Pensoft has been awarded the Seal of Recognition for the FAO AGRIS Active Data Provider of the Year for 2027. The seal is granted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations through its AGRIS initiative, and it recognises institutions that consistently share open-access agricultural research with the global community.
Notably, Pensoft joined the FAO AGRIS network back in 2024, and the organisation has renewed our seal every year since, a recognition we’re proud to have kept.
What has changed is the scale of our contribution. In 2024, Pensoft’s records on AGRIS numbered just under 15,000. Today, that figure has doubled to nearly 30,000, drawn from all 51 of our journals that fall within the scope of FAO AGRIS. The subjects covered are wide-ranging, spanning taxonomy, biodiversity, conservation and biogeography – these are all areas that feed directly into sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.
Through AGRIS, this research travels well beyond our own journals to researchers, policymakers and practitioners worldwide, adding to the shared pool of open knowledge that supports global food security and environmental sustainability. We’re glad to keep contributing to that effort, and look forward to continuing our work with FAO AGRIS in the years to come.
About FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its goal is to achieve food security for all, ensuring that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 194 members, 193 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
About Pensoft
Founded in 1992 “by scientists, for scientists,” Pensoft is an academic open-access publishing company well known worldwide for its cutting-edge publishing tools, workflows and methods for text and data publishing of journals, books and conference materials. In 2010, Pensoft became the first scientific publisher to introduce semantic enrichments in scholarly publications. Through its Research and Technical Development department, the company is involved in a range of research and technology projects.
With deep historical roots and a commitment to high-quality peer-reviewed research, the two journals have officially transitioned to Pensoft’s advanced publishing platform, ARPHA, marking a new chapter in their Open Access journey.
Dr. Daniel Marty, associate lecturer at the University of Basel, will continue to lead both SJP and SJG as the Chief Editor.
The Swiss Journal of Palaeontology (SJP), published on behalf of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), dates back to 1874. The journal launched under the name “Schweizerische Paläontologische Abhandlungen (Mémoires Suisses de Paléontologie)”, focusing primarily on the publication of palaeontological monographs.
Subsequently, the journal’s stewardship transitioned formally to the SCNAT in 1940, leading to the establishment of the Kommission für die Schweizerischen Paläontologischen Abhandlungen (KSPA), which has since managed the journal’s dedicated funds. After decades of irregular publication with “Birkhäuser” (obtained by Springer in 1985), the journal was rebranded to its current name in 2011 and established as a scientific peer-reviewed journal.
More recently, in response to a 2020 decision, made by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) to cease supporting traditional ‘subscription model’ journals, the SJP transitioned to a fully Open Access model. In 2025, the SJP became officially affiliated with the Swiss Geological Society (SGS). With the previous publishing contract concluding in late 2025, KSPA and SGS have partnered with Pensoft Publishers “where processes are more streamlined to the needs of the SJP.”
The SJP continues to be a vital home for research spanning alpha taxonomy, systematics, palaeobiology, biostratigraphy, and conservation palaeontology, among many other specialized fields.
The first three publications from SJP are now available on the journal’s new website along with an editorial by the Editor-in-Chief. Additionally, you can use the email alert button on the homepage of SJP to subscribe for the journal newsletter.
The Swiss Journal of Geosciences (SJG) is the other journal with a rich history, published on behalf of the Swiss Geological Society and is a member of the Swiss Academy of Sciences. It was first published in 1888 as “Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae”. From the 1920s until 2006, it was published in collaboration with Birkhäuser, eventually merging in 2006 with the Schweizerische Mineralogische und Petrographische Mitteilungen (SMPM, first published in 1921) and was then renamed to Swiss Journal of Geosciences. After the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) decided to stop supporting traditional ‘subscription model’ journals, SJG transitioned to a fully Open Access format in 2020.
As of the beginning of 2026, the journal will be published by Pensoft “where processes are more streamlined to the needs of the SJG”. The journal continues to focus on original research of international interest regarding the evolution of the Tethys realm and the Alpine/Himalayan orogen, covering disciplines such as Tectonics, Geochemistry, and Orogenesis and many more.
The first three publications of SJG under this new partnership, along with an editorial by the Editor-in-Chief, are now available on the journal’s new website.
Now powered by Pensoft’s open-access scholarly publishing platfor
In joining Pensoft, both SJP and SJG will get access to improved publishing infrastructure and benefit from increased visibility and discoverability for their published research. The journal will use Pensoft’s self-developed platform, ARPHA – an end-to-end publishing solution that makes it easy for both people and machines to access, cite, and reuse research. With its design, ARPHA streamlines publishing workflows, providing a single online ecosystem for the entire editorial process, from manuscript submission to peer review, editing, publication, and archiving.
“The migration of SJG and SJP to Pensoft Publishers will permit both journals to grow in a sustainable way and that it will considerably increase their visibility and quality as they will benefit from streamlined and professional processes and services offered by Pensoft. This will be a big advantage for our authors.”
– Said the Swiss Geological Society and Dr. Daniel Marty, Editor-in-Chief of both Swiss journals.
“We are thrilled to welcome both the Swiss Journal of Palaeontology and Swiss Journal of Geosciences to the Pensoft family of next-generation scientific journals. We appreciate this new partnership and look forward to seeing the journal thrive using our advanced publishing services.”
– Said Prof Lyubomir Penev, CEO and Founder of Pensoft
Estuarine Management and Technologies now accepted in the Directory of Open Access Journals: a key scientific index, internationally renowned as a trusted quality filter for open-access journals.
Having EMT accepted by DOAJ means that the journal has successfully passed a thorough assessment concerning its compliance with global standards of ethics, transparency and quality. The evaluation conducted by DOAJ includes an examination of the journal’s peer-review processes, editorial governance, transparency (e.g. publication fees, funding) and ethical policies (e.g. plagiarism, conflicts of interest). For many institutions, funders and libraries, DOAJ is seen as a credibility signal that distinguishes legitimate journals from predatory and/or low-quality ones.
The journal’s recognition comes only two years after the journal was launched as part of a promising joint initiative between a team of scientists headed by Dr. Soufiane Haddout (Ibn Tofail University, Morocco) and the open-access scientific publisher and technology provider Pensoft.
All articles published in the journal are already indexed and browsable on DOAJ. Future papers will be fetched by the platform right after they are published in EMT due to the automated data export workflows powered by Pensoft’s in-house ARPHA Publishing Platform.
Since early 2024, the journal has been seeking to support the exchange of research findings and ideas related to the conservation and sustainable management of estuarine ecosystems by utilising new technology and novel approaches. To further support scientists from around the globe, the journal operates under a Diamond Open Access model, meaning that neither publishing, nor reading incurs charges for authors or readers, respectively.
Today, EMT welcomes studies from a wide spectrum of disciplines, including physics, chemistry, geology, biology, and hydrology, with a focus on interdisciplinary, multifaceted approaches and holistic perspectives. A unique feature of the journal is its diverse range of publication types, such as Education & Communication, Estuarine scientists and Video paper in 180s.
“We are proud to announce that Estuarine Management and Technologies has achieved indexing in the Directory of Open Access Journals: our first significant milestone on the path to greater visibility and impact in the global scholarly community,”
said Dr. Soufiane Haddout, on behalf of the journal’s Editorial Board.
“This crucial first step in our indexing journey validates EMT’s commitment to rigorous, transparent, and immediately accessible research on technological innovations for estuarine research, management, and conservation. DOAJ inclusion enhances discoverability for our authors’ work and strengthens our role in advancing interdisciplinary solutions for these vital ecosystems.We are grateful to our authors, reviewers, and the Pensoft team,”
Contributions to Entomology, one of the open-access, peer-reviewed journals of the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, has been officially indexed inScopus, one of the world’s leading abstract and citation databases for scholarly literature. This achievement ensures broader visibility and discoverability of articles published in Contributions to Entomology.
“Being indexed in Scopus is a great step forward for Contributions to Entomology. Scopus is one of the leading abstract and citation databases for peer-reviewed literature, and being included means the journal’s articles are now more visible, easier to discover, and better integrated into the global research landscape. It reflects the steady progress we’ve made since the beginning of the year—with stronger submissions, growing readership, and a clear focus on quality,” comments Co-Editor-in-Chief Jana Hoffmann of theSenckenberg German Entomological Institute (SDEI).
“Backed by SDEI, with a dedicated editorial team and an engaged community of authors and reviewers, the journal continues to evolve. We are particularly pleased to see this recognition of our collective efforts. This milestone is encouraging—and an important part of the journal’s continued development,” adds Co-Editor-in-Chief Thomas Schmitt.
The Scopus index has rigorous standards for editorial quality, academic contribution, and publishing ethics. Criteria include immaculate peer-review and editorial processes, a good and consistent yearly publication volume, high-quality and user-friendly website and infrastructure, well-pronounced internationality and inclusivity, and considerable readership and citation rates.
The journal is expected to receive its very firstScopus Citescore in June 2026.
Founded in 1951 as Beiträge zur Entomologie by the German Entomological Institute, the journal has evolved over more than seven decades to reflect the growing scope and sophistication of entomological research. Since 2017 (volume 67, issue 1), it has been published as an open-access journal under the title Contributions to Entomology. It is published by the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute in Müncheberg and serves as official publication of the German Society for General and Applied Entomology (DGaaE).
Contributions to Entomology publishes research covering all aspects of entomology, including insect systematics, taxonomy, phylogeny, zoogeography, faunistics, ecology, applied entomology, entomological bibliography, and the history of entomology. The journal operates under a diamond open-access model, ensuring its published content is free to publish and read.
“As a fully open-access journal, we’re committed to supporting accessible and transparent science,” Jana Hoffmann comments.
In 2021, Contributions to Entomologysigned with Pensoft to move the journal to the scientific publisher’sARPHA Platform, in a move to modernise the academic outlet and provide its authors, readers and editors with a user-friendly environment where they can submit, revise, publish and permanently archive their work.
With a Journal Impact Factor of 0.9 and a Scopus CiteScore of 2.2, Bulletin of Insectology is a gold open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing original research articles, reviews, and short communications in the field of entomology. It is now jointly published by the Department of Agroenvironmental Sciences and Technologies, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna and Pensoft.
Formerly known as Bollettino dell’Istituto di Entomologia “G. Grandi”, the journal has been continuously published since 1928. Over the decades, it has developed under the supervision of eminent entomologists such as Prof. G. Grandi, Prof. M. M. Principi, and Prof. E. Mellini.
Today, the journal continues to cover a broad range of topics related to insect science, including physiology, ecology, behaviour, pest management, and the role of insects in ecosystems. A particular emphasis is placed on integrated pest management (IPM), biological control, pollinator health, the side effects of pesticides on beneficial arthropods, and environmentally sustainable approaches to insect control in agriculture.
Among the first articles to appear since the journal’s transition to ARPHA are:
First record from Italy of the Japanese grape leafhopper Arboridiakakogawana. Credit: De Luigi et al.
“Bulletin of Insectology is an exciting addition to ARPHA’s family of next-generation scientific journals,” said Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft, the company behind the ARPHA platform. “By utilising ARPHA’s publishing solutions, the journal can disseminate important entomological research and continue to grow.”
The move to ARPHA introduces modern publishing features, such as integrated submission and peer review workflows, enhanced discoverability through multiple indexing services, and improved accessibility for authors and readers alike.
With its first ARPHA-published articles now online, Bulletin of Insectology continues its near century-long tradition of advancing research in entomology. Head to the journal website here.
Eurasian Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) in the Gandoman Wetlands. Photo by Ruhollah Asgari
The newly published articles focus on supporting the sustainable management of the Danube Delta, including an assessment of the impact of pesticide residues on the river and some insights on the potential of earth observation data for monitoring the Delta. The journal also publishes research on the ecology and biogeography of wetland ecosystems in general, such as a study on the habitat and behaviour of the Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia).
Established in 1993, the journal offers a multidisciplinary platform for studies in the fields of ecology, biodiversity, environmental protection, hydrology, ichthyology, ornithology, limnology, and sustainable development related to wetlands and deltaic environments. It is free to publish and open for submissions.
“With the launch of the first articles in Volume 30 of the Scientific Annals of the Danube Delta Institute, now published with Pensoft, we celebrate an important milestone in advancing research on biodiversity, aquatic ecology, and data integration,” said the journal’s Editor-in-Chief Iuliana-MihaelaTudor of the Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development.
“This new stage reflects not only the scientific value of the contributions, but also the collaborative spirit that strengthens our community and drives innovation forward.
“As Louis Pasteur once said, ‘Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world.’
“We warmly invite our readers, authors, and collaborators to explore this volume, to share in the exchange of ideas, and to continue building together a future where open science connects and empowers us all.”
The latest Journal Citation Reports, released by Clarivate in June 2025, have granted three ARPHA-hosted, open-access journals their first Journal Impact Factors (JIF).
The metric reflects the number of times a journal’s content from 2022 and 2023 was cited in 2024. This total citation count is then divided by the number of “citable” articles (i.e., research and review articles) to estimate the JIF.
This achievement reflects the hard work of the editorial teams and authors at each of the journals, as well as the efforts of ARPHA’s dedicated, in-house indexing team, who help journals apply for important academic indexing databases, including Web of Scienceand Scopus. Indexation in such databases allows journals to become eligible for metrics like the JIF and CiteScore, which are often considered by researchers deciding where to publish their work.
ARPHA’s indexing service includes evaluation of a given journal’s current status against the requirements of prestigious databases, advice on how to meet these requirements, and overall assistance in the application process.
Want to know more? Learn about indexing and numerous other services, both automated and human-provided, offered by ARPHA here.
“The Impact Factor is an important metric for scientific metrics. And we know that not having one hinders especially early career researchers to submit their research to us earlier. Therefore, we are very happy that MBMG has received this important metric, and with a value of 3.1 we’re even more happy that this is a very competitive one.”
Florian Leese, MBMG Editor-in-Chief.
“We are delighted to see the journal receive its first Impact Factor. We expect that both Journal Impact Factor and CiteScore will further increase in 2026. “Thanks to all our editors, reviewers and authors who made this success possible and to IAVS for subsidizing the APCs of VCS during the first few years. We look forward to receiving more high-quality submissions in the fields of vegetation classification and ecoinformatics, the two strongholds of VCS.”
Jürgen Dengler, Idoia Biurrun and Wolfgang Willner, VCS Chief Editors.
“When The International Biogeography Society launched Frontiers of Biogeography under the editorship of Joaquín Hortal in 2009, we had a vision of it becoming an adaptable, independent, society-owned journal with a distinctive place in the journal publishing landscape. The attainment of our first Clarivate Journal Impact Factor is testimony to the hard work by our past and present editors and reviewers, and to the quality and interest level of the work that our community has entrusted to the journal for publication. “Working together with the team at Pensoft we are confident that we can continue to grow the journal as a favoured venue for Open Access publication of cutting-edge biogeographical research.”
Robert J. Whittaker, Frontiers of Biogeography Editor-in-Chief.
Content from more than 30 biodiversity journals published on the ARPHA Platform will now be archived in the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), the world’s largest open-access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives.
A global consortium of natural history, botanical, research, and national libraries, BHL digitises and freely shares essential biodiversity materials. A critical resource for researchers, it provides vital access to material that might otherwise be difficult to obtain.
Under the agreement, over 16,000 articles published on Pensoft’s self-developed ARPHA Platform are now available on BHL. Both legacy content and new articles are made available on the platform, complete with full-text PDFs and all relevant metadata.
Thanks to this integration, content in our journals will become even more accessible and readily discoverable, helping researchers find the biodiversity information they need.
Prof. Lyubomir Penev
More content published on ARPHA will gradually be added to the BHL archive.
The publications will be included in the Library’s full-text search, allowing researchers to easily locate relevant biodiversity literature. Crucially, the scientific names within the articles will be indexed using the Global Names Architecture, enabling seamless discovery of information about specific taxa across the BHL collection.
“Pensoft is pleased to collaborate with BHL in our joint mission to support global biodiversity research through free access to knowledge. Thanks to this integration, content in our journals will become even more accessible and readily discoverable, helping researchers find the biodiversity information they need,” said Prof. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft and ARPHA.The news comes soon after BHL announced it is about to face a major shift in its operation. From 2026, the Smithsonian Institution – one of BHL’s 10 founding members – will cease to host the administrative and technical components of BHL. As the consortium explores a range of options, the BHL team is confident that “the transition opens the door to a reimagined and more sustainable future for BHL.”
Published on Pensoft’s ARPHA platform on behalf of the AASP, SKINdeep features original articles, state-of-the-art reviews, and perspectives offering insights into the mechanisms of skin diseases and their therapeutic relevance. The open-access journal is led by three Editors-in-Chief: Prof. Peter Wolf of the Medical University of Graz, Prof. Johann W. Bauer of the Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg, and Prof. Georg Stingl of the Medical University of Vienna.
“Within the international scientific community, Austria enjoys an excellent reputation in the field of clinical and experimental dermatovenereology. On this basis, it was possible to assemble a remarkable cohort of deputy and associate editors as well as expert advisors from Austria and abroad who will secure high scientific quality of the journal and, together with a dedicated editorial office and publishing house (AASP), can guarantee a very rapid publication of manuscripts, individually or assembled to special topics,” the three Editors-in-Chief said.
By embracing ARPHA’s end-to-end scholarly publishing platform, SKINdeep will benefit from a comprehensive suite of services designed to streamline every stage of the publishing process, from manuscript submission to article publication, indexation, dissemination, and archiving, ensuring a seamless workflow for authors, reviewers, and editors alike.
“We are excited about this partnership and firmly believe SKINdeep will be an impactful and globally accessible academic outlet for publishing high-quality research in dermatology,” said Prof. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder at ARPHA and Pensoft.SKINdeep journal is the second journal published by the Austrian Academy of Sciences Press to utilise ARPHA’s services, after Biosystematics and Ecology moved to ARPHA in 2021.
This change, approved by the SIVS plenary assembly in November 2024, reflects the journal’s mission to encompass a broader spectrum of research articles and better represent the dynamic and interdisciplinary field of vegetation science.
In addition to the name change, the journal has implemented a refreshed Editorial Board, new Topical Collections, and initiatives to support young researchers. Gianmaria Bonari is welcomed as the journal’s new Editor-in-Chief, succeeding the esteemed Daniela Gigante, who served in the role from January 2019 to February 2024.
The new journal name.
For members of the SISV, new publication fee discounts have been introduced. These initiatives aim to foster inclusive participation in vegetation science, particularly for students and researchers with limited financial resources.
A complete publication fee waiver is now available for young member researchers who have conducted their research without external funding, while those with partial external funding can benefit from a 10% APC discount.
Acronym of the new journal name.
Finally, a new social media team of Giovanni Rivieccio and Michele Mugnai will be managing the journal’s Facebook and Bluesky pages, bringing fresh ideas and dynamic content.
An Editorial published on the new journal website provides more information on the changes made, including short bios of the new Editorial Board members and descriptions of the new Topical Collections.
Statement from the Editor-in-Chief Gianmaria Bonari:
“It is a privilege to lead Vegetation Ecology and Diversity as we embark on this transformative journey. Our new name signifies our dedication to embracing the full breadth of vegetation science. With the introduction of new Topical Collections and initiatives to support young researchers, we aim to foster a collaborative and inclusive environment for vegetation scientists. I encourage researchers to engage with our journal and contribute to advancing the open-access society-owned journal Vegetation Ecology and Diversity.”
Statement from the President of the Italian Society of Vegetation Science (SISV), Simonetta Bagella:
“The rebranding of our journal to Vegetation Ecology and Diversity marks a significant milestone for the SISV. This change, approved by our members, aligns with our mission to expand the journal’s scope and enhance its international impact. We are particularly proud of the new initiatives to support young researchers, including publication fee waivers and discounts, which underscore our dedication to inclusivity and the advancement of emerging scientists in vegetation science. We also express our gratitude to Daniela Gigante for her leadership and warmly welcome Gianmaria Bonari as he guides the journal into this exciting new era.”
