This is the MDPI Blog Team! We all work together to make the blog an interesting and resourceful channel of communication for you, our audience.

MDPI Blog Team Update

There have been a few changes to the team this year.

Sadly, we have had to say farewell to Jasper Clow, Content Creator, who was a key member in relaunching the blog and MDPI podcast. We wish him every success in the future.

Meanwhile, D.J. McPhee joined the Team as a Content Strategist. D.J. has been critical to our SEO strategy. Katherine Bosworth also joined the blog full-time as a Communications Associate, writing blog articles and co-ordinating content.

Let’s take a closer look at the separate branches: leaders, content, social, and communications.

Heading the MDPI Blog Team are Stefan Tochev (top left) and Facundo Santomé (top centre). They oversee the direction of the blog and are responsible for making key decisions about the team structure and what is published.

Our content creators, Katherine (top right), Daniella Maritan-Thomson (bottom left), Jenny Knowles (bottom centre), Jack Nash (bottom right), and D.J. McPhee (not pictured), write informative articles relevant to our readers.

Our highly efficient Social Media Team, made up of Ryan Mullen, James Garrett, and Aisulu Smagulova, share published articles and create the strategy for MDPI’s social media channels.

Luca Rasetti is involved in communications and advises on key issues related to various content-related matters.

Articles by the Blog Team

Let’s look at the themes covered and the three most popular articles from each.

The first six months of 2022 saw an outstanding performance from the blog, which continues to gain more views and engagement.

Themes

There were 65 original articles published in total in the first half of the year. Here are some of the categories we covered.

News

News articles provide insight into recent developments. Using MDPI research, they explain how science can improve an issue. These articles therefore draw attention to important manuscripts covering the discussed topic.

These three news articles got the most views:

• Paper Mills—The Dark Side of the Academic Publishing Industry
• Cancer May Not Be Genetic
• 5 Blockchain Applications to Look Out For in 2022

Recaps

These articles written by members of the blog team provide an overview of a particular selection of articles or manuscripts. They are lists of links to other information.

Here are the three best-performing recap articles:

• Trending Articles for February—Hydrology
• MDPI Papers Cited in the News – February 2022
• MDPI Papers Cited in the News – May 2022

MDPI Events & Conferences

Conferences are important to MDPI’s research goals, and it’s important to raise awareness of them. This is why we write articles reporting on past and upcoming events.

Here are the top articles:

• Prof. Dr. Jianguo Liu Interview—World Sustainability Award Winner 2021
• Prof. Dr. Anet Režek Jambrak Interview—Emerging Sustainability Leader Award Winner 2021
• APE 2022 – The Future of The Permanent Record

Podcast

Launched by the Blog Team in January 2022, the podcast provides another form of media for MDPI audiences. You can now listen to information about the latest scientific insights on the go.

• Insight Faster (Episode 1)—Anxiety and the Ecological Crisis with Dr. Panu Pihkala
• Insight Faster (Episode 2)—Emerging Sustainability Leader Award Winner Dr. Lela Mélon
• Insight Faster (Episode 3)—Gestural Interfaces for Musical Composition with Chris Rhodes

Editorial Process

These articles are helpful advice articles for authors in the process of submitting their work, or who have just submitted. They provide information related to spelling and grammar, the publication process, and how authors can best promote their articles.

The top articles were:

• Easily Evaded English Errors—Part 1
• Manuscript Editing Tips (5 Ways to Improve Your Work)
• Writing the Perfect Peer Review Report — An Expert’s Perspective

MDPI Initiatives

Our MDPI initiatives include the different tools and software that MDPI offers, such as Sciforum and MDPI Books. The MDPI Blog Team aims to bring awareness and promote these initiatives in dedicated articles.

• Preprints—The Future of Open Access Publishing?
• Speed of Publication: Delivering Insight Faster
• What is ‘MDPI Books’? The Books Team Explains

Observances

The MDPI Blog Team writes about important, one-off days that are of cultural significance.

There were many articles published in the Observances category. Here are some of the most viewed:

• #BreakTheBias: International Women’s Day 2022 at MDPI
• Brain Awareness Week—Celebrating Its 26th Anniversary
• More Women in Engineering Now Than Ever Before

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