Announcements

We are pleased to invite you to read the selected highly cited papers published in 2023 in Water (ISSN: 2073-4441). The paper list is as follows.

1. “A Review of Hydrodynamic and Machine Learning Approaches for Flood Inundation Modeling”
by Fazlul Karim, Mohammed Ali Armin, David Ahmedt-Aristizabal, Lachlan Tychsen-Smith and Lars Petersson
Water 2023, 15(3), 566; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15030566
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/566

2. “Application of Machine Learning in Water Resources Management: A Systematic Literature Review”
by Fatemeh Ghobadi and Doosun Kang
Water 2023, 15(4), 620; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15040620
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/4/620

3. “Full-Scale Sewage Sludge Reduction Technologies: A Review with a Focus on Energy Consumption”
by Roberta Ferrentino, Michela Langone, Luca Fiori and Gianni Andreottola
Water 2023, 15(4), 615; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15040615
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/4/615

4. “Maximizing Water Use Efficiency in Rice Farming: A Comprehensive Review of Innovative Irrigation Management Technologies”
by Maduri Mallareddy, Ramasamy Thirumalaikumar, Padmaanaban Balasubramanian, Ramapuram Naseeruddin, Narayanaswamy Nithya, Arulanandam Mariadoss, Narayanasamy Eazhilkrishna, Anil Kumar Choudhary, Murugesan Deiveegan, Elangovan Subramanian et al.
Water 2023, 15(10), 1802; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15101802
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/10/1802

5. “Impact of Antibiotic Pollution on the Bacterial Population within Surface Water with Special Focus on Mountain Rivers”
by Klaudia Kulik, Anna Lenart-Boroń and Kinga Wyrzykowska
Water 2023, 15(5), 975; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15050975
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/5/975

6. “A Stacking Ensemble Model of Various Machine Learning Models for Daily Runoff Forecasting”
by Mingshen Lu, Qinyao Hou, Shujing Qin, Lihao Zhou, Dong Hua, Xiaoxia Wang and Lei Cheng
Water 2023, 15(7), 1265; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15071265
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1265

7. “The Bacterial Degradation of Lignin—A Review”
by Dijana Grgas, Matea Rukavina, Drago Bešlo, Tea Štefanac, Vlado Crnek, Tanja Šikić, Mirna Habuda-Stanić and Tibela Landeka Dragičević
Water 2023, 15(7), 1272; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15071272
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1272

8. “Examining Current and Future Applications of Electrocoagulation in Wastewater Treatment”
by Yi Mao, Yaqian Zhao and Sarah Cotterill
Water 2023, 15(8), 1455; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081455
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/8/1455

9. “A Review of the Application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in Karst Watersheds”
by Ibrahim Al Khoury, Laurie Boithias and David Labat
Water 2023, 15(5), 954; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15050954
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/5/954

10. “Biorefinery of Sewage Sludge: Overview of Possible Value-Added Products and Applicable Process Technologies”
by Andrea G. Capodaglio
Water 2023, 15(6), 1195; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15061195
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/6/1195

The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2024 will be held from 11 to 15 August 2024 in Toronto, Canada. The conference will be hosted by the International Water Association (IWA).

The areas of focus for the conference include the following:

• Circular economy and resource recovery;
• Climate-smart approaches to water and wastewater;
• Digital transformation;
• Innovation in technology and policy;
• Wastewater surveillance;
• Inclusive urban sanitation;
• Nature-based solutions;
• Inclusivity and equality;
• Indigenous peoples;
• Partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Water;
• Limnological Review;
• Membranes;
• Geosciences;
• Hydrology;
• Infrastructures;
• Sustainability;
• Energies.

If you are planning to attend the above conference, please feel free to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates also look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. Our booth number is #1204. For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: https://worldwatercongress.org/.

Conference:  Aquaculture Europe 2024 (AQUA 2024)

Organization: European Aquaculture Society (EAS)

Date: 26–30 August 2024

Place: Ac Hotel by Marriott Bella Sky, Center Boulevard 5 2300, Copenhagen

MDPI journals will be attending AQUA 2024 as exhibitors. This meeting will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 26 to 30 August 2024.

AQUA 2024 will take place in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. It will comprise a scientific conference, trade exhibition, industry forums, workshops, student events and receptions. The event will highlight the latest in aquaculture research and innovations, underpinning the continued growth of this exciting food production sector. It will be a showcase for Denmark and its innovation leadership in several key technologies that are crucial for future aquaculture, but the event will also function as a meeting and exchange platform for experts from around the world.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Fishes;
• Animals;
• Antioxidants;
• Aquaculture Journal;
• Biology;
• Life;
• Diversity;
• Oceans;
• Sustainability;
• Water;
• JMSE.

If you will be attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://www.aquaeas.org/.

Five new journals covering multiple subjects have launched their inaugural issue in June 2024. We are excited to be able to share with you the newest research rooted in the value of open access.

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all the Editorial Board Members and each journal will ensure its high-quality output using excellent editorial and rigorous peer review processes, to ensure that the articles achieve high impact and visibility.

Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below.

Journal	Founding Editor-in-Chief	Journal Topics (Selected)
	Prof. Dr. Marco Ranucci, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Italy | Editorial | view inaugural issue	anaesthetic medications; blood and fluid management; pain management; critical care; critical illness | view journal scope | submit an article
	Dr. Giovanni E. Cacciamani, University of Southern California, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue	surgical/procedural complications; complications; perioperative adverse events; postoperative adverse events | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr.  Gassan Hodaifa, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Spain | Editorial | view inaugural issue	laboratory management; laboratory safety; protective equipment; laboratory problems and challenges; laboratory Innovation | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Jan S. Suchodolski, Texas A&M University, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue	companion animals health and disease; veterinary care and nutrition; genetics and genomics; behavior and welfare; human-animal relations | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Pierfrancesco De Paola, University of Naples Federico II, Italy | Editorial | view inaugural issue	real estate appraisal; economic and financial valuation of real estate projects; sustainable real estate; housing and urban economics | view journal scope | submit an article

We wish to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. You are welcome to send an application here, or contact the New Journal Committee (newjournal-committee@mdpi.com) if you would like to create more new journals.

We are pleased to announce that the first prize of the Water 2024 Young Investigator Award has been granted to Dr. Jing Sun, and the second prize has been granted to Prof. Dr. Vhahangwele Masindi.

Dr. Jing Sun is a tenured Associate Professor at the College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Tongji University, China. Dr. Sun’s research work focuses on sustainable wastewater treatment and resource recovery, emerging containments (such as microplastics and persistent organic pollutants) in waters, stormwater and sewer system management, and environmental microbiology, including examinations of metagenomics, metabolomics, etc. Dr. Sun has an h-index of 36 based on Scopus and has published over 80 journal papers, with her number of citations totaling over 4900.

Prof. Dr. Vhahangwele Masindi is an extraordinary professor at the Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, South Africa. Prof. Dr. Masindi is a top-rated researcher (top 2% according to SCI reports), currently focusing on the research fields of water resource management (specifically water security, water and wastewater treatment, and sustainability). He has an h-index of 30 based on Scopus, has published more than eighty publications in peer reviewed international, reputable, and prestigious journals, and accredited outlets, and he holds five patents registered through the World Intellectual Property Organization.

As the awardee, Dr. Jing Sun will receive an honorarium of CHF 2000 and an offer to publish a paper free of charge before 31 December 2024 in Water after peer-review, while Prof. Dr. Vhahangwele Masindi will receive an honorarium of CHF 1500 and an offer to publish a paper free of charge before 31 December 2024 in Water after peer-review.

We would like to thank all the nominators for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the many excellent nominees.

Water Editorial Office

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.

From 14 to 19 April 2024, the EGU General Assembly 2024, a highly anticipated event in the global earth sciences community, was held at the Austria Center Vienna (ACV) in Austria. The conference not only provided a platform for earth scientists from around the world to exchange the latest research findings and discuss academic frontiers, but also witnessed several thrilling moments. In particular, the Outstanding Reviewer Award and Travel Award ceremony for Geosciences journal (ISSN: 2076-3263) stood out as a significant highlight of the conference.

During the week-long event, MDPI had a dedicated exhibition booth, showcasing its diverse range of journals and unique publishing characteristics. Concurrently, Geosciences journal organized an award ceremony, during which Section Editor-in-Chief (SEiC) Prof. Dr. Olivier Lacombe presented the Outstanding Reviewer Award to Dr. Simone Bello, who was represented by Prof. Dr. Rita de Nardis in receiving the honor, and Dr. Yuchen Wang, and the Travel Award to Dr. Andrea Maffeis.

Prof. Dr. Olivier Lacombe, the SEiC of Geosciences journal, served as the guest presenter at the award ceremony. Not only is he a dedicated supporter and contributor to the journal, but he has also achieved remarkable accomplishments in the field of earth sciences. He presented the winners with their certificates and expressed high recognition and praise for their academic achievements.

Prof. Dr. Rita de Nardis; Dr. Andrea Maffeis; Ms. Bojana Mijanovic; Mrs. Oana Irina Karadag; Prof. Dr. Olivier Lacombe; Dr. Yuchen Wang (From left to the right)

The Outstanding Reviewer Award recognizes reviewers who have demonstrated excellence in their peer-review work for the journal and made significant contributions to the academic quality. These reviewers, with their profound academic knowledge and rigorous reviewing attitude, have provided valuable support for the journal's development. The Travel Award, on the other hand, aims to encourage young scholars to actively participate in international academic exchanges and enhance their research capabilities. The awarded young scholars have demonstrated remarkable research potential and academic pursuit in the field of earth sciences.

During the award ceremony, the winners shared their research insights and academic aspirations. They expressed that receiving recognition and encouragement from Geosciences journal is a great affirmation of their academic achievements and a driving force for them to continue moving forward.

In addition to the award ceremony, our representatives actively participated in various conference activities, engaging in in-depth exchanges and discussions with scholars from around the world. They not only shared the latest research findings and academic progress, but also had lively discussions on cutting-edge issues in the field of earth sciences. These exchanges broadened their academic horizons and provided new ideas and directions for their future research.

Dr. Stefano Luigi Gariano

Dr. Paolo Madonia

Dr. Olga Petrucci

Dr. Doris Folini

Dr. Silvia Kohnova

Dr. Samuele Segoni

Dr. Cheng-Yu Ku

Dr. Annalisa Cappello

Dr. Raffaele Albano

Dr. Linda Lee

Prof. Paolo Reggiani

More MDPI Moments:

The successful conclusion of the EGU General Assembly 2024 and the triumphant award ceremony for Geosciences journal not only showcased the latest achievements and academic style in the field of earth sciences, but also provided a platform for global scholars to communicate and collaborate. It is believed that in the future, MDPI will continue to uphold its mission of “promoting the development of earth sciences and fostering academic exchanges and cooperation”, contributing significantly to the prosperity and advancement of the earth sciences field.

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

We are pleased to inform you that Water (ISSN: 2073-4441) has received a heightened CiteScore of 5.8.

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.

Water’s CiteScore ranks as follows:

• Q1 (63 out of 261) in the “Water Science and Technology” category; 
• Q1 (40 out of 247) in the “Aquatic Science” category; 
• Q1 (124 out of 821) in the “Geography, Planning and Development” category;
• Q2 (209 out of 438) in the “Biochemistry” category.

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

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the journal.

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