Category: Journals News

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First Impact Factors for three ARPHA-hosted journals

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).

Metabarcoding and Metagenomics (MBMG), Vegetation Classification and Survey (VCS), and Frontiers of Biogeography (FoB) achieved impressive scores of 3.1, 3.0, and 2.5, respectively, highlighting their growing impact and relevance to the academic community.

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 Science and 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.
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Journals published on ARPHA now archived in the Biodiversity Heritage Library

A vibrant orange butterfly on yellow flowers, with text announcing archiving of journals in the Biodiversity Heritage Library.

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.

This automated workflow is facilitated by the ARPHA platform and uses the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) to enable exposure and harvesting of repository metadata. 

“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.”

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New open-access journal SKINdeep to publish with ARPHA

The Austrian Academy of Sciences Press (AASP) and SKINnovations-ÖGDV GmbH, a subsidiary of the Austrian Society of Dermatology and Venereology, have launched SKINdeep, an international, topic-oriented journal dedicated to translational dermatology, clinical studies, and related research. The journal’s first articles are now available on SKINdeep’s website.

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.

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Vegetation Ecology and Diversity: more than a new name

A VED journal issues overlaid on a picture of a forest.

The journal of the Italian Society of Vegetation Science (SISV), known as Plant Sociology from 2012 to 2024, has changed its name to Vegetation Ecology and Diversity and launched a new website.

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.”

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New Editors-in-Chief join the lead at invasion science journal NeoBiota

NeoBiota, a leading peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to the study of alien species and biological invasions, announces the appointment of new Editors-in-Chief. 

The new leadership team sees Dr. Ana Novoa Perez, Prof. Tammy Robinson, Prof. Phil Hulme and Dr. Andrew (“Sandy”) Liebhold join forces to bring a wealth of expertise to NeoBiota. 

They have already begun working in close collaboration with Prof. Ingolf Kühn, who has been serving as Editor-in-Chief ever since the journal was founded in 2011. Throughout these years, he has played a pivotal role in establishing NeoBiota as a leading platform for invasion science, contributing to the journal’s growth and impact. 

Cover of The economic costs of biological invasions around the world, one of NeoBiota’s most successful special issues

“After more than 13 years, I thought that it was time to hand the responsibilities for NeoBiota over to dedicated colleagues. We thought of our dream team, and fortunately, all agreed without hesitation.”

Covering both an extensive range of invasion science fields and a wide international representation, this diverse editorial team will be looking to maintain NeoBiota‘s reputation as a leading outlet in its field and expand its global reach and impact.

Today, NeoBiota is one of the most prominent open-access journals in biological invasions, with a Journal Impact Factor of 3.8 and a Scopus CiteScore of 8.1 for 2023. Currently, the journal ranks 11th in the Biodiversity Conservation category on Web of Science and 9th in the Ecological Modelling category on Scopus.

Meet the editors

Dr. Ana Novoa is a scientist at the Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EEZA-CSIC) in Spain and the Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Her research explores the socioecological factors influencing the invasion and management of alien species, with a particular interest in the human and social dimensions of biological invasions. She is also Secretary of the European Group on Biological Invasions (NEOBIOTA).

“I’m honored to collaborate with Ingolf, Tammy, Phil and Sandy in guiding the journal forward,” said Ana. “I look forward to supporting innovative research across the diverse aspects of invasion science.”

Prof. Tammy Robinson holds a Research Chair at the Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She is a marine invasion biologist with an ecological background, an interest in evidence-based management of alien species, and a focus on protected areas. She is an associate member of INVASIVESNET, the global network of networks on invasive species. 

“I’m really excited about joining this dynamic team,” said Tammy. “I’m looking forward to fostering an increase in the number of aquatic papers that appear in NeoBiota.”

Prof. Philip Hulme is a Distinguished Professor of Plant Biosecurity at Lincoln University, New Zealand, and Director of the Centre for One Biosecurity Research, Analysis and Synthesis (COBRAS). His research focuses on predicting risks associated with plant invasions, examining traits of successful invasive species, identifying introduction pathways, assessing spread rates, evaluating habitat vulnerability, quantifying impacts, and predicting the influence of climate change on invasive species distributions. His work also includes broader assessments of biosecurity policy and implementation across the human, animal, plant and ecosystem sectors, emphasizing human perspectives, such as trade and economic impacts. Having authored, reviewed, and edited numerous papers in NeoBiota, he was also one of the people behind the journal’s foundation.

“Having been involved with the journal since its foundation it is a real pleasure to have the opportunity to shape its future and continue the amazing work Ingolf has undertaken to ensure NeoBiota is THE leading biological invasions journal in the world”.

Dr. Andrew “Sandy” Liebhold is a lead scientist with the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, where he directs The Forest Risk Research Centre. He is also a Scientist Emeritus with the U.S. Forest Service. His research focuses on the macroecology, population ecology, community ecology, and management of insect invasions. He has received numerous awards, including the IUFRO Scientific Achievement Award and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Entomological Society of America. 

“I am excited about being part of the NeoBiota editorial team and look forward to working with my colleagues to continue the journal’s high level of excellence and advance the field of invasion biology.”

Meet the NeoBiota journal

Founded in 2011 after participants at the 6th NEOBIOTA conference in Copenhagen agreed that a new international, open-access, peer-reviewed journal would definitely benefit the research community, and published by Pensoft Publishers, NeoBiota focuses  on the mechanisms and consequences of biological invasions across all disciplines.

Featuring research on the ecology, evolution, biogeography and human and social dimensions of biological invasions, the journal is committed to publishing high-quality research on the introduction, establishment, spread, and management of invasive alien species worldwide. As biological invasions pose a set of social, legal, and policy challenges, NeoBiota is keen on exploring how they can be managed and controlled.

New NeoBiota special issue: tackling invasive alien forest pests in Europe

The open-access journal prides itself on a rapid publication process, typically completing publication within 1-2 weeks after a manuscript’s acceptance. NeoBiota also supports advanced data publishing workflows, strongly encouraging open data publication. This commitment to open access and rapid publication, combined with a broad, interdisciplinary scope, makes it a leading journal in the field of invasion science. 

“The onboarding of additional well-renowned Editors-in-chief at NeoBiota promises a dynamic new chapter for the journal. There is no doubt that the team’s diverse expertise and commitment to open science will set the journal on a positive trajectory as one of the leading academic outlets in invasion science,” said Prof. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft.

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The International Mycological Association partners with Pensoft to move prestigious IMA Fungus to the ARPHA platform

IMA Fungus journal cover mockup.

The International Mycological Association (IMA) has partnered with Pensoft to transition its flagship journal IMA Fungus to the ARPHA publishing platform after the open-access scientific publisher and technology provider won the bid by the IMA’s Executive Committee, following the expiration of their contract with BioMed Central (BMC, part of Springer-Nature). Already accepting manuscripts on its new website, the first publications in IMA Fungus since the transfer are expected in January 2025.

The move comes in a series of milestones for the prestigious journal in 2024, which also saw the appointment of its new Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Marc Stadler of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, who has recently started his presidency at the IMA Council.

Committed to advancing mycological research and ensuring free access to high-quality, peer-reviewed scientific content, while representing the interest of mycology and mycologists worldwide, IMA’s Executive Board is confident that the new collaboration will further improve and streamline the publication process at IMA Fungus, and build up on its reputation in the field.

ARPHA platform’s intuitive and integrated end-to-end publishing workflow is designed to simplify the publication process for authors, reviewers, and editors. From submission to publication, automated full-text export to scientific databases and permanent hosting, all steps will be consolidated within a single, user-friendly interface, resulting in faster review cycles and more efficient communication between all parties involved. In addition to its signature publishing technology, Pensoft is providing IMA Fungus with various human-provided services, including help desk, design, science communication, marketing and journal development support. 

Founded in 2010 at the 9th International Mycological Congress in Edinburgh, IMA Fungus was first published by the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (an institute of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences, now Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute) until its move to BMC in 2018. Keeping up with tradition, the transfer of IMA Fungus to Pensoft and ARPHA was publicly announced at this year’s 12th  International Mycological Congress in Maastricht.

Today, IMA Fungus boasts an impressive Scopus CiteScore and Journal Impact Factor, standing at 11.0 and 5.2 respectively. It ranks 6th in the Mycology category on Web of Science.

Since day one, IMA Fungus has been mandated as the only journal in which formal proposals relating to the rules on the naming of fungi or protected lists of names are to be published under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants. Its scope covers all areas of mycology of interest to the wider mycological community, from basic to applied research.

“I am happy that we could get some of the most experienced editors to join us to the new publisher. Likewise, I am glad that many proficient young scientists from around the world, including most of the recent winners of the IMA Young Mycologist Award, joined our interdisciplinary editor panel.”

Prof. Dr. Marc Stadler, commenting on the latest news about IMA Fungus.

“It is a great honour to welcome IMA Fungus to the ARPHA family. We look forward to working with the International Mycological Association and helping to further advance their prestigious journal.”

Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, Pensoft’s founder and CEO.

To learn more about IMA Fungus or submit your manuscript, visit the journal’s newly launched website. Previous issues of the journal are available here.

To stay up-to-date with its new publication, sign up for its Email Alert newsletter from the journal’s homepage, and follow it on X and Facebook.  

***

About Pensoft:

Pensoft is an independent, open-access scholarly publisher and technology provider, best known for its 40+ biodiversity journals, including ZooKeys, Biodiversity Data Journal, PhytoKeys, MycoKeys, One Ecosystem and Metabarcoding and Metagenomics. Ever since becoming the first publisher to introduce semantic enrichments and hyperlinks within a scientific article in the field of biodiversity in 2010, Pensoft has been working on various tools and workflows designed to facilitate data findability, accessibility, discoverability and interoperability.

About ARPHA:

ARPHA is a full-featured, open-access publishing platform for scholarly journals, books, data and conference outputs, developed by the scientific publisher and technology developer Pensoft. Clients are provided with a software solution as well as a range of relevant human-provided services. Standing for Authoring, Reviewing, Publishing, Hosting and Archiving, ARPHA offers a wide range of tailorable services to publishers, societies, university presses, conference organisers and other academic institutions to provide them with a full-featured and all-rounded publishing experience, thereby saving them the extra efforts and unnecessary hassle of dealing with multiple vendors and service providers.

About the International Mycological Association:

The International Mycological Association, founded in 1971, represents the interests of over 30,000 mycologists worldwide. It is a non-for-profit organisation, the purpose of which is the encouragement of mycology in all its branches. This implies that the IMA should strive to promote mycology in its widest sense.

IMA Fungus is the flagship journal of the International Mycological Association. Papers on any aspect of mycology are considered, and published on-line with final pagination after proofs are corrected; taxonomic novelties are then effectively and validly published under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. The journal strongly supports good practice policies, and requires voucher specimens or cultures to be deposited in a public collection with an online database, DNA sequences in GenBank, alignments in TreeBASE, and validating information on new scientific names, including typifications, to be accessioned in MycoBank. 

MycoBank is the online repository and nomenclatural registry provided in collaboration between the International Mycological Association and the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute. It provides a free service to the mycological and scientific society by databasing mycological nomenclatural novelties (new names and combinations) and associated data, such as descriptions, illustrations and DNA barcodes. Nomenclatural novelties are each allocated a unique MycoBank number to be cited in the publication where the nomenclatural novelty is introduced, to conform with the requirements of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants.

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Metabarcoding & Metagenomics selected for inclusion in the Web of Science

Metabarcoding & Metagenomics (MBMG) has been approved for inclusion in Clarivate’s Web of Science, one of the most renowned citation databases that indexes the world’s leading scholarly journals. This recognition underscores the journal’s growing influence in its field, and reflects its commitment to publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed research.

Since its launch in September 2017, the journal has been at the forefront of publishing papers on metabarcoding and metagenomics for both basic and applied studies. At the time of its inauguration it was seen as a particularly forward-looking and niche scholarly outlet because it was devised to address the need for an innovative journal in the rapidly developing fields of DNA-based environmental research, biodiversity monitoring and nature conservation. Going forward, MBMG’s inclusion in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) at Web of Science will further enhance the visibility and accessibility of existing and future research.

Now that it has completed the Web of Science’s rigorous quality and integrity assessment, MBMG may receive its first Journal Impact Factor (JIF) as early as 2025. This is a testament to the dedication of the authors, reviewers, and editorial board members who have contributed to the journal’s success.

MBMG is indexed and archived in more than 60 databases, including Scopus, DOAJ, ResearchGate, Library of Congress, British Library, Baidu Scholar, CNKI, EBSCO, Unpaywall, CLOCKSS and Zenodo.

In June 2024, the journal received a Scopus CiteScore of 5.4, placing it in Q1 in five categories: Animal Science and Zoology; Insect Science; Plant Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behaviour and Systematics; and Nature and Landscape Conservation.

This inclusion in the Web of Science marks a new chapter in the journal’s mission to facilitate the production and dissemination of important research.

“The quality of research and the perception by the community our MBMG staff supports matter most. Being officially listed in Web of Science and having a Journal Impact Factor are criteria of high importance to many of our authors. Therefore, I‘m very happy about this new development.”

Prof. Dr. Florian Leese, Editor-in-Chief of MBMG and Full Professor in Aquatic Ecosystem Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany.

“This represents a significant milestone in the growth of MBMG and will likely make it an even more attractive choice for researchers in this field.”  

Dr. Dirk Steinke, Deputy Editor-in-Chief at MBMG and Associate Director at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics at the University of Guelph, Canada. 

“From the very beginning, we were convinced that this niche is of high relevance and will be rapidly expanding. The inclusion of MBMG in the Web of Science will be of particular importance for our (young) authors, who are too often evaluated by IF-based criteria. At the same time, MBMG hopefully will face a further growing number of submissions.”

Dr Alexander M. Weigand, Liaison editor at MBMG and Zoology Curator at the National Museum of Natural History Luxembourg.

Follow Metabarcoding & Metagenomics on X and Facebook.

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ARPHA Platform welcomes new journal launched by Pensoft: Individual-based Ecology

Scholarly publisher and technology provider Pensoft has launched Individual-based Ecology (IBE), a new peer-reviewed, diamond open-access journal established to promote an individual-based perspective in ecology.

IBE aims to bridge the gap between individual-level responses and broader ecological patterns. In the face of global challenges, the journal is looking to contribute to both a better understanding and new sets of predictions of how ecological systems will respond to anthropogenic change. It aims to support the development of appropriate mitigation and restoration measures by focusing on the entities that actually and directly respond to change, i.e. individual organisms.

The journal embraces basic and applied, theoretical and empirical research in terrestrial and aquatic ecology. It welcomes contributions that incorporate data or novel insights about individual organisms and their interactions that are relevant to explaining system-level dynamics. IBE will publish a wide range of articles, including empirical, experimental, and modeling studies, as well as reviews, perspectives, and methodological papers.

As a diamond open-access journal, IBE is currently free to publish and free to read, ensuring that all published research is freely accessible to the global community.

The journal will utilise Pensoft’s innovative ARPHA platform, known for its robust support of academic publishing and efficient dissemination of research. Thanks to its fast-track publishing solution, the new journal offers a seamless, end-to-end publishing experience, encompassing all stages between manuscript submission and article publication, indexation, dissemination and permanent archiving. The publishing services provided by ARPHA also include a variety of human-provided services and integrations with third-party providers, intended to maximise the reach and usability of scholarly knowledge published in IBE.

IBE will be led by four editors-in-chief: Prof. Dr. Volker Grimm and Prof. Dr. Karin Frank of Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZ, Prof. Dr. Mark E. Hauber of The City University of New York, and Prof. Dr. Florian Jeltsch of the University of Potsdam.

A banner of IBE presented at the German Ecological Society’s 53rd annual conference

„We are excited to launch Individual-based Ecology, a new, promising journal that will contribute to a better understanding of ecological systems and how we interact with them,” said Prof Lyubomir Penev, founder and CEO of ARPHA and Pensoft.

“The time has come to establish individual-based ecology as an important complement to all other branches of ecology, both because we need it to fully understand and predict the response of ecological systems to change, and because empirical and modelling approaches have reached a level where the collection and use of individual-based data has become possible,” says Prof Volker Grimm, one of the editors-in-chief.

“It is exciting to be able to launch a journal that embraces ecological principles at the level of individuals across any and all lineages of life on our planet”, notes Prof. Mark E. Hauber, also an editor-in-chief. 

“This new journal will promote nothing less than a paradigm shift in ecological thinking from averaging approaches to a science focused on the fundamental agents of change, i.e. individual organisms. Systematically recognising the importance of individual variation in ecological systems will transform our fundamental understanding of how biodiversity and its components emerge from individual responses and interactions, and how the emerging levels of organisation will respond to changing environments,” said Prof Florian Jeltsch from the editorial team.  

IBE joins a number of open-access ecology journals published by Pensoft.For more information on the journal’s focus and scope and guidelines to authors, visit IBE’s website and follow it on Facebook and X.

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New Diamond OA journal Natural History Collections and Museomics launches on ARPHA Platform

Mockup of a Natural History Collections and Museomics journal besides a collection of pinned butterflies.

Natural History Collections and Museomics (NHCM), a brand-new Diamond Open Access journal, has launched on ARPHA platform. 

The journal aims to serve as a leading platform for scholarly research, discussion, and innovation in the field of natural history collections worldwide and will be published by Pensoft Publishers. 

By promoting the exchange of knowledge between museum professionals, researchers, educators, and enthusiasts, the publication aims to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of natural history and its significance in society. 

A Pensoft conference stand with a poster promoting the Natural History Collections and Museomics journal.
Natural History Collections and Museomics promoted by Pensoft at the 2024 International Congress of Entomology in Kyoto, Japan.

Natural History Collections and Museomics (NHCM) encourages interdisciplinary approaches and collaborations across fields such as taxonomy, conservation, education, ethics, and museum studies. The editorial team welcomes original research articles, reviews, case studies, methods, letters and perspectives addressing a wide range of topics related to natural history institutions and collections. 

The journal is supported by CETAF (Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities), Europe’s leading voice for taxonomy and systematic biology. The support of this European network of scientific institutions ensures a robust and collaborative foundation for the journal’s academic endeavours.

By utilising a Diamond Open Access model, the journal allows free access to published content without any fees for authors or readers. This approach ensures that important research can reach the widest possible audience, promoting inclusivity and global collaboration in the field.

A strong Editorial Board is already in place, co-chaired by two distinguished scholars in the field. 

Dr Franco Andreone: Serving as the zoology curator at the Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali in Turin, Italy, Dr Andreone is a renowned herpetologist with a profound impact on amphibian taxonomy, roles of natural history museums and conservation, particularly in Italy and Madagascar. His experience as a former Chair of the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group – Madagascar and his current role as a special advisor underscore his life-long dedication to preserving biodiversity.

Prof Shuqiang Li: A prominent Chinese arachnologist,  Prof Li brings his vast expertise in zoological systematics to the journal. Among many accomplishments, he led the construction of 29 natural history museums for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one of which is an 8,800 square metre collection building to preserve more than 10 million specimens and another a 6,600 square metre public museum in the Zoological Institute in Beijing. As leading taxonomist and the Editor-in-Chief of Zoological Systematics, Professor Li has described more than 2,000 new species. His work on how Tethyan changes shaped diversification is most notable. His research has also revealed the origin of spider webs based multi-omics analyses.

The Board expects the team of subject (associate) editors to soon expand further, as they have been actively recruiting colleagues from diverse professional and geographical backgrounds. Experts in fields within the scope of the new journal are also invited to apply to join the NHCM team as either editors or reviewers. Conveniently, the respective application forms are made accessible from the journal website’s homepage.

“The journal Natural History Collections and Museomics will serve as a perfect forum and place to publish cutting-edge research.

“Natural history collections are gargantuan resources and tools to discover and preserve global diversity. We need to treat them as immense treasures to discover and describe new species and understand Earth’s marvels.”

Dr Franco Andreone and Prof Shuqiang Li, Editors-in-Chief.

“We are thrilled to launch Natural History Collections and Museomics on the ARPHA Platform. The importance of natural history collections cannot be overstated and we look forward to publishing valuable research to a wide audience.”

Prof Dr Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft Publishers.

Submissions to the journal are now open. Researchers, scholars, and practitioners are invited to contribute articles to Natural History Collections and Museomics. 

For more information and submission guidelines, please visit the Natural History Collections and Museomics website.

You can also follow the journal on X and Facebook.

About ARPHA Platform:

ARPHA is a full-featured, end-to-end publishing platform for journals, books, conference materials and preprints. ARPHA offers flexible operating and business models, and a wide-range of automated and human-provided services. The ARPHA team places a special focus on its scholarly communication solutions designed to leverage the visibility and outreach of academic output, while promoting inclusivity and engagement.

About Pensoft:

Pensoft is an independent, open-access publisher and technology provider, best known for its biodiversity journals, including ZooKeys, Biodiversity Data Journal, Phytokeys, Mycokeys, One Ecosystem, Metabarcoding and Metagenomics and many others. Over the past 30 years, Pensoft has built a reputation for its innovations in the field, after launching ZooKeys: the very first digital-first scientific journal in zoology and the first to introduce semantic enrichments and hyperlinks within a biodiversity article. To date, the company has continuously been working on various tools and workflows designed to facilitate biodiversity data findability, accessibility, discoverability and interoperability. 

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Innovations in Agriculture moves to the ARPHA Platform

A green scientific journal next to crops being watered by a robotic arm.

Innovations in Agriculture, a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing agricultural research, has partnered with Pensoft to transition to the ARPHA publishing platform.  This move will enhance the journal’s publishing workflow, content visibility, and elevate the impact of their research within the global agricultural community.

Established in 1970, Innovations in Agriculture is committed to publishing high-quality research that addresses the critical challenges and opportunities in modern agriculture. The journal covers a wide range of topics, including agricultural technology, sustainable farming practices, crop and livestock management, and policy implications.

All the journal’s legacy papers have been successfully migrated to the ARPHA platform, and the first new issue has been published on its new ARPHA-powered website, complete with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) tags on individual articles.

Research articles showcasing SDG tags.

By utilising ARPHA’s white-label solution, Innovations in Agriculture will enjoy several key benefits, including a streamlined submission and review process, automated workflows, advanced authoring tools, and robust archiving and indexing.

During the journal’s launching phase, authors may benefit from a yearly quota covering the free publication of 25 standard articles (up to 20 published pages).

“We are thrilled to welcome Innovations in Agriculture to ARPHA’s family of next-generation scientific journals. ARPHA’s publishing solutions will help Innovations in Agriculture thrive and continue disseminating important research.”

said Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft.

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For more information, visit the Innovations in Agriculture website.