As per tradition, every January we at Pensoft Publishers celebrate the achievements of our authors and editors through our annual award initiative, which spotlights the most cited articles from several flagship journals and recognizes some of our most dedicated editors.
Traditionally, the award is presented in two categories:
- Leading authors of the three most cited 3-year-old scientific articles.
- The three editors, who have demonstrated the highest level of activity over 2025.
This year, our open-access journals participating in the awards are:
Found on Bluesky, X and Facebook, this journal is designated to accelerate data-rich publications and innovative formats that make biodiversity information easier to discover, reuse, and integrate.
The most impactful papers of 2022 for Biodiversity Data Journal are:
- MaxEnt model-based prediction of potential distributions of Parnassia wightiana (Celastraceae) in China (2022) Authored by Dai, X., Wu, W., Ji, L., Tian, S., Yang, B., Guan, B. and Wu, D.
- An updated checklist of Azorean arthropods (Arthropoda) (2022). Authored by Borges PAV, Lamelas-Lopez L, Andrade R, Lhoumeau S, Vieira V, Soares AO, Borges I, Boieiro M, Cardoso P, Crespo LCF, Karsholt O, Schülke M, Serrano ARM, Quartau JA, Assing V.
- New species and new records of exotic Scolytinae (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) in Europe (2022). By Marchioro M, Faccoli M, Dal Cortivo M, Branco M, Roques A, Garcia A, Ruzzier E.
We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to our editorial team for their commitment throughout 2025. This year, we are proud to recognize the journal’s three most prolific contributors:
- Yanfeng Tong
- Caio J. Carlos
- Enrico Ruzzier
Open-access scientific journal that is internationally recognized as a leading outlet for describing new animal species and advancing modern, data-driven zoological taxonomy. Found on Bluesky, X and Facebook.
The most impactful papers of 2022 for ZooKeys are:
- Panstrongylus noireaui, a remarkable new species of Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) from Bolivia (2022). Authored by Gil-Santana HR, Chavez T, Pita S, Panzera F, Galvão C.
- Catalogue of the Diptera (Insecta) of Morocco—an annotated checklist, with distributions and a bibliography (2022). By Kettani K, Ebejer MJ, Ackland DM, Bächli G, Barraclough D, Barták M, Carles-Tolrá M, Černý M, Cerretti P, Chandler P, Dakki M, Daugeron C, De Jong H, Dils J, Disney H, Droz B, Evenhuis N, Gatt P, Graciolli G, Grichanov IY, Haenni J-P, Hauser M, Himmi O, MacGowan I, Mathieu B, Mouna M, Munari L, Nartshuk EP, Negrobov OP, Oosterbroek P, Pape T, Pont AC, Popov GV, Rognes K, Skuhravá M, Skuhravý V, Speight M, Tomasovic G, Trari B, Tschorsnig H-P, Vala J-C, von Tschirnhaus M, Wagner R, Whitmore D, Woźnica AJ, Zatwarnicki T, Zwick P.
- Benthic megafauna of the western Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean (2022). Authored by Bribiesca-Contreras G, Dahlgren TG, Amon DJ, Cairns S, Drennan R, Durden JM, Eléaume MP, Hosie AM, Kremenetskaia A, McQuaid K, O’Hara TD, Rabone M, Simon-Lledó E, Smith CR, Watling L, Wiklund H, Glover AG.
We are also delighted to award the three editors who have completed the highest number of editorial tasks over the past year.
- Maria Elina Bichuette
- Anthony Herrel
- J. Adilson Pinedo-Escatel
A key open-access journal for documenting fungal diversity worldwide and promoting modern mycological research and taxonomy. It can be found on Bluesky, X and Facebook.
The most impactful papers of 2022 are:
- Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal two new species of Sporocadaceae from Hainan, China (2022) Authored by Zhang Z, Liu R, Liu S, Mu T, Zhang X, Xia J.
- A new Arthrinium-like genus of Amphisphaeriales in China (2022). Authored by Jiang N, Voglmayr H, Ma C-Y, Xue H, Piao C-G, Li Y (2022)
- Three novel species of Distoseptispora (Distoseptisporaceae) isolated from bamboo in Jiangxi Province, China (2022). By Zhai Z-J, Yan J-Q, Li W-W, Gao Y, Hu H-J, Zhou J-P, Song H-Y, Hu D-M.
A special thank you to our 2025 editorial team. We are pleased to announce this year’s three most active editors:
- Samantha Karunarathna
- Danushka Tennakoon
- R. Henrik Nilsson
PhytoKeys plays a central role in publishing research on global plant diversity and supporting cutting-edge research in plant systematics and evolution. Found on Bluesky, X and Facebook.
The most impactful papers of 2022 are:
- Disintegration of the genus Prosopis L. (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, mimosoid clade) (2022), Authored by Hughes, C.E., Ringelberg, J.J., Lewis, G.P. and Catalano, S.A.
- Monograph of wild and cultivated chili peppers (Capsicum L., Solanaceae) (2022). Authored by Barboza GE, García CC, Bianchetti LB, Romero MV, Scaldaferro M.
- Flora of Mongolia: annotated checklist of native vascular plants (2022). By Baasanmunkh S, Urgamal M, Oyuntsetseg B, Sukhorukov AP, Tsegmed Z, Son DC, Erst A, Oyundelger K, Kechaykin AA, Norris J, Kosachev P, Ma J-S, Chang KS, Choi HJ.
We would also like to acknowledge the dedication of our editors in 2025. The three most active editors receiving this year’s recognition are:
- Lorenzo Peruzzi
- Blanca León
- Alexander Sukhorukov
On behalf of the journals’ publisher, Pensoft, we wish to thank ALL authors, editors, reviewers and readers for their continued support and engagement.
We once again invite our readers to celebrate these contributions and to engage with the featured articles and editor profiles, recognizing the collective effort that supports high-quality, open-access scholarly publishing.
Found on Bluesky and Facebook, this is journal with a vast scope covering all aspects of nature conservation and integrating research on the ecological, evolutionary, economic, and social dimensions of conservation management.
The most impactful papers of 2022 for Nature Conservation are:
- Rapid linear transport infrastructure development in the Carpathians: A major threat to the integrity of ecological connectivity for large carnivores (2022). By Papp C-R, Dostál I, Hlaváč V, Berchi GM, Romportl D (2022)In: Santos S, Grilo C, Shilling F, Bhardwaj M, Papp CR.
- ‘Animals under wheels’: Wildlife roadkill data collection by citizen scientists as a part of their nature recording activities (2022) Authored by Swinnen KRR, Jacobs A, Claus K, Ruyts S, Vercayie D, Lambrechts J, Herremans M.
- A literature-based database of the natural heritage, the ecological status and tourism-related impacts in show caves worldwide (2022). Authored by Piano E, Nicolosi G, Mammola S, Balestra V, Baroni B, Bellopede R, Cumino E, Muzzulini N, Piquet A, Isaia M
We would also like to acknowledge the dedication of our editors in 2025. The three most active editors receiving this year’s recognition are:
- Cássio Cardoso Pereira
- Mark Auliya
- Reinhard Klenke