PeerJ Open Advances in Zoology: Shaping the Future of Zoological Research and Unlocking OA

We’re excited to announce the launch of PeerJ Open Advances in Zoology, a new journal committed to addressing the most pressing challenges to animal life through innovative, high-quality research and commentary. As part of the PeerJ Open Advances series, this new journal prioritizes openness, collaboration, and equity, making participation in scientific communication accessible to all by being free to read and free to publish.

Led by Editors-in-Chief Professors Lesley Rogers and Michael Wink, PeerJ Open Advances in Zoology is committed to addressing the most pressing challenges in animal life through innovative, high-quality research and commentary. PeerJ Open Advances in Zoology publishes impactful work that responds to one of the journal’s Global Challenges, which are owned by dedicated Associate Editors. Articles and contributors will be grouped by Global Challenge, building a corpus of research and commentary – and a community – that contributes to answering key questions and overcoming obstacles to completing that Challenge. We welcome proposals of new Challenges. Every research article will be accompanied by comprehensive peer-review reports and Impact Statements highlighting how the research addresses the key questions posed.

“This new journal offers free and equitable publication of excellent science to researchers in all countries. It’s an exciting venture aimed at cutting-edge research addressing the pressing challenges to animal life now and into the future.” – Co-Editor-in-Chief Lesley Rogers

The journal launches with four Challenges:

Advancing Understanding of the Functions and Mechanisms Underlying Animal Behavior and Cognition in Diverse Environments

Invertebrates in the Anthropocene: Critical Knowledge Gathering, Dissemination and Application to Mitigate Human-Induced Global Impacts

Ontogenetic Plasticity – How the Environment Shapes Bodies and Brains

Key Advances in Descriptive Anatomy and Structural Zoology

Three more Challenges – addressing Behavioral Ecology, Biogeography, and Classification – will be announced in the coming weeks.

“This novel series opens up a new era of Open Access publishing. We hope to attract excellent reviews and original contributions that provide new data, new syntheses, or new challenges.” – Co-Editor-in-Chief Michael Wink

We believe that what sets PeerJ Open Advances in Zoology apart is its commitment to equity. There are no author fees, ensuring that financial barriers don’t hinder the dissemination of critical research. This commitment, combined with our transparent publication process and a scope defined by the zoology community, ensures that research with the potential to impact the world is available to everyone, regardless of location or affiliation.

“The aim is to provide a collaborative forum for new ideas, and to generate networks of researchers working on the most pressing questions in the field of animal research, in order to address challenges concerning zoological topics of a global scale.” – Stephen Johnson, Publishing Editor of the Open Advances Series

As part of PeerJ’s Open Advances series, PeerJ Open Advances in Zoology champions openness, collaboration, and equity in scientific communication. Our mission is to empower researchers to contribute to solving the world’s most pressing problems by providing a platform for high-quality research that is freely accessible to all.

Explore the journal.