MDPI Self-citations study highlights industry alignment and integrity

By Dr Giulia Stefenelli, Scientific Communications Lead, MDPI and Dr Enric Sayas, Business Analyst, MDPI– Silver Sponsor at University Press REDUX Conference 2025

 

The context of self-citation scrutiny

Self-citations are a key topic in academic publishing. While self-citations can naturally reflect a journal’s specialization and research depth, concerns arise when they artificially inflate metrics like the Impact Factor (IF) and CiteScore, potentially distorting a journal’s perceived value.

This topic garnered significant attention following the release of Clarivate’s 2024 Journal Citation Report (JCR), which included the suppression of 17 journals from a range of publishers for excessive self-citation patterns (see, Clarivate Suppression List 2023). This prompted MDPI to analyze the citation patterns of its 237 JCR-indexed journals, ensuring alignment with industry norms and reinforcing our commitment to transparency, improvement, and integrity.

Methodology

As part of this assessment, we compared MDPI journals to others found in the same JCR category. Using data from Web of Science (WoS), which aligns with the data impacting JCR scores and is independently accessible, enabled an accurate and open comparison with other publishers’ datasets.

The original data and python scripts used can be found here: 10.5281/zenodo.14844342

Key Findings: Alignment with industry norms

Findings reveal MDPI’s citation practices are sound, consistent, and comparable to prevailing industry trends and established norms.

The evaluation includes 237 MDPI journals indexed in the JCR and analyzed their Impact Factor (IF) both with and without self-citations for the latest available year, 2024. Self-citations rates (SCRs) were also examined relative to category averages and assess how self-citations influence their overall ranking within their respective categories.

Findings show some variability in self-citation. Overall, however, MDPI journals align to industry norms and the limits established by WoS. MDPI has very few journals with high SCRs in their category compared to other leading publishers.

In 2024, MDPI’s average SCR was 14.85%, positioning the publisher 6th among the top ten publishers by SCR and 4th by publication volume (Figure 1).

 

SCRs across MDPI’s journals were calculated individually and compared to the average rates within their respective JCR categories. For journals indexed in multiple categories, the first category was selected.

Beyond Citations: Emphasizing broader research impact

We also examined the overall distribution of SCRs across all JCR journals and compared them to MDPI journals. Figure 2 shows SCRs are not normally distributed but exhibit a right-skewed distribution. This indicates that while most journals have relatively low SCRs, some exhibit significantly higher rates.

 

Based on this distribution, we analysed SCRs using percentile rankings, defining outlier journals as those exceeding the 95th percentile (top 5%). The median self-citation rate of all JCR journals was 0.12 while the median for MDPI-only journals was 0.14. This difference was shown to be not significative using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test (P-value 0.33374); there is no statistically significant difference in SCRs between MDPI journals and all journals in the dataset. Any observed difference in medians is due to random variation rather than a true difference in behaviour.

A similar approach can be applied within each JCR category, identifying outliers based solely on SCRs within their respective categories.

This was performed by grouping journals by their primary JCR category and generating SCR distributions within each. This allows for identifying outliers at the category level based on SCRs within the same field.

Per Figure 3, outlier SCRs vary widely, from 20% to nearly 100%. For MDPI journals, however, the range is more contained, between 20% and 40%. Notably, some MDPI journals with relatively high SCRs are not classified as outliers, suggesting they belong to JCR categories with inherently high SCRs. This highlights the need for category-specific assessments rather than a universal threshold.

Overall, we found that among the top 10 publishers (excluding MDPI), 4.7% of journals were classified as outliers based on their SCRs, whereas for MDPI, this figure was 2.3%.

Minimal impact on Rankings

We also examined whether excluding self-citations from the IF calculation significantly affects journal rankings within their categories. To do this, we ranked all the journals per category based on their IF both with and without self-citations, then observed the changes in ranking and quartile distribution. The analysis revealed that any category ranking changes were modest, with shifts averaging 7% based on 2024 data.

Key findings from the 237 MDPI journals analyzed reveal:

• 105 journals (44%) saw a ranking change between 10% and -10%, when self-citations were excluded.
• 74 journals saw a ranking decrease, and 49 journals saw a ranking increase when not counting self-citations.
• Six journals had a ranking decrease higher than 20%, while eight journals had a ranking increase higher than 20%.

The analysis also looked at whether any MDPI journals experienced changes in quartile rankings due to self-citations. As Table 2 shows, 14 journals decreased quartile when self-citations were removed: five journals from Q1 to Q2 and nine journals from Q2 to Q3. However, we also observed seven journals that increased their quartile when self-citations were removed: one journal from Q4 to Q3, three journals from Q3 to Q2, and three journals from Q2 to Q1.  Removing self-citations from MDPI journal IFs left 91% of journals in their original quartile. While some moved out of Q1, others moved in, with 97% of MDPI’s indexed portfolio unaffected by these shifts.

The results reinforce that self-citations have minimal influence on MDPI journal rankings, emphasizing the integrity of editorial practices and the absence of any deliberate efforts to manipulate impact.

Reinforcing transparency and integrity

As part of our continued commitment to integrity, transparency and protecting the scientific record, we welcome further scrutiny of the data used. We believe research impact goes beyond metrics to advancing knowledge, addressing societal challenges, and creating meaningful academic conversations. Broader indicators, such as research quality, societal relevance, and overall scholarly influence are equally important.

We invite our authors, editors, and readers to explore this analysis further and engage with us in conversations about responsible publishing. Together, we can continue to uphold the high standards of scholarly communication.

About MDPI

Headquartered in Switzerland, MDPI is an Open Access publisher with a portfolio of more than 440 journals across all scientific disciplines. To date, MDPI has published the works of over 3.7 million researchers, collaborating with an extensive network of academic institutions and scientific societies worldwide. Above all, MDPI is committed to ensuring that high-quality research is freely accessible to readers across the globe.

About the Authors

Dr. Giulia Stefenelli, Scientific Communications Lead, leverages her expertise in science communication, editorial processes, and Open Access (OA) promotion to address both institutional and country-specific challenges. She collaborates with teams across PR, Editorial Procedures, Institutional Partnerships, Research Integrity, AI and more, developing strategies to engage stakeholders, including policymakers, academics, and industry leaders. Her responsibilities include enhancing MDPI’s scientific network and promoting OA initiatives at events worldwide supporting different departments efforts, and ensuring effective communication to both specialist and broader audiences.

Dr. Enric Sayas is a Business Analyst specializing in the integration of AI and Machine Learning in scientific publishing. Within MDPI’s AI team, he combines his editorial expertise with his passion for AI to support the development of AI-driven solutions tailored to editorial needs, enhancing efficiency and decision-making. His interests extend to data science methodologies applied to scientific publishing, as well as the broader impact of AI on open science, peer review, and the future of scientific publishing.

About University Press Redux 2025

The 6th ALPSP University Press Redux returns as an in-person event on 3 & 4 April 2025, in partnership with Oxford University Press. Book your place.

 

 

Mentorship that Inspires: Personal Stories from the ALPSP Mentorship Programme

Liz Malnar, Clelia Petracca and Martina Sollai, mentees on the 2024 ALPSP Mentorship Scheme

Martina

The ALPSP Mentorship Scheme came along at the right time for me. At this career stage, I wanted to dedicate more time to strengthening my network, comparing experiences with seasoned professionals, reflecting on my choices, and gaining external insights into my plans.

I value opportunities to understand publishing from different perspectives, thus in my application, I tried to convey how my interests were diverse. I admit that somehow, I was a bit concerned about finding a match who could relate to this – other careers often look linear from the outside, while mine has been touching on several sides of the industry so far.

With this premise, the experience in the scheme was even more rewarding because I found a great match of views and approaches in my mentor: an expert, caring professional who loves mentoring early career colleagues and enjoys exploring the industry, just like me.

Since our first meeting, I felt energized by our exchanges: the shared process of setting up goals and reviewing them made me feel empowered to follow up and act.

I have a great appreciation for the generosity shown by my mentor in introducing me to other professionals in the industry, which led to interesting and inspiring opportunities like becoming part of one of ALPSP Special Interest Groups.

One sentence my mentor told me sums up very well the sense of the ALPSP mentorship experience for me: this is a space for you to take control over things you would like to do for your own professional development.

Liz

I joined the ALPSP mentorship program because I was relatively new to the world of publishing, a field that is both dynamic and ever-evolving. I was eager to expand my professional network and gain a deeper understanding of current industry trends. The goal was to equip myself with the knowledge and insights needed to grow and progress in my career effectively.

At first, I was uncertain about what to expect and felt a little intimidated, but those concerns quickly faded after our initial meeting. My mentor’s passion and expertise were immediately apparent, creating an environment that put me at ease. We developed a strong working relationship through a structured yet flexible approach that was tailored to my specific needs. Each session offered practical advice and insightful feedback, making the experience both engaging and rewarding.

The focus wasn't on receiving direct answers; instead, I was encouraged to independently find solutions, fostering a proactive mindset and the courage to act on my own. This empowering approach now allows me to confidently tackle challenges and see them as opportunities for growth.

The tasks assigned were deliberately outside my comfort zone, designed to push me into new experiences and activities not typically part of my daily routine. This strategy effectively highlighted areas where I needed further development while also affirming the strengths I already possessed.

Overall, this mentorship experience significantly broadened my perspective on the publishing industry and instilled a newfound confidence in my abilities. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from a seasoned professional and am excited to continue applying these insights as I advance in my career.

 

Clelia

I came across the ALPSP Mentorship Scheme by chance and, when I decided to apply, I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I was in that odd stage of my career where I did not have an immediate goal to reach nor a clear understanding of my next move. Curiosity prompted me, and I approached this scheme as an opportunity to learn more about the publishing industry and expand my network beyond my usual circle.

Filling out the application was an enriching experience itself. It forced me to think of the professional I want to become and how to develop new skills spendable outside my role. Being a better editor and leader is a (never ending) journey -an aspiration rather than a measurable goal-, and I was a bit worried about setting unrealistic expectations before meeting with my mentor.

Starting the programme shucked any doubt and my mentor was extremely supportive from the very first day. We met monthly and talked about all things publishing: our jobs and the day-to-day challenges, our career journeys and the inspiring people we met along the way, how the industry has changed over the years (from dress code to hybrid work and DEI). To me, it never felt like a mentor-mentee relationship: we were peers exchanging ideas and empowering each other in ways we did not expect.

This mentorship scheme is a gift to yourself: a wonderful opportunity to reclaim the time and mind space to focus on what really matters to you.

 

About the ALPSP International Mentorship Scheme

The scheme aims to connect colleagues across the publishing industry and provide a wider network of expertise and skills to help foster development and progression. Open to ALPSP members (as mentees and mentors) as well as non-members (mentors only), the scheme was the winner of a ‘Most Impactful Mentoring Award’ in 2024. For more information and to register visit our website.

The ALPSP International Mentorship scheme is sponsored by Publishers' Licensing Services.

 

About the Authors

Liz Malnar, Senior Journal Specialist, Frontiers

Liz Malnar is a Senior Journal Specialist at Frontiers, serving as the primary liaison for authors, editors, and reviewers. She collaborates with them to develop impactful article collections and ensure successful outcomes at every stage of the editorial process.

 

Clelia Petracca, Commissioning Editor, Palgrave Macmillan

Clelia Petracca is Commissioning Editor in Creativity Studies and Disability Studies at Palgrave Macmillan. At Springer Nature she also co-chairs the ‘SDG 5 Working Group: Gender Equality’, a company-wide initiative to support Springer Nature’s goal of becoming the SDG publisher of choice with internal and external initiatives and partnerships.

 

Martina Sollai, Account Development Specialist, Frontiers

Originally a researcher in marine microbiology and paleoclimate studies, Martina Sollai moved to academic publishing in 2018, working in content commissioning at Frontiers. After a stint in project management for marine conservation, Martina returned to Frontiers in 2022, now focusing on institutional partnerships in the EMEA region.

Reflections on the ALPSP International Mentorship Scheme

Anna Hubbard, mentee on the 2024 ALPSP Mentorship Scheme

Since beginning my journey into scholarly publishing in 2022, I have continuously sought to learn more about the industry’s vast scope and hone my professional skills. So, when I heard about the ALPSP International Mentorship Scheme, it felt like an incredible opportunity to obtain new insights from other people’s career experiences.

The mentorship scheme commenced with a well-considered matching process, which I found to be particularly impressive. Before being matched, I was encouraged to share what I wanted to achieve from the programme by filling out a form with my background and interests so that I could be paired with a suitable mentor to match my goals.

Soon after, I was introduced to my new mentor, Emma. Emma has a wealth of professional management experience in STM and society publishing and shares similar interests to me regarding Open Access initiatives. What I found particularly exciting about our match was that while some aspects of our experiences overlapped, some also differed — thus creating numerous opportunities for me to expand my understanding of the profession as a whole.

Emma and I set clear goals for our mentoring sessions, including covering ongoing industry trends, developing strategies for overcoming common editorial challenges, and considering long-term career growth. We met regularly throughout the year, with each meeting covering a chosen agenda of topics we wanted to mutually discuss. Our conversations on AI and open research were particularly fascinating and have enabled me to better understand the industry’s varied responses as well as consider future trajectories.

Emma also challenged me to push myself out of my comfort zone. The belief she had in my abilities often exceeded my own, encouraging me to strive for my full potential in the professional sphere. Her guidance also helped me implement actionable goals to advance my career aspirations and develop confidence while transitioning between job roles.

The wider mentoring team also played an active role throughout the mentoring scheme, hosting numerous meetings that provided an excellent opportunity to connect with other mentees and grow my professional network internationally. The programme coordinators were also wonderfully proactive in giving mentees advice on navigating mentoring relationships, enabling me to benefit fully from the scheme. This additional support was especially useful for me as I had not been part of a mentoring initiative before.

The ALPSP International Mentoring Scheme provided me with the space to grow my professional self actively, receive feedback, and expand my understanding of the publishing industry. I am incredibly grateful for the positive experience!

About the ALPSP International Mentorship Scheme

The scheme aims to connect colleagues across the publishing industry and provide a wider network of expertise and skills to help foster development and progression. Open to ALPSP members (as mentees and mentors) as well as non-members (mentors only), the scheme was the winner of a ‘Most Impactful Mentoring Award’ in 2024. For more information and to register visit our website.


The ALPSP International Mentorship scheme is sponsored by Publishers' Licensing Services.

About the Author

Anna Hubbard is an Editorial Assistant at Cambridge University Press & Assessment. She is responsible for organising key content workflows and provides operational and administrative support within the psychology books team. Anna began working in scholarly publishing in 2022 as an Editorial Coordinator at the European Consortium for Political Research.

Stepping out of the comfort zone to help others in publishing by Lorna Berrett, Fiona Carr & Louise Marie Hutton

Lorna Berrett, Fiona Carr and Louise Marie Hutton, mentors on the 2024 ALPSP Mentorship Scheme

For many mentors in the ALPSP International Mentorship Scheme this year, it was their first time taking part. However, our mentor cohort is varied in levels of professional experience. Taking part in the mentorship scheme is not just about what you can do for your mentee, but also what you can gain from them. Whether you’re still early in your career or are well-established, the mentorship scheme can help you meet new people, expand your networks, and gain fresh insight into a familiar industry with the support of the ALPSP behind you.

Expanding horizons by Louise Marie Hutton

Since I began my publishing career in 2019, I feel very lucky to have worked with some incredibly thoughtful and kind colleagues who mentored me across various aspects of my career. Due to their impact, I decided to join the ALPSP Mentorship Scheme as a mentor, rather than a mentee. Despite my worries that my lack of managerial or professional mentoring experience would be a hindrance, I wanted to offer constructive advice or even just a sympathetic ear to a fellow publishing professional. The benefits to joining the award-winning ALPSP mentorship scheme are plentiful, but for me personally, I relished the opportunity to work with someone outside my usual networks.

Other than ALPSP, I don’t belong to any other professional organisations or networks where my connections stretch beyond my immediate colleagues. The benefit of networking through the ALPSP Mentorship Scheme is that not only was I paired with someone in a different area of publishing – journals vs books – my mentee worked for a society in a different subject area. Throughout the course of our mentorship, it was fascinating to hear about how different our roles could be despite working in the same industry. I established a very easy rapport with my mentee; it felt like a really mutually beneficial relationship where it seemed we both wanted to connect with someone outside of our daily ‘work bubble’.

Beyond the relationship with my mentee, I really enjoyed the connections made with other mentors. I’ve been fortunate to be part of a super inspiring group of mentors and feel my horizons have been expanded even further by my inclusion in the mentorship programme.

Beating imposter syndrome by Lorna Berrett

I signed up for the ALPSP mentoring program because I wanted to get more involved in the publishing community beyond my own company and get some new perspectives. However, even with many years in the industry, I still wondered if I had what it took to be a mentor. Classic imposter syndrome!

My assigned mentee was from a different function within publishing and was growing in their career. What did I have that could support this bright and dedicated individual, I thought? But I recalled when I moved from managing people doing a job I had done, to managing people who did something else, it meant I learned new things and so did they. This was mirrored in my mentoring experience.

Although my mentee and I have different jobs, I realised that the experience I had in managing teams, managing upwards and exposure to business strategy was useful and transferrable. Discussing specific scenarios also helped me reflect on what I’d done in the past, what I’d learned, and how I might deal with those issues again in the future. Sharing experiences of both what can work and what can go wrong is always useful and even just talking them through can be helpful.

The opportunity to see another point of view, in depth, from a different department was incredibly valuable to me. Hearing their perspective on publishing issues and learning about the demands and priorities of another role gave me some new insights. I probably appreciate some of my colleagues and their challenges a little better as a result!

The Mentorloop platform and the practical focus on goals and real-world issues provided a great structure. This framework was especially helpful at the start to set goals and expectations, to reflect, and to build in transparency and trust. This helped us create a safe space for both mentor and mentee to ask questions and test out solutions to the various issues that we discussed. It was a positive experience for us both that we plan to continue.   

New perspectives from an old hat! by Fiona Carr

I first joined the world of scholarly publishing quite unwittingly at the age of 21 when I just needed a job right out of university to pay the bills. That first job was a Permissions Assistant at Elsevier, back when rights departments churned through piles and piles of written requests that arrive by post (or fax!) to reproduce content from books and journals. Fast forward to now some 29 years later and I’m very fortunate to have worked for some incredible companies, have met and built up relationships with lots of great colleagues and peers across the industry.

So, how could I possibly benefit from joining the ALPSP Mentoring Scheme now? Well, I actually benefited from this experience immensely and it only served to remind me how invaluable such an opportunity to take part as a mentee right back when I started would have been very helpful! As a mentor in this year’s program, I really enjoyed working with and getting to know both of my mentees. It was clear that both were at very different stages in their careers and had diverse perspectives and goals, but I enjoyed sharing my experiences and (I hope) giving some guidance and useful tips and tricks that will help them as they progress. While not continuing with the program in any formal capacity, I plan to keep in touch with both mentees informally from time to time.

It also illustrated what an immense challenge it is to come into this industry now. Not only is the pace of change within the industry moving at an exponential rate – AI, research integrity, open access to name but a few challenges. But anyone coming into this industry now is tasked with the added challenge of what is predominantly a home-working culture. Gone (on the most part) are the impromptu chats around the photocopier, in the kitchen while making a brew and just bumping into each other in the corridor! We now have the daily challenges of working remotely, endless Zoom and Teams calls. Establishing yourself and getting to know colleagues and peers in this industry is even more difficult now than it ever was. That the ALPSP Mentoring Scheme can play a part in helping to overcome these additional challenges will prove to be one of its biggest strengths.  

Testimonial quotes:

Louise Marie:

“It was such a joy to be a part of the ALPSP Mentorship Scheme as a mentor. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to connect with other industry professionals and it really helped to remind me that we all learn from each other, regardless of whether you’re a mentor or a mentee. I enjoyed collaborating alongside some very inspirational mentors and really value the connections made with my mentee, too.”

Lorna Berrett:

“It was a great experience to get outside the “four walls” of one company and get the opportunity to talk about the challenges and opportunities we face across publishing. I’ve learned from my mentee’s experience, reflected on my own, and built my knowledge and understanding of our business. I’ve already recommended to colleagues to sign up for 2025.”

Fiona Carr’s mentee:

“The ALPSP mentorship program was incredibly valuable for my career progression. It provided an opportunity to set goals collaboratively, and I often left sessions with a new lease of motivation to focus on my career development and clarify what I seek in a role. My mentor offered invaluable advice during challenging conversations in my own organisation and shared practical tips specific to my current role that I still use today.”

 

About the ALPSP International Mentorship Scheme

The scheme aims to connect colleagues across the publishing industry and provide a wider network of expertise and skills to help foster development and progression. Open to ALPSP members (as mentees and mentors) as well as non-members (mentors only), the scheme was the winner of a ‘Most Impactful Mentoring Award’ in 2024. For more information and to register visit our website.

The ALPSP International Mentorship scheme is sponsored by Publishers' Licensing Services.

 

About the Authors:

Lorna Berrett, Director of Marketing, Partner Acquisition & Retention, Taylor & Francis

Lorna leads the Partnerships Marketing team at Taylor & Francis working  to attract and engage publishing partners and editors. Lorna has 30+ years of experience in academic publishing at T&F, Wiley and Blackwell working across digital product management, marketing and communications.

 

Fiona Carr, Sales Director – Ringgold, Copyright Clearance Center

Fiona is responsible for global sales and account management of Ringgold Solutions. With 29 years’ experience in scholarly publishing, Fiona’s background is in rights, licensing, sales and business development having worked at Elsevier, Oxford University Press and OCLC among others.

 

Louise Marie Hutton, Commissioning Editor (Books), John Wiley & Sons

Louise Marie is responsible for commissioning book content in Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Paediatrics, Medical Biosciences and other areas within Clinical Medicine. Louise Marie is also a member of Wiley’s Women of Wiley group, designed to elevate and amplify the voices of our colleague community, deliver impactful events and programs, and engender a more connected workforce.

 

Your diversity is our strength: encouraging first-time mentors to make a difference by Miranda Ashby-Wood, Christina Emery & Marios Karouzos

Miranda Ashby-Wood, Christina Emery & Marios Karouzos, mentors on the 2024 ALPSP Mentorship Scheme

The close of 2024 saw the official wrap up of the 2024 ALPSP Mentorship Scheme that attracted more than 119 mentees from at least 18 different countries, mentored by 103 mentors over the course of eight months, from May to December 2024. The programme provided mentees with a wide network of expertise and skills to help foster their skill development and career progression. It also encouraged collaborative learning between mentors and mentees, both benefitting from the shared dialogue and experience.

Let us take stock of 2024’s mentor/mentee cohort. Most mentees self-identified as female (80%). While the same was true for mentors, the gender ratio was slightly less skewed (75% female) - you can see the full distribution below. Under the assumption that mentors are likelier to be more senior in their careers than mentees, this difference illustrates the well-known leaky pipeline effect, where women are less represented in more senior roles.

In terms of regional diversity, perhaps unsurprisingly, most mentors and mentees were based in Europe and the UK, reflecting the ALPSP membership. Interestingly, while the geographic distributions of mentors and mentees broadly matched, we note a clear dearth of mentor representation from the Asia Pacific region, which includes the Indian sub-continent.

So, what do these numbers tell us? We are not as diverse as we would like, especially lacking in male representation – something which we hope will improve for the 2025 scheme. The numbers may also imply that certain groups of people within our industry may not feel as empowered (or welcomed) to step forward as role models and mentors. What can we do about it? This and other similar mentoring programmes are great tools to increase skills and senior leadership capacity across the industry with mentees of today becoming the mentors of tomorrow.

This blog post also aims to dispel some myths about what a mentor can look like and seeks to empower those of you considering taking up the mentor mantle in the 2025 iteration of ALPSP mentorship scheme.

What does a mentor look like?

Many people may immediately generate an image of a very senior professional – perhaps a senior manager or head of department, or even a CEO – when asked to visualise a mentor, but this is a common misconception.

Anyone can be a mentor, and in fact having a range of individuals at different stages of their careers can benefit a programme such as this. It isn’t necessarily a senior individual mentoring a more junior individual; you could mentor someone at the same career level as you or even someone more senior. One example of how this could work is the scenario where you are perhaps at an earlier stage in your career, but you may have experience in a particular project or area that someone more senior is new to, or is looking to move into. Another scenario is where an early career individual may provide a different perspective to a common problem that is complementary, thereby providing new insights and diversifying established views.

Each mentor-mentee relationship is different, and every individual will have different goals. The aim of the ALPSP Mentorship Scheme is to pair individuals together to ensure both meet their goals. If you have been considering signing up but don’t feel experienced enough or are concerned you don’t have enough knowledge, fear not. We can guarantee there is a mentee out there who would love to learn from your experience and would really value your insight!

Embrace the leap: first-time mentorship matters

First-time mentors often underestimate the impact they can have. Some new mentors expressed an initial hesitancy to participate, fearing that they might not know enough to help their mentee. However, after completing the programme, they shared positive feedback with ALPSP that everything worked well and that they felt their contributions were worthwhile.

Tips for first timers

·        The mentee sets their own goals and meeting agendas, so just by having regular meetings you can guide them through their goals which helps them find motivation and be accountable.

·        You’re not expected to know everything, but you may be able to help your mentee help themselves. You could share useful links, provide them with training resources, or connect them to others who may be able to help.

·        Just by providing another perspective or asking provocative questions, you can challenge your mentee to see things in another light and consider other routes or solutions.

·        There is support available to guide you through the process. The Mentorloop platform has many useful resources on being a mentor, and there is a group chat where mentors can support each other. This adds a real community feel to the programme, and some mentors utilise the chat to ask others for advice or to meet at conferences.

·        In addition, the ALPSP team holds check in sessions at the beginning, during and at the end of the programme to help prepare you.

It’s time to take action

So, apart from helping others, why should you sign up? Being a mentor is extremely rewarding, with benefits including personal growth, increased confidence, learning from your mentee, and expanding your network.

To summarise, the ALPSP mentoring programme needs you! We need diverse perspectives from all regions, genders, backgrounds and levels of seniority, so consider signing up today. To learn more about the benefits of participating, we will be releasing a second blog post focusing on the advantages for mentors.

Testimonial quotes:

Miranda:

“Being part of the ALPSP Mentorship Scheme was an extremely rewarding experience. I developed my mentoring skills and gained confidence in my own abilities and knowledge, and also learnt a lot from my mentee – it was always refreshing to hear another perspective on many aspects of publishing. It was great to see my mentee grow in skills and confidence and reach their goals, and I thank them for their time, commitment and enthusiasm. I encourage anyone reading this to sign up as a mentor!”

Marios:

“Every mentorship is unique in its challenges and rewards. All of them, however, catalysed growth and development for my mentee and myself. I am very proud of my mentee’s achievements and their thoughtful engagement with our mentorship. Sign me up for 2025!”

Christina:

“Being a mentor was very fulfilling; after a great experience being a mentee the prior year, it was rewarding to give something back by helping someone else in need. It also helped me gain confidence through appreciating my own knowledge and skill set. Connecting with others in the industry was a bonus.”

About the ALPSP International Mentorship Scheme

The scheme aims to connect colleagues across the publishing industry and provide a wider network of expertise and skills to help foster development and progression. Open to ALPSP members (as mentees and mentors) as well as non-members (mentors only), the scheme was the winner of a ‘Most Impactful Mentoring Award’ in 2024. For more information and to register visit our website.

The ALPSP International Mentorship scheme is sponsored by Publishers' Licensing Services.

About the Authors:

Miranda Ashby-Wood, Co-Head of Publishing, British Institute of Radiology

Miranda is responsible for the strategic development of the BIR journal portfolio and leading the publishing department at the BIR. She is also responsible for the commissioning and development of BIR video courses and content within the BIR journal portfolio, working with members of the community to deliver relevant and high-quality material. Miranda is Co-Chair of the ALPSP Education Committee and a Director on the ALPSP Board.

Christina Emery, Head of Thought Leadership Programmes, Springer Nature

Christina is Head of Thought Leadership Programmes at Springer Nature, where she is responsible for both the development and execution of the organisation's thought leadership strategy. Christina is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the OAPEN Open Access Books Toolkit.

 

Marios Karouzos, Head of Publishing Strategy – Reviews, News & Opinion, Nature Portfolio,
Springer Nature

Marios is responsible for the strategy of the Reviews, News & Opinion content published in the Nature Portfolio. In addition to his role, Marios is a member of the editorial steering committee and a judge for the Inspiring Women in Science Nature Awards and co-chairs the Springer Nature SDG 5 "Gender equality" working group and the Springer Nature Women Employee Network.