Get Published
A recommendation note from the MRI Governing Body and MRI Coordination Office on “predatory journals”
Predatory journals and predatory publishers have been defined as “entities that prioritise self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterised by false or misleading information, deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices” (Grudniewicz et al., 2019).
Publishing in predatory journals is highly problematic for a number of reasons*. For instance, it can damage one’s own reputation and/or the reputation of one’s institution; articles that are published in predatory journals do not offer any added value to researchers and science and further perpetuate practices that negatively impact science and scientific quality; or visibility can be limited given that some of these journals are not indexed by reputable citation indexes and literature databases, with no guarantee of long-term access to published articles. Furthermore, such articles often enter the public domain without rigorous quality control or thorough peer review, for instance by prioritising speedy reviews - irrespective of the suitability of the reviewers’ disciplinary expertise - instead of soliciting the relevant and key expertise for such reviews. Therefore, all publications in such journals endanger the credibility of publicly-funded research, diminish the value of research that would otherwise receive greater recognition if published in reputable journals, and contribute to a general distrust of scientific publications.
The MRI encourages open science practices and the accessible dissemination of results of high-quality scientific research. The choices made as to where and how this research is published are also key aspects that need attention and careful consideration by the mountain research community. Therefore, and in view of the issues raised by predatory publishing practices, the MRI strongly recommends that researchers exercise their own responsibility and judgment and carefully consider where they choose to publish their work, and where they agree to guest edit special issues, by consulting trusted sources of information and learning more about predatory publishing practices.
Useful resources we recommend (non-exhaustive):
- Grudniewicz et al (2019). Predatory journals: no definition, no defense. Nature, 576, 210-212.
- Think.Check.Submit. A site that helps researchers identify trusted journals and publishers for their research.
- The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) report (2022): Combatting Predatory Academic Journals and Conferences
- Blog: “Combating predatory journals and conferences through systemic change in scientific publishing” (International Science Council)
- UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science
* Adapted from Swiss National Science Foundation: FAQ What is the SNSF’s position with regard to predatory journals?
Do you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the issue of predatory publishing practices? We’d love to hear from you! Please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at the MRI Coordination Office.
MRI / 20.10.2022
With this focus issue, the aim is to deepen the understanding of challenges and opportunities for sustainable development in the Caucasus Mountains, and to help enhance dialogue and cooperation throughout the region. Papers that provide transformation, systems, or target knowledge on the topics prioritised in the Caucasus Regional Research Agenda 2020–2030 are welcome.
On the crossroads of Europe and Asia, the Caucasus ecoregion stands out with its natural and cultural heritage of universal value. Mosaics of landscapes, outstanding biodiversity levels, as well as a diversity of cultures, ethnic groups, and economic activities make this region unique. Covering the entire territory of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, as well as parts of Iran, the Russian Federation, and Turkey, the ecoregion stretches from the Black to the Caspian Seas. As a hotspot of ongoing geopolitical shifts since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the countries of the Caucasus region have led separate, widely differing paths of development. Consequently, they lack cooperation in elaborating a unified agenda toward sustainable mountain development. In addition to the various challenges faced by the region, the absence of quality scientific data and joint research presents further hurdles. Poor uptake of scientific evidence in policy- and decision-making and weak science–society interactions hinder sustainable development of the Caucasus Mountains. In this situation, urgent action is needed to protect the region’s unique natural and cultural heritage and promote sustainable livelihoods.
Accordingly, Mountain Research and Development (MRD) invites contributions from scholars and development specialists for its 3 peer-reviewed sections:
- MountainDevelopment (transformation knowledge): Papers should present systematically analyzed and validated practice-oriented development and policy experiences in the different thematic areas underlined in the C-RRA, such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity conservation, water management, tourism development, sustainable agriculture advancement, cultural heritage protection and making, as well as regional planning and development.
- MountainResearch (systems knowledge): Papers in this section should present empirical research and baseline studies that are original and innovative for the region.
- MountainAgenda (target knowledge): Papers should propose agendas and priorities for future research, policies, or interventions that draw on insights gained from systematic and well-referenced reviews of scientific knowledge, development approaches, or policies on topics described in or related to the C-RRA.
Submission details
- Submit your full paper by 15 October 2023 using MRD’s online submission platform.
- A short notice of intent should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 9 July 2023; we will provide advice if needed or requested.
- A workshop at the Caucasus Mountain Forum on Thursday 6 July 2023, 11:15–13:15, will provide useful guidance for authors interested in submitting a paper for this focus issue. All potential authors present at the Caucasus Mountain Forum are warmly invited to attend.
- The issue is scheduled for completion in August 2024; articles will be published on a rolling basis, as soon as they are ready.
- Before submitting, please read the guidelines for authors.
Submit your Gender and Adaptation in the Global South research to PLOS Climate, a nonprofit, Open Access publisher that empowers researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication.
Recent climate change-related events across the world and their impacts on poorer and marginalised communities have given a new impetus to the issue of climate justice. Gender rights activists, researchers, and practitioners have emphasised that there is no climate justice without gender justice, as they are intrinsically related. PLOS Climate calls for submissions for a new Collection to understand the status of work towards achieving gender-just, climate-resilient development pathways for the Global South, including successes and ongoing challenges.
They invite submissions of Research Articles and proposals for Opinions and Reviews based on the following sub-themes or the overall theme of the Collection:
- The intersection of gender and social inequalities within climate change discourse;
- The science-policy interface for gender and climate justice;
- Critical understanding of the role of gender in climate justice;
- Gender transformative adaptation;
- Solutions-based approaches to gender and climate justice.
Submission deadline: 14 July 2023.
Mountain Research and Development (MRD) invites submissions for its peer-reviewed MountainDevelopment and MountainAgenda sections. The first spotlights transformation knowledge: How can we solve problems and tap opportunities for greater sustainability? Articles should offer validated insights from development interventions, local practices, and policy efforts. The second focuses on target knowledge: What sustainable development do we want?
Articles should systematically review—and conclude with agendas for—research, development, or policy in a given area of sustainable mountain development. These kinds of knowledge are fundamentally important for sustainable development, and yet they receive comparably little attention in scientific research. Let’s change that!
Read about the journal’s section policies, guidelines, and submission procedure here.
Submissions are welcome year-round.
'Global Environmental Change' is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes high-quality, theoretically and empirically rigorous articles which advance knowledge about the human and policy dimensions of global environmental change. The journal is interested in articles which have a significant social science component. These include articles that address the social drivers or consequences of environmental change, or social and policy processes that seek to address problems of environmental change. Topics include, but are not restricted to: the drivers, consequences, and management of changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services, climate, coasts, food systems, land use and land cover, oceans, urban areas, and water resources.
Submission deadline: 30 June 2023
The purpose of the Dor Bahadur Bista Prize of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies (ANHS) is to recognize outstanding scholarship by graduate students whose research focuses on the areas of High Asia. The winner will receive a cash award of $300 and will be recognized at the annual South Asian Studies Conference, along with an invitation to submit the paper to HIMALAYA.
Submit your full paper by 30 July 2023.
This Special Issue aims to contribute to a better understanding of equity and justice concerns in ecosystem services research and to stimulate critical reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the ecosystem services framework in making equity and justice issues explicit.
Submission Deadline: 30 September 2023
The International Glaciological Society (IGS) will prepare a special issue of the Annals of Glaciology with the theme ‘Snow’ in 2023. Given these prospects and improvements in advanced technologies for monitoring and modelling, we announce a symposium focused on understanding snow and its impacts on the environment, people and infrastructure. Snow will be examined at all scales – from the microscale of snow structure to the global scale.
Updated manuscript submission deadline is 30 June 2023.
This Special Issue of the journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences aims to compile recent research that estimates and predicts natural hazards and risks in the Himalayan region.
Extreme hydrometeorological and geomorphological events account for 45 % of the fatalities and 79 % of the economic losses caused by natural hazards. Exacerbated by high seismic activity, rugged terrain such as the Himalayan landscape is particularly susceptible to generating these events, which often transform into cascading hazards where an initial event causes a downstream chain reaction (Shugar et al., 2021). These hazards interfere with increasing population pressure and expansion of settlements along rivers and new infrastructure developments such as roads and hydropower projects. Rising temperatures and changes in weather patterns in the wake of global warming likely elevate risks from hazards such as landslides, glacial lake outburst floods, riverine, and flash floods (Kraaijenbrink et al., 2017). The complexity of these hazards and their underlying processes demand scientific efforts and approaches from multiple disciplines.
This article collection in the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability seeks contributions that synthesize what we know, and what we don’t yet know, about social transformations in the context of diverse sustainability challenges.
This article collection in the journal Sustainable Earth aims to examine and improve the learning of sustainability.
Learning is a relatively new concern in sustainability. Much attention has been given to sustainability education, especially in tertiary education, but rather less on how people learn about sustainability and learn to become sustainable, especially from experience.
The Swiss Journal of Geosciences is an international fully Open Access peer-reviewed journal and publishes original research and review articles, with a particular focus on the evolution of the Tethys realm and the Alpine/Himalayan orogen.
The Swiss Journal of Geosciences has editorial waivers available for outstanding contributions and review articles from researchers who lack funding for fully OA publication.
This Scientific Reports Collection in the journal Nature provides a platform for interdisciplinary studies of mountain surface processes and their responses to climate change and human activities.
Submissions are welcome on a rolling basis.
