org/.

95% of authors rate MDPI’s publication process as excellent or good, setting a new benchmark in scientific publishing – reveals 2023 Annual Report. 

Basel, Switzerland, June 4, 2024: MDPI, the leading open access (OA) publisher, proudly announces the release of its 2023 Annual Report, detailing remarkable achievements and reaffirming its leadership in advancing OA publishing. In 2023, MDPI received 655,065 submissions, of which 285,244 articles were published. The company now commands a 17% market share in gold open access articles, with a median publication time of six weeks.

Stefan Tochev, MDPI's CEO, stated, "As a pioneer in open access publishing, MDPI has long been a game-changer in the scholarly community, serving millions of authors around the world to ensure the latest research is freely available. Reflecting on our incredible journey at MDPI, 2023 has been marked by growth in paper submissions, ambitious projects and initiatives aimed at improving our internal processes and delivering top-notch services to our scientists."

MDPI's 2023 Annual Report highlights several key achievements:

• 17% market share in gold open access articles across all disciplines.
• Record satisfaction rates: 95% of authors, 82% of reviewers, and 85% of guest editors.
• Enhanced editorial standards and feedback processes.
• Increased reach and impact with 54 new MDPI journal inclusions in Scopus, 29 in Web of Science, and 77 in DOAJ.

MDPI’s unwavering commitment to advancing OA has transformed the landscape of scholarly publishing, making high-quality research freely accessible to the global scientific community. The continuous improvement in our editorial standards and feedback processes underscores MDPI’s dedication to ensuring academic integrity and excellence.

Global Reach and Collaboration

MDPI’s global footprint continues to expand, with authors from diverse regions: 37% from Asia/Pacific, 36% from Europe, 15% from the Americas, and 12% from other parts of the world. The company’s fully OA platform attracted nearly 14 million monthly visitors in 2023, reflecting its widespread influence in the scientific community.

Commitment to Partnerships

With over 800 institutional partners, MDPI continues to demonstrate its dedication to providing reliable and collaborative publishing services. The introduction of a transparent flat-fee model highlights MDPI's ongoing efforts to enhance affordability and support to the academic community. For more details read our 2023 Annual Report.

For more information, contact Rui Duarte at rui.duarte@mdpi.com or +41764313242.

About MDPI

We are pleased to announce MDPI’s Transfer Service.

This service provides a convenient method of transferring your manuscript file, along with any reviewer comments, to another journal within our publishing portfolio.

We are committed to helping authors find the right home for their research, and we will provide authors with guidance and technical support through all stages of the transfer process. Authors will be able to choose to transfer in the following two situations:

1. Select alternative journals on submission.

2. Authors are encouraged to transfer manuscripts to other MDPI journals.

More details about the Transfer Service can be found at the following link:

https://www.mdpi.com/authors/transfer-service

In acknowledgment of the groundbreaking achievements of Professor Tu Youyou, the Nobel laureate credited with the discovery of artemisinin, MDPI is proud to announce the Tu Youyou Award. This award, inaugurated in 2016, seeks to honor scholars who excel in the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Prize:

• CHF 100,000 in total (If there is more than one winner, the prize will be divided equally amongst the winners);
• An award medal for each winner.

Who should be nominated?

• Scientists with outstanding achievements and contributions in the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Who can submit a nomination?

• Academic research institutes
• Universities
• Academic societies

Any personal nominations are not accepted.

How do I submit a nomination?
Candidates’ institutional affiliations need to submit their nominations for final candidates to the Tu Youyou Award Team directly by email after internal screening, and each institution can only nominate a maximum of two candidates for each edition of the Tu Youyou Award. Please note that the nominations cannot be modified once they are submitted and confirmed by the Tu Youyou Award Team.

Required nomination materials:
Nomination Form (Download)

Schedule:
Nomination deadline: 31 December 2024;
Winner announcement: 30 April 2025.

Contact:
Tu Youyou Award Team (tuyouyouaward@mdpi.com)

More information can be found on the Tu Youyou Award official website. For any inquiries, do not hesitate to contact the Tu Youyou Award Team.