Author Archives: Martyn Rittman
Funders Push for a Full Transition to Open Access: Plan S
In a bid to push forward the transition to fully open access publishing, a number of funders have come together under the banner of cOAlition S and put forward an initiative called Plan S. Originating in Europe and led by Robert-Jan Smits of the European Council, Plan S puts forward conditions for open access publishing. The key message is the […]
More InfoOpening up Peer Review
It is now a little over four years since MDPI first started to offer an option for open peer review, as announced on this blog and in the journal Life. We have recently taken a look at the popularity of this feature, the results of we found very encouraging. In short, a large percentage of papers […]
More InfoPreprints Posts Its 3000th Article
Passing the milestone of 3000 preprints online is a good time to reflect on the achievement and growth of preprints. Any author enjoys the feeling of making their work available. With preprints, we help them to promote their work within hours. While offering a different service to a peer-reviewed journal, posting a preprint can have substantial […]
More InfoHappy First Birthday to Preprints.org
Today marks one year since the very first preprint was posted at Preprints.org. Over 1400 preprints later we are pleased to say that the platform has grown very well over that time and want to say a big thank you to all who have supported us. We have posted the work of over 5400 authors […]
More InfoStatistics on Academic Publishers at Sciforum
We announce the update of publisher statistics hosted on Sciforum, which now includes 2016 data. The site is a free platform that allows users to browse publishers and journals to see how many papers have been published per year and how many journals each publisher has in its portfolio. Additional features include an overview of the academic […]
More InfoResearch Highlights: Thought-Provoking Ideas
This research highlights post brings together a broad spectrum of research. They all have one thing in common, though: A focus on developing original and powerful ideas to help us understand the world. The topics covered here include genetics, communication, poverty and genealogy. The original approaches and critical thinking impressed our reviewers, we hope you enjoy them as well. Symmetries […]
More InfoResearch Highlights: Focus on Chemistry
Here are a selection of papers rated highly during the review process. This focus of this post is on chemistry and biochemistry, taking in ultra-fast dynamics, testosterone deficiency, a novel bioactive compound from a deep-water sponge, hydrogen storage, and a suggestion for extracting something useful from a large pile of manure. Ultrafast Electronic Deactivation Dynamics of […]
More InfoResearch Highlights: Silage, Smoking and Data Management
Another selection of papers that rated highly during peer review, with a broad focus on biology and life sciences. We’ve thrown in one paper on single photon sources for good measure. Happy reading! Fermentation Quality of Round-Bale Silage as Affected by Additives and Ensiling Seasons in Dwarf Napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) Satoru Fukagawa, Yasuyuki […]
More InfoResearch Highlights: Reviews, Measurements and a Novel Virus
This post collects a diverse range of papers rated highly by peer reviewers during the editorial process. It takes in simultaneous in vivo measurements of DNA, lipid and protein creation in cells; discovery of a new virus; a systematic review of the relationship between magnesium intake and type 2 diabetes; a review of the susceptibility of premature babies […]
More InfoUsing LaTeX
About 10% of authors to our journals submit their papers in LaTeX, but what exactly is LaTeX and what are the pros and cons? What is LaTeX? LaTeX is a type-setting language. Unlike Microsoft Word, it isn’t a WYSIWYG, it is a markup language where labels in the file define formatting and style. LaTeX is a […]
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