For a journal with more than 125 years of history, a single decade may seem like a mere drop in the ocean. However, the last ten years have been significant for Zoosystematics and Evolution (ZSE) as they have seen the historic Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) journal transition to an open-access publishing model.
Established in 1898 as Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin Zoologische Reihe, ZSE is one of the oldest zoological journals in Europe. But far from falling behind the times, the journal partnered with Pensoft in 2014 to make their research available and free to all. The move marked the beginning of a new era, enhancing the journal’s global reach, accessibility, and influence.
Here we take a look back and celebrate some of the publications that have defined Zoosystematics and Evolution’s decade of Open Access with Pensoft.
Read our blog post celebrating 10 years of Open Access for all of Museum für Naturkunde Berlin’s journals here.
Salazar’s pit viper
Salazar’s pit viper (Trimeresurus Salazar). Photo by Zeeshan A. Mirza.
ZSE’s most popular article, “A new species of green pit vipers of the genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 (Reptilia, Serpentes, Viperidae) from western Arunachal Pradesh, India” has been viewed more than 47,000 times at the time of writing.
Published in 2020, the article drew major mainstream attention due to the scientific name of the new species, Trimeresurus salazar, which was inspired by Salazar Slytherin of the Harry Potter franchise.
Spectacular pictures of the species accompanies the article, undoubtedly contributing to the success of the Indian researchers’ publication.
On his decision to publish with ZSE, lead author Zeeshan Mirza of the Max Planck Institute for Biology Department of Integrative Evolutionary Biology said: “Zoosystematics and Evolution is a reputed journal of the Museum Für Naturkunde, and I was happy that my work was published in it. I like the simple and excellent layout and the smooth experience throughout the article’s publication process.”
Research paper: Mirza ZA, Bhosale HS, Phansalkar PU, Sawant M, Gowande GG, Patel H (2020) A new species of green pit vipers of the genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 (Reptilia, Serpentes, Viperidae) from western Arunachal Pradesh, India. Zoosystematics and Evolution 96(1): 123-138. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.96.48431
Losing a medical leech
Two adult, free-living H. medicinalis in the process of sucking blood from an edible frog (Rana esculenta L.). Credit: Kutschera et al.
One of the first articles published by Pensoft on behalf of MfN was an exploration of the morphology and occurrence of the European medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis.
Now, ten years since its publication, the 2014 article has garnered almost 30,000 views, cementing it as a major research paper for the journal.
Research paper: Kutschera U, Elliott J (2014) The European medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis L.: Morphology and occurrence of an endangered species. Zoosystematics and Evolution 90(2): 271-280. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.90.8715
Explaining image editing for scientific publications
It is no surprise that the ‘Guide to image editing and production of figures for scientific publications with an emphasis on taxonomy’ by Marcus Bevilaqua of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, is one of ZSE’s most viewed publications with almost 30,000 views.
Photoshop workspace screenshot used in the research paper. Credit: Marcus Bevilaqua.
A fantastic resource for researchers, the guide published in 2020 focuses on digital photo editing and the production of figures using Adobe Photoshop to produce publication-quality figures for scientific publications.
“One picture is worth ten thousand words”, and Zoosystematics and Evolution presents a guide to image editing and production of figures for scientific publications with an emphasis on #taxonomy.
— Zoosystematics and Evolution (@Zoosyst_Evo) May 5, 2020
Research paper: Bevilaqua M (2020) Guide to image editing and production of figures for scientific publications with an emphasis on taxonomy. Zoosystematics and Evolution 96(1): 139-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.96.49225
A new catfish genus
The most cited research published in ZSE is the 2018 article, ‘Multigene analysis of the catfish genus Trichomycterus and description of a new South American trichomycterine genus (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae)’.
Cambeva davisi, topotype. Photo by A. M. Katz.
With 59 citations, the paper is an important analysis of an elusive genus that has attracted wide attention from fellow researchers.
Scite.ai is one of the tools ZSE uses to dynamically track usage of its papers in real time. Find more about the integration here and see the paper’s metrics to date.
Asked about the success of the paper, lead author Axel Makay Katz of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro said: “I believe that since it is one of the first attempts to organise a taxonomically challenging genus, many authors see that as a big step in solving a problematic genus.”
Research paper: Katz AM, Barbosa MA, de Oliveira Mattos JL, da Costa WJE (2018) Multigene analysis of the catfish genus Trichomycterus and description of a new South American trichomycterine genus (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae). Zoosystematics and Evolution 94(2): 557-566. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.94.29872
A ‘cute but deadly’ discovery
Recent years have seen an influx of media attention for research published in ZSE. A fantastic recent example of this came when a newly discovered velvet worm species was published in the journal.
More than 20 years in the making, the 2024 discovery represented the first study of Ecuadorian velvet worms for over 100 years. The cute appearance and fascinating behaviour of the species attracted plenty of attention from news outlets and social media users.
Describing the study, Diego Cisneros-Heredia, one of the authors and director of the USFQ Museum of Zoology, Ecuador said: “The research on this new species took several decades. I discovered the first individual of this new species in 2001, and we finally managed to describe it as part of Jorge Montalvo’s graduation thesis.
“To complete the description, we used not only macromorphological descriptions but also high-magnification images obtained with a scanning electron microscope.”
Research paper: Montalvo-Salazar JL, Bejarano ML, Valarezo A, Cisneros-Heredia DF (2024) A new species of velvet worm of the genus Oroperipatus (Onychophora, Peripatidae) from western Amazonia. Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(3): 779-789. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.117952
The League of Legends crab
While this crab discovered in coral reefs of the South China Sea may seem unassuming, it gained hundreds of thousands of views, likes and shares when it was published just a few months ago.
In a perfect example of the global reach of open-access publishing, the paper was shared extensively on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, and even resulted in Riot Games sending the lead author a goodie bag!
Research paper: Yuan Z-M, Jiang W, Sha Z-L (2024) Morphological and molecular evidence for Gothus teemo gen. et sp. nov., a new xanthid crab (Crustacea, Brachyura, Xanthoidea) from coral reefs in the South China Sea, with a review of the taxonomy of Actaeodes consobrinus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867). Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(3): 965-987. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.117859
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Much of the popularity and success of these articles can be attributed to Museum für Naturkunde Berlin’s decision to move their journal to an open-access publishing model with Pensoft. By making research available to all, the potential reach of research increases exponentially, allowing for greater accessibility and collaboration.
As we celebrate a decade of partnership between Pensoft and Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, we look forward to many more years of Open Access!
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Don’t forget to follow ZSE on X and Facebook, and subscribe for its newsletter from the journal’s website!
Follow the #openaccess_mfnberlin hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) to join the conversation around the anniversary!
By adopting Open Access in 2014, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) took an important step towards ensuring the research published in its journals can reach scientists, members of the public, and key decision-makers across borders.
Beginning with the two oldest journals, Zoosystematics and Evolution (ZSE) and Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift (DEZ), Pensoft began publishing research on behalf of MfN a decade ago, utilising professional expertise and the cutting-edge digital publishing tools of the ARPHA platform to increase the visibility and engagement of the journals.
Now, ten years and another journal later, Pensoft and MfN celebrate a decade of Open Access collaboration and look back on many years of success.
Zoosystematics and Evolution
Zoosystematics and Evolution (ZSE) holds a prestigious place in the history of zoological science. Established in 1898 as Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin Zoologische Reihe, it is one of the oldest zoological journals in Europe and continues to publish exciting research to this day led by Editor-in-Chief Dr Thomas von Rintelen.
The first Open Access issue of ZSE, published by Pensoft.
The journal’s 2014 transition to an open-access (OA) model under the publishing expertise of Pensoft marked the beginning of a new era, enhancing its global reach, accessibility, and influence.
A recent issue of ZSE, published by Pensoft.
Over the years, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, has covered entire article processing charges (APCs) for authors under specific terms. This support has lowered the barrier to publication for many researchers, particularly those from institutions or regions with limited funding, thus fostering a more inclusive and diverse authorship.
The transition of Zoosystematics and Evolution to Open Access has increased the journal’s visibility and impact. The number of views and the level of publicity have surged, demonstrating the success of the move. The following graphs display how article submissions, publications and views have increased over the past decade:
Finally, growth in journal’s citation count and Clarivate Impact Factor reflect the progress that has been made in the past decade:
An international community
Over the past decade, ZSE has increasingly attracted contributions from a global pool of researchers, reflecting the journal’s expanding international reputation.
Top nationalities who have published in ZSE since 2014.
Leading the pack of the journal’s most prolific authors is Wilson Costa, who has authored 16 papers, followed by Axel Katz, Frank Glaw, Mark-Oliver Rödel, and Davut Turan, each with 11 papers.
The journal’s editorial and review processes have also seen robust participation. Nicholas Hubert stands out as the most active editor, having handled 71 papers, with other prominent editors like Danilo Harms and Matthias Glaubrecht contributing significantly. The review process has been equally supported by dedicated reviewers such as Donald Taphorn and Felipe Ottoni, ensuring the maintenance of high academic standards.
Public engagement
The journal’s shift to Open Access has not only increased its academic reach but also its presence in news and social media. Since the journal moved to an OA model, numerous studies have attracted stories from major news publications such as the BBC and the Guardian.
ZSE has effectively utilised platforms like Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram to engage with a broader audience, including scientists, the general public, and unlikely collaborations like this recent post from Riot Games.
Both social media and traditional media mentions of the journal continue to rise as can be seen in the graph below:
Looking ahead
As ZSE celebrates a decade of Open Access with Pensoft, the journal stands as a testament to the power of making scientific knowledge freely accessible. The past ten years have seen ZSE not only maintain its historic legacy, but adapt and thrive in the digital age. Moving forward, the journal is poised to continue its mission of advancing zoological science, supported by a growing international community of authors, editors, and readers.
“Zoosystematics and Evolution has come a long way since becoming an Open Access journal, transforming from a journal with a significant in-house focus, both regarding authors and the editorial board, to being highly diverse in both respects. Increasingly, the amazing increase in taxonomic expertise in the regions where it is most needed is reflected in the origin of those publishing their research in the journal.
“I am glad and thankful for having been part of this transformation over the last five years and I as well as the whole editorial team are looking forward to further strengthen ZSE’s role as a sought-after platform for making taxonomic and systematic research freely available and visible over the next decade.”
Thomas von Rintelen, Editor-in-Chief.
Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift
Founded in 1857 as Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift (DEZ) is one of the world’s oldest international journals in systematic entomology. Published by Pensoft on behalf of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, it aims to advance understanding of the systematics and biology of insects. Since June 2023, the journal has been led by Editor-In-Chief Dr Matthias Seidel.
In 2014, in its 157th publishing year, the journal transitioned to an open-access (OA) model under the publishing expertise of Pensoft, thanks to which “the journal has opened up to scientists from all over the world employing the wide range of tools offered by the Pensoft platform,” as stated by Dr Dominique Zimmermann, the journal’s former Editor-in-Chief.
The first DEZ issue published by Pensoft.
The move to OA aligned with the journal’s long-standing commitment to fostering knowledge sharing and accessibility, going all the way back to DEZ’s founder, Ernst Gustav Kraatz, who was a fervent proponent of inclusive and facilitated access to knowledge.
A recent DEZ issue.
The partnership with Pensoft also provided next-generation technology and innovative tools for enhancing DEZ’s discoverability and reach.
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin generously supports the publication of 300 pages in DEZ each year, meaning dozens of entomologists get to publish in the prestigious outlet for free. This policy offers extra support to authors from underfunded institutions or regions, and in general makes for a more diverse and inclusive range of contributors.
10 years together
The transition of DEZ to Open Access has increased the journal’s visibility and impact. There has been a notable rise in both viewership and overall exposure, highlighting the effectiveness of this change. The graphs below illustrate the growth in article submissions, publications, and views over the past ten years.
Right behind it, with just under 33,000 views, is the book review of “Insect morphology and phylogeny” by the journal’s then-Editor-in-Chief Dominique Zimmermann and subject editor Susanne Randolf.
Since 2014, the journal’s Impact Factor has more than doubled, standing at 1.3 and making DEZ very attractive to amateur and academic entomologists.
Going global
Over the last ten years, DEZ has drawn more submissions from researchers worldwide, highlighting the journal’s growing recognition on an international scale.
Top nationalities who have published in DEZ since 2014.
DEZ’s scientific community also engages strongly with the journal’s editorial and review processes, contributing their expertise and insights to ensure the publication of high-quality peer-reviewed research. Dominique Zimmermann, with 52 manuscripts, is the most prolific editor, while Susanne Randolf is the most active reviewer, with 8 reviewed manuscripts.
Connecting with insect lovers
The journal’s transition to an Open Access model has expanded its visibility beyond academic reach. For the past 10 years, there have been 2,300 mentions of DEZ articles in mainstream and social media.
Mentions of Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift in both social and traditional media have been steadily increasing since it opened the access to its articles.
DEZ constantly reaches out to researchers and the wider community, maintaining a presence on social media platforms such as Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram, in an effort to highlight the importance of taxonomic research.
DEZ’s transition to an Open Access model under Pensoft in 2014 marked a significant milestone in its commitment to open science principles and knowledge dissemination. Going forward, DEZ aspires to continue upholding its high editorial standards, promoting rigorous research, and facilitating scientific exchange on a global scale. By embracing innovative technology, DEZ aims to remain a leading scholarly outlet for entomological research, fostering collaboration, transparency, and accessibility.
The youngest of MfN’s journals, Fossil Record was founded in 1998 under the name Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Geowissenschaftliche Reihe. The palaeontological journal, now led by Editor-in-Chief Florian Witzmann, followed ZSE and DEZ in 2022 by partnering with Pensoft in an open-access collaboration.
The publication of articles in Fossil Record is generously supported by funding from the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, who cover all article processing charges until their yearly budget is exhausted.
A new era
Since Fossil Record’s move to OA, the journal has enjoyed an increase in submissions, publicity and research impact.
Like all of MfN’s journals, Fossil Record boasts a wealth of international authors and actively encourages researchers from underrepresented nations to consider them for publication.
Top nationalities who have published in Fossil Record since 2014.
Baring bones
Fossil Record’s Open Access model promotes the sharing of and engagement with interesting research featured in the journal.
Using platforms such as Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram, the journal promotes attractive and important research to professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Fossil Record’s 2014 transition to Open Access reinforced the journal’s dedication to open science. Looking ahead, the journal is committed to maintaining its high editorial standards, encouraging robust research, and enhancing global scientific communication. By adopting cutting-edge technologies, Fossil Record seeks to remain a premier platform for paleontological studies, promoting collaboration, transparency, and greater accessibility.
“On the 10th anniversary of the Fossil Record’s Open Access, it is clear that the path we have taken has been a great success. Fossil Record is a firmly established name among the best palaeontological journals and is attracting more and more authors and readers from all parts of the world. It is to be hoped that the journal will continue on this path in the future and remain a guarantor of high scientific standards and free access to scientific knowledge.”
Florian Witzmann, Editor-in-Chief
The decade ahead
In celebrating a decade of Open Access partnership between Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and Pensoft, the success of this collaboration is evident across the three journals.
Over the past ten years, the Open Access model has significantly increased the visibility, accessibility, and impact of research, fostering a more inclusive and international scientific community. As these journals continue to thrive, they remain committed to advancing knowledge sharing, scientific integrity, and global collaboration, ensuring a bright future for open-access publishing in their fields.
“We are proud to commit to the advancement of biodiversity research by providing open access to our journals. We believe that freely available scientific knowledge is crucial for fulfilling our vision to develop an open knowledge infrastructure for nature that promotes multi-perspective thinking and action. This includes awareness-raising work, infrastructure and services provision for researchers as central tasks of the Coordination Office for Scientific Publishing. I would like to thank Stefanie Paß and Clara Schindler from the Coordination Office, who work with great commitment and passion to promote open access and advance the journals as a research-oriented service that will be expanded even further in the future in order to extend its impact.”
Dr Frederik Berger, Head of Service & Impact Collection Future, MfN
“Back in 2014, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin became the first natural history institution to trust us with the publication of its very own journals as they moved to Open Access. Needless to say, as an open-access-born publisher whose roots lie in the science of natural history, this was a great honour, and we are delighted with its flourishing ever since. As much as we enjoy reflecting on what we have achieved together, we already have our eyes set on building on our partnership and sharing lots of novel discoveries and quality research with the wide world!”
Prof Dr Lyubomir Penev, founder and CEO of Pensoft.
Follow the #openaccess_mfnberlin hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) to join the conversation around the anniversary!
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.
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-longdedication 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 perfectforum 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 Museomicswebsite.
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, includingZooKeys, Biodiversity Data Journal, Phytokeys, Mycokeys, One Ecosystem, Metabarcoding and Metagenomicsand 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.
“This switch of our journal to a cutting-edge platform, and its committed team of editors, should continue to raise the journal’s visibility and impact,” comments Prof. Dr. Susanne Renner, TIBS President.
This collaboration underscores the society’s commitment to maintaining high-quality, high-visibility and low-cost open-access publishing for the biogeographical community.
“This switch of our journal to a cutting-edge platform, and its committed team of editors, should continue to raise the journal’s visibility and impact,”
Established by TIBS in 2009, Frontiers of Biogeography serves as an independent forum for research dissemination, and publishes studies on all geographical variations of life at all levels of organisation. The journal adheres to rigorous academic standards, reflecting the mission of TIBS to promote and advance public understanding of biogeographical sciences.
The journal’s editorial leadership includes Prof. Robert J. Whittaker (University of Oxford, United Kingdom), Dr. Janet Franklin (San Diego State University, USA) and Prof. Mark J. Costello (Nord University, Norway), all esteemed figures in the field.
Frontiers of Biogeography was launched on the ARPHA Platform on the 1st of July 2024. The platform is now open for new submissions and offers a robust review and publication process. Articles and supplementary materials published on ARPHA will be distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0), ensuring wide accessibility and reuse. All previously published issues on the e-Scholarship platform will remain freely accessible, ensuring the continuity of knowledge dissemination.
Frontiers of Biogeography has recently been selected for inclusion in the Web of Science™. Beginning with volume 14(1), articles will be indexed in Emerging Sources Citation Index, Zoological Record, Biological Abstracts, and BIOSIS Previews, significantly enhancing the journal’s visibility.
Furthermore, the journal’s latest Scopus CiteScore of 4.3 places it in the Q1 category for Ecology and Ecology, Evolution, Behaviour and Systematics, and elevates it from Q3 to Q2 in the Global and Planetary Change category.
“I am looking forward to working with the new platform and to the start of a new partnership with our colleagues at Pensoft Publishers. This arrangement underlines the commitment of The International Biogeography Society to the growth and success of Frontiers of Biogeography as a service to our members and the broader scientific community,”
stated Prof. Dr. Robert J. Whittaker, Editor-in-Chief.
“In these days of sometimes exorbitant costs to pay publication charges by some of the big publishers, TIBS and Pensoft are joining forces to make it possible for all authors to be able to publish their work at reasonable costs while maintaining the high scholarly standards of peer-review and editorial management which are the foundation of good science,”
added Prof. Dr. Mark J. Costello, Co-Editor-in-Chief.
“We are excited to welcome Frontiers of Biogeography to the ARPHA Platform and look forward to a successful, open-access future. This partnership aligns with our mission to support scientific research through innovative publishing solutions,”
said Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft Publishers.
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Visit the Frontiers of Biogeography’s new website at https://biogeography.pensoft.net/. Use the Email alert field on the homepage to follow the latest publications, news, and highlights from Frontiers of Biogeography.
You can also follow the journal on X (formerly Twitter) at @newbiogeo.
Keep up to date with the latest from TIBS by following them on X (@Biogeography) and joining the society’s Facebook group.
Late May 2024 saw the whole content ever published in VCS added to the Core Collection of the renowned academic platform, further boosting its discoverability, accessibility and reliability to researchers and other stakeholders alike, confirms the Indexing team of Pensoft and the ARPHA scholarly publishing platform.
“Many thanks to IAVS as owner and Pensoft as publisher, who made this success story possible. However, most of all, this early inclusion into the Web of Science Core Edition is due to the good articles of our authors and the great volunteer service our Associate Editors, Guest Editors, Linguistic Editors, Editorial Review Board members, and other reviewers did and do for VCS,”
the Chief Editors comment on the latest success.
The news means that VCS is soon to receive its very first Journal Impact Factor (JIF): allegedly the most popular and sought after journal-level metric, which annually releases the citation (or “impact”) rate of a given scholarly journal over the last period. By the end of next month, for example, we will know how different journals indexed by WoS have performed compared to each other, based on the number of citations received in 2023 (from other journals indexed by WoS) for papers published in 2021 and 2022 combined.
In 2022, VCS and its all-time publications were also featured by the largest and similarly acclaimed scientific database: Scopus, thus receiving its very first Scopus CiteScore* last June. At 2.0, the result instantly gave a promise of the widely appreciated content published in the journal.
In an editorial, published in the beginning of 2024, the Chief Editors assessed the performance of the journal and analysed the available data from Scopus to predict the citation rates for the journal in the next few years. There, the team also compared the journal’s latest performance with similar journals, including the other two journals owned by the IAVS (i.e. Applied Vegetation Science and Journal of Vegetation Science). Given that as of May 2024 the Scopus CiteScoreTracker for VCS reads 2.5, their optimistic forecasts seem rather realistic.
“The VCS articles of 2023 were on average even better cited than those in Applied Vegetation Science of the same year and had reached about the same level as Journal of Vegetation Science and Biodiversity and Conservation,”
they concluded.
In a recent post, published on the IAVS blog, on behalf of the four VCS Chief Editors, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Dengler further comments on the latest achievements of the journal, while also highlighting particularly valued recent publications.
The team also uses the occasion to invite experts in the field of vegetation science to submit their manuscripts in 2024 to make use of the generous financial support by the IAVS. Given the increasing interest in VCS, the journal also invites additional linguistic editors, as well as reviewers who wish to join the Editorial Review Board.
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Keep yourself updated with news from Vegetation Classification and Survey on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You can also follow IAVS on X and join the Association’s public group on Facebook.
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*Note that the Scopus database features a different selection of scientific journals compared to Web of Science to estimate citation metrics. The indexers are also using different formulae, where the former looks into citations made in the last two complete years for eligible papers published in the same years.
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About Vegetation Classification and Survey:
Vegetation Classification and Survey (VCS) is an international, peer-reviewed, online journal on plant community ecology published on behalf of the International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS). It is devoted to vegetation survey and classification at any organisational and spatial scale and without restriction to certain methodological approaches.
The scope of VCS is focused on vegetation typologies and vegetation classification systems, their methodological foundation, their development and their application. The journal publishes original papers that develop new typologies as well as applied studies that use such typologies, for example, in vegetation mapping, ecosystem modelling, nature conservation, land use management, or monitoring. Particularly encouraged are methodological studies that design and compare tools for vegetation classification and mapping, such as algorithms, databases and nomenclatural principles, or are dealing with the conceptual and theoretical bases of vegetation survey and classification.
VCS also includes two permanent collections (or sections): “Ecoinformatics” and “Phytosociological Nomenclature”.
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. To date, the company has continuously been working on various tools and workflows designed to facilitate biodiversity data findability, accessibility, discoverability and interoperability.
About ARPHA Platform:
Pensoft publishes its journals on its self-developed ARPHA publishing platform: an end-to-end, narrative- and data-integrated publishing solution that supports the full life cycle of a manuscript, from authoring to reviewing, publishing and dissemination. ARPHA provides accomplished and streamlined production workflows that can be heavily customised by client journals not necessarily linked to Pensoft as a publisher, since ARPHA is specially targeted at learned societies, research institutions and university presses. The platform enables a variety of publishing models through a number of options for branding, production and revenue models. Alongside its elaborate and highly automated publishing tools and services, ARPHA provides a range of human-provided services, such as science communication and assistance in indexation at databases like Web of Science and Scopus, to provide a complete full-featured publishing solution package.
There has been an increasing need to support the exchange of research related to the conservation and sustainable management of estuarine ecosystems by means of new-age technologies and approaches.
Where freshwater rivers meet seas and oceans lies a scientifically intriguing and ecologically important type of ecosystem. As estuarine ecosystems provide various and diverse services to humanity and the planet at large, including food security and natural buffers and filters in the events of storms and water pollution, there has been an increasing need to facilitate and support the exchange of research findings and ideas related to their conservation and sustainable management by means of new-age technology and novel approaches.
This is how a team of renowned and passionate scientists, headed by Dr. Soufiane Haddout (Ibn Tofail University, Morocco), took the decision to launch a brand new open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly, aptly titled Estuarine Management and Technologies. They explain the rationale behind the journal in a new editorial, published to mark the official launch of the journal.
Having already worked closely with the scientific publisher and technology provider Pensoft on the fine touches of the concept of the new academic title, the team opted to use Pensoft’s publishing platform of ARPHA. As a result, the new journal provides a seamless, end-to-end publishing experience, encompassing all stages between manuscript submission and article publication, indexation, dissemination and permanent archiving.
Within the collaboration between the journal’s and Pensoft’s teams, Estuarine Management and Technologies will take advantage of various services offered by the ARPHA platform, including full-text automated export in machine-readable and minable JATS-XML format to over 60 relevant databases for scientific literature and data; semantically enriched and multimedia-friendly publications accessible in HTML; and rich statistics about the outreach and usage of each published article and its elements (e.g. figures and tables), including views, downloads, online mentions, and citations.
The publishing platform’s in-house indexing team will continue their close work with the journal’s editors to ensure that the scholarly outlet retains highest quality and integrity, so that it covers the criteria for indexation at additional key databases that require individual evaluation. In the meantime, ARPHA’s technical and editorial teams will provide technical and customer support to authors, editors and reviewers. The marketing and promotion team of ARPHA will be also joining forces with the journal to boost the visibility and image of the new academic title.
During the launch phase, content accepted for publication following double-blinded peer review will be made public right away for free to both authors and readers, where the journal will be operating under a continuous publication model.
Estuarine Management and Technologies welcomes studies from a wide spectrum of disciplines, including physics, chemistry, geology, biology, and hydrology, with a focus on interdisciplinarity, multifaceted approaches and holistic perspectives.
“One crucial aspect of estuarine management is the sustainable use of resources to balance conservation with human needs. Striking this delicate equilibrium requires a holistic understanding of the intricate web of ecological interactions within estuarine environments. Advanced technologies, such as isotopic techniques, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis, can provide insights into the biodiversity of estuarine ecosystems with unprecedented precision,”
explain Dr Haddout and his colleagues in the opening editorial.
Amongst the unique features of the new journal are several additional publication types, such as Expert View, Video Paper, Rapid Communication, Mini Review and Estuarine Scientists, where these have been added to traditional publication outputs (e.g. Research Paper, Review Paper, Data Paper) to foster collaboration between researchers and other stakeholders in the field.
The journal is also running an annual Trailblazing Talent in Estuarine Management and Technologies award intended to recognise and encourage young scientists and engineers at the forefront of cutting-edge research in estuarine management and technologies. Nominations and applications are currently open.
Estuarine Management and Technologies also welcomes applications for guest editors in order to further expand the journal and its immediate expert network.
“I am delighted to see the Estuarine Management and Technologies journal already live on the ARPHA platform. We are confident that this particularly important, yet so far quite overlooked area of study will greatly benefit from this highly promising journal,”
says Prof. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft and ARPHA.
“I am pleased to announce the launch of the Estuarine Management and Technologies journal on ARPHA, a decision rooted in our commitment to advancing the field. We believe that this strategic partnership will not only enhance the visibility and accessibility of our journal, but will also foster collaboration and innovation within the estuarine management and technologies community. We expect this alliance to be a catalyst for scholarly excellence, providing a robust platform for researchers and practitioners to share insights, address challenges, and propel the field forward. Together with ARPHA, we are confident in the positive impact our journal will have on shaping the future of estuarine management and technologies.”
says Dr. Soufiane Haddout, Editor-in-Chief and founder, Estuarine Management and Technologies.
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You can visit the journal website and sign up for its newsletter from the homepage.
You can also follow Estuarine Management and Technologies onX (formerly Twitter).
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterial strain that can be responsible for several human diseases: the most serious include malignant external otitis, endophthalmitis, endocarditis, meningitis, pneumonia, and septicemia.
The environments in which these bacteria are most frequently found include soil, plants, and water. They can even be found on human and animal skin, without causing illness, in a process known as bacterial colonisation. Microbiological research can help establish the cause of certain infectious diseases, making it easier to choose the best treatment. This is why it is important to find a quick and easy way to identify these bacteria. A new study, published in the open-access journal BioRisk, explored this by applying spectroscopic techniques for quick analysis directly from an object, which, in this case, was turtle skin.
Sampling of biological material from turtle skin before further microbiological analysis and Raman spectroscopy.Credit Inta Umbraško
“Microbial organisms play key roles in animal health and ecology. The European pond turtle often lives in city Zoo gardens and private houses. Often, the most commonly found bacteria from turtle skin surfaces was Pseudomonas species,” says Aleksandrs Petjukevics of Daugavpils University, whose team conducted the study.
What is Raman spectroscopy?
“Classical microbiological research techniques have several disadvantages: first of all, it is a rather lengthy process. The minimum period is 3-4 days, but many days and even weeks may pass before the isolated pathogen is accurately identified, and it uses expensive chemicals and resources,” says Aleksandrs Petjukevics. As an alternative, spectrometry makes it possible to identify a prepared sample of a microorganism while reducing the identification time to 5-30 minutes.
Raman spectra represent an ensemble of signals that arise from the molecular vibrations of individual cell components of gram-negative bacteria, integrating over proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. “This non-destructive chemical analysis technique provides detailed information about chemical structure, phase and polymorphy, crystallinity, and molecular interactions. It is based on the interaction of light with the chemical bonds within a material,” he says.
Research results and implications
The study’s findings showed that Pseudomonas bacteriacan be quickly identified using this detection technology, with excellent analytical and diagnostic sensitivity, making it a dependable technique.
Unlike other methods, this technique does not require long-term bacterial sample preparation and expensive reagents, which makes it promising for studying other strains of bacteria.
“This study demonstrated the ability to obtain fast and high-quality Raman spectra of bacterial cells using vibrational spectroscopy,” says Aleksandrs Petjukevics. “Raman spectroscopy can be considered an express method for identifying microorganisms. It holds great potential for future research involving different microorganisms.”
Research article:
Petjukevičs A, Umbraško I, Škute N (2023) Prospects and possibilities of using Raman spectroscopy for the identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from turtle Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758) skin. BioRisk 21: 19-28. https://doi.org/10.3897/biorisk.21.111983
Today, 16 September 2023, we are celebrating our tenth anniversary: an important milestone that has prompted us to reflect on the incredible journey thatBiodiversity Data Journal (BDJ) has been through.
From the very beginning, our mission was clear: to revolutionise the way biodiversity data is shared, accessed, and harnessed. This journey has been one of innovation, collaboration, and a relentless commitment to making biodiversity data FAIR – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.
Over the past 10 years, BDJ, under the auspices of our esteemed publisher Pensoft, has emerged as a trailblazing force in biodiversity science. Our open-access platform has empowered researchers from around the world to publish comprehensive papers that seamlessly blend text with morphological descriptions, occurrences, data tables, and more. This holistic approach has enriched the depth of research articles and contributed to the creation of an interconnected web of biodiversity information.
In addition, by utilising ARPHA Writing Tool and ARPHA Platform as our entirely online manuscript authoring and submission interface, we have simplified the integration of structured data and narrative, reinforcing our commitment to simplifying the research process.
One of our most significant achievements is democratising access to biodiversity data. By dismantling access barriers, we have catalysed the emergence of novel research directions, equipping scientists with the tools to combat critical global challenges such as biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, and climate fluctuations.
We firmly believe that data should be openly accessible to all, fostering collaboration and accelerating scientific discovery. By upholding the FAIR principles, we ensure that the datasets accompanying our articles are not only discoverable and accessible, but also easy to integrate and reusable across diverse fields.
As we reflect on the past decade, we are invigorated by the boundless prospects on the horizon. We will continue working on to steer the global research community towards a future where biodiversity data is open, accessible, and harnessed to tackle global challenges.
Ten years of biodiversity research
To celebrate our anniversary, we have curated some of our most interesting and memorable BDJ studies from the past decade.
Recently, news outlets were quick to cover a new species of ‘snug’ published in our journal.
“Life Beneath the Ice”, a short musical film about light and life beneath the Antarctic sea-ice by Dr. Emiliano Cimoli
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our authors, reviewers, readers, and the entire biodiversity science community for being integral parts of this transformative journey. Together, we have redefined scientific communication, and we will continue to push the boundaries of knowledge.
In our opinion, it is of utmost importance to promptly address the existing issues in the publishing system, where healthy competition can thrive and contribute to a reality safe from potential mono-/oligopolies and corporate capture.
We firmly believe that only an industry that leaves room for variously-scaled pioneers and startups is capable of leading a long-awaited shift to a high-quality, transparent, open and equitable scholarly publishing landscape aligning with the principles of FAIRness.
Yet, we shall acknowledge that the industry has so far failed to eradicate the most fundamental flaw of the past. In the beginning, the main aim of the Open Access (OA) movement was removing the barrier to access to publicly funded scientific knowledge and scrapping costly subscription fees.
Recently, however, the industry’s biggest players merely replaced it with a barrier to publication by introducing costly Article Processing Charges (APCs) and “big deals” signed between top commercial publishers and academic institutions or national library consortia.
As a result, small and middle-sized open-access publishers, which have, ironically, been the ones to lead the change and transition to OA by default and oppose the large commercial publishers’ agenda, were effectively pushed out of the scene. Further, we are currently witnessing a situation where OA funds are mostly going to the ones who used to oppose OA.
So, we strongly supportmeasures that ensure an inclusive and FAIR competition, which could in turn prompt quality, sustainability and reasonable pricing in scholarly publishing. In our opinion, an environment like this would actually foster equality and equity amongst all publishers, either small, large,non-profit, commercial, institutionalor society-based.
One of the main points of the conclusions is a recommendation for a general use of the Diamond OA model, where no charges apply to either researchers or readers. While we fully support the Diamond OA model, we wish to stress on the fact that considerable concerns about the sustainability of existing Diamond OA models remain.
On the one hand, there are OA agreements (also known as read-and-publish, publish-and-read, transformative agreements etc.), typically signed between top publishers and top research institutions/consortia. This OA model is often mistakenly referred to as “Diamond OA”, since authors affiliated with those institutions are not concerned with providing the APC payment – either by paying themselves or applying for funding. Instead, the APCs are paid centrally. Most often, however, journals published by those publishers are still directly charging authors who are not members of the signed institutions with, in our opinion, excessive APCs. Even if those APCs are covered by a signed institution, these are still considerable funds that are being navigated away from actual research work.
On the other hand, there are independent researchers, in addition to smaller or underfunded institutions, typically – yet far from exclusively – located in the developing world, who are effectively being discriminated against.
In conclusion, this type of contracts are shutting away smaller actors from across academia just like they used to be under the subscription-based model. Hereby, we wish to express our full agreement with the Council of the European Union’s conclusion, that “it is essential to avoid situations where researchers are limited in their choice of publication channels due to financial capacities rather than quality criteria”.
There are also several alternative OA models designed to lessen the burden of publication costs for both individual researchers, libraries and journal owners. However, each comes with its own drawbacks. Here – we believe – is where the freedom of choice is perhaps most needed, in order to keep researchers’ and publishers’ best interests at heart.
One of those alternatives is open-source publishing platforms, which – by design – are well-positioned to deliver actual Diamond OA for journals, while maintaining independence from commercial publishers. However, the operational model of this type of publishing and hosting platforms would most often only provide a basic infrastructure for editors to publish and preserve content. As a result, the model might require extra staff and know-how, while remaining prone to human errors. Additionally, a basic technological infrastructure could impede the FAIRness of the published output, which demands advanced and automated workflows to appropriately format, tag semantically and export scientific outputs promptly after publication.
Similarly, large funders and national consortia have put their own admirable efforts to step up and provide another option for authors of research and their institutions. Here, available funds are allocated to in-house Diamond OA publishing platforms that have originally been designed according to the policies and requirements of the respective funding programme or state. However, this type of support – while covering a large group of authors (e.g. based in a certain country, funded under a particular programme, and/or working in a specific research field) – still leaves many behind, including multinational or transdisciplinary teams. Additionally, due to the focus on ‘mass supply’, most of these OA publishing platforms have so far been unable to match their target user base with the appropriate scale of services and support.
What we have devised and developed at Pensoft with the aim to contribute to the pool of available choices is an OA publishing model, whose aim is to balance cost affordability, functionality, reliability, transparency and long-term sustainability.
To do so, we work with journal owners, institutions and societies to create their own business and operational model for their journals that matches two key demands of the community: (1) free to read and free to publish OA model, and, (2) services and infrastructure suited for Diamond OA at a much lower cost, compared to those offered by major commercial publishers.
In our opinion, independent small publishers differentiate from both large commercial publishers and publicly funded providers by relying to a greater extent on innovative technology and close employee collaboration.
As a result, they are capable of delivering significantly more customisable solutions – including complete packages of automated and human-provided services – and, ultimately, achieving considerably lower-cost publishing solutions. Likewise, they might be better suited to provide much more flexible business models, so that libraries and journal owners can easily support (subsets of or all) authors to the best of their capabilities.
While we realise that there is no faultless way to high-quality, transparent, open and equitable scholarly publishing, we are firm supporters of an environment, where healthy competition prompts the continuous invention and evolution of tools and workflows.
Our own motivation to invest in scholarly publishing technology and its continuous refinement and advancement, coupled with a number of in-house and manually provided services, which is reflected in our APC policies, aligns with the Council’s statement that “scientific practices for ensuring reproducibility, transparency, sharing, rigour and collaboration are important means of achieving a publishing system responsive to the challenges of democratic, modern and digitalised societies.”
Our thinking is that – much like in any other industry – what drives innovation and revolutionary technologies is competition. To remain healthy and even self-policing, however, this competition needs to embrace transparency, equity and inclusivity.
Last, but not least, researchers need to have the freedom to choose from plenty of options when deciding where and how to publish their work!
Guest blog post by Cássio Cardoso Pereira, Gabriela França Fernandes, and Walisson Kenedy Siqueira
We are bombarded day and night with slot-machine invitations from journals, books, and events such as congresses and lectures. Predatory publishing has reached alarming levels in biology, which is why we published an editorial in the journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation to alert the community, show the modus operandi of these publishers, and pass on good practices so that researchers, especially beginners, can escape this trap.
Piggybacking on the open access movement, numerous predatory publishers have emerged in search of easy profits. These cybercriminals take advantage of the publish-or-perish culture without providing any information about their peer-review protocols, concerned not with the scientific, bibliographic, or ethical aspects of publishing, but with the money received from authors.
The number of predatory publishers has grown exponentially in recent years and spread across all areas of knowledge, including biology. It is a common practice of these journals, often with an equally fake editorial staff, to send electronic invitations to potential authors to publish articles. These invitations are often facilitated by initial screenings of the emails of corresponding authors available on the internet. The emailed invitations from the supposed editors often stress that the author’s work is sound and, since it has already gone through the scrutiny of the editorial board, requires only the payment of a fee to publish it, with no need for further peer review.
Invitations to join the editorial board of these journals are also frequent, mostly intended to take advantage of the scientists’ prestige. Instead of editing articles, these invited editors are used as poster boys, i.e., they have their names published on the journal’s website, thus attracting unsuspecting authors to submit their manuscripts.
These journals are generally not included in the directory of open access journals (DOAJ) and are not indexed in the main bibliometric databases, such as Google Scholar, SciELO, Scopus, and Web of Science, for the simple reason that they do not meet their inclusion criteria. The websites of these journals often have little information about the editorial board, have a fake International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), lack transparency regarding their scope, provide no indication of a policy of retraction, have no transparency regarding copyright transfer, and provide very vague contact information, often omitting the address of the journal’s office.
In addition to papers, there are also invitations to publish books and book chapters with fake International Standard Book Numbers and dubious editorial boards. There is also a flood of invitations to predatory meetings, such as online conferences, symposia, workshops, and lectures. These often have websites that are equally confusing and never linked to a university or a postgraduate program. Above all, one should consult advisors, supervisors, or senior colleagues about the invitation and the sender’s academic reputation. In any case, one must pay attention not only to the citation metrics but also, mainly, to their editorial board, ISSN, ISBN, contact information, and relationships with recognized institutions.
When we analyze the impacts of predatory publishing on the scientific community, the worst problems are:
the dissemination of erroneous information about scientific problems of interest
the facilitation of plagiarism
the waste of public resources intended for publication
the appointment of researchers at universities and research institutes based on curricula full of doubtful publications, generating negative cascading effects that undermine higher education as a whole.
The damage done to society can be even worse. Governments, large companies, and decision-makers can be misled by false information, resulting in attitudes that undermine responses to major human problems such as climate change, biodiversity, and pandemics.
Efforts to fight predatory publishers require collaboration and support at higher levels. Governments need to create regulatory agencies that carefully and systematically evaluate the activities carried out by scientific journals. Science funding agencies should require that publication fees be paid only to publishers that adhere to an internationally recognized set of transparency and ethical rules. We need to discuss our values and incentives in the academic community, so we can start prioritizing quality over quantity. This would provide a reference point for research, help design coherent interventions, and improve information and public policy in favor of society and the environment.
Reference:
Pereira CC, Mello MAR, Negreiros D, Figueiredo JCG, Kenedy-Siqueira W, Maia LR, Fernandes S, Fernandes GFC, Ponce de Leon A, Ashworth L, Oki Y, de Castro GC, Aguilar R, Fearnside PM, Fernandes GW (2023) Beware of scientific scams! Hints to avoid predatory publishing in biological journals. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 18(2): 97-105. https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.18.e108887
