Agricultural and Environmental Modelling maintains the journal’s founding mission to elevate modeling research objects to first-class scientific outputs. Its core principles ensure that models are made citable, discoverable, and reusable, thus promoting scientific transparency and reproducibility. This commitment to openness is further exemplified in AEM’s rigorous peer-review process and its practice of offering entirely fee-free publication opportunities for contributing researchers—a boon for democratizing access to scientific dissemination worldwide.

The evolution of the journal’s scope now extends comprehensively across agricultural and environmental sciences. This expansion incorporates modeling efforts ranging from agroecology and production dynamics to food safety and supply chain control. It also addresses complex socio-ecological systems, resource management frameworks, and pioneering biotechnological methodologies. The breadth of this outlook reflects the interconnected nature of Earth’s systems and the necessity for integrated, multidisciplinary model-centric research paradigms.

One of the seminal innovations of AEM lies in its structured approach to the publication lifecycle of computational models. Recognizing that complex models mature through iterative stages—encompassing formal specification, software development, calibration, validation, and application—the journal provides unique article categories tailored to formally acknowledge each phase. This approach revolutionizes the traditionally monolithic publication model by ensuring credit is precisely allocated for discrete, scientifically rigorous contributions within the modeling pipeline.

Among the diverse article types, the Formal Model publication offers a groundbreaking platform for disseminating the foundational mathematical and conceptual frameworks that underpin modeling endeavors. Complementing this are Review Articles, Research Articles, and Short Communications, as well as specialized formats like Model Testing and Calibration reports, Model Implementation and Documentation papers, Software Descriptions, and Data Papers. Each submission is supported by tailored templates, facilitating clarity, consistency, and transparency in reporting.

AEM’s operational philosophy is deeply rooted in the FAIR principles—Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability—applied uniformly to data, source code, and model artifacts. Authors are mandated to make all supporting data and source codes openly accessible, reinforcing reproducibility and enabling subsequent researchers to build upon existing work. Particularly for machine learning methodologies, the journal enforces adherence to the DOME-ML guidelines, setting a high bar for the reproducibility and robustness of algorithmic applications.

The journal’s integration into robust archiving systems such as CLOCKSS, Zenodo, Portico, and Zendy ensures the long-term availability and preservation of published content. Additionally, indexing in more than forty scholarly databases—including AGRICOLA, Cabells, CABI, FAO AGRIS, and ResearchGate—maximizes discoverability and academic impact. This extensive infrastructure facilitates the seamless dissemination of research to a global audience, spanning academia, policy institutions, and industry stakeholders.

A recent exemplar of AEM’s innovative publishing model is the Formal Model article describing APODEMUS, a spatially-explicit simulation tool designed to assess pesticide risk for the European wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus). This model offers regulatory bodies a scientifically rigorous and transparent blueprint to evaluate the landscape-scale ecological consequences of pesticide applications. Such work exemplifies the journal’s commitment to providing tools that inform and guide sustainable agricultural practices and environmental stewardship.

The journal actively encourages submissions from researchers working at every juncture of the modeling lifecycle, whether developing formal mathematical frameworks, documenting model calibration processes, sharing datasets, or presenting new computational workflows. Direct engagement with editors is welcomed, facilitating tailored guidance and fostering a collaborative scholarly environment that is responsive to evolving research needs and innovations.

In parallel, AEM is building a vibrant editorial community by inviting experts worldwide to join its ranks. The editorial board is envisioned as a dynamic, dedicated team of professionals who share the journal’s vision of transparent, open, and rigorous scientific communication. Their expertise will be fundamental in maintaining high standards and driving continuous innovation in the publication of modeling research.

The rebranding from the Food and Ecological Systems Modelling Journal to Agricultural and Environmental Modelling is more than cosmetic; it signifies the journal’s maturity and expanded remit. This transformation aligns with the grand challenges faced by the scientific community—addressing complex, interrelated issues of food security, environmental sustainability, and resource management through robust and transparent modeling science.

Prof. Christopher Topping, Editor-in-Chief of AEM, emphasizes that the journal is uniquely structured to support the entire modeling lifecycle, recognizing the multifaceted nature of scientific modeling work. Every contribution, from conceptual designs to applied implementations, is citable and credited appropriately, fostering an environment where methodical scientific rigour and innovation thrive.

Professor Lyubomir Penev, Pensoft’s founder and CEO, reflects on the journal’s journey and aspirations: The new title better encapsulates the breadth of scientific disciplines and methodologies represented within its pages and reaffirms the steadfast commitment to Open Science principles. This transformation is anticipated to catalyze new research collaborations and accelerate advances in both agricultural and environmental sciences.

Ultimately, Agricultural and Environmental Modelling represents a forward-looking outlet poised to become the nexus for cutting-edge modeling science. It anchors the essential principle that rigorous models are integral to understanding and solving pressing issues related to food systems, natural resource management, and environmental resilience on a global scale.

Subject of Research: Computational and mathematical modeling in agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and environmental sciences.

Article Title: A journal by modellers, for modellers: Introducing Agricultural and Environmental Modelling.

News Publication Date: 2026

Web References:

• Agricultural and Environmental Modelling journal: https://aem.pensoft.net/
• DOME-ML reproducibility guidelines: https://dome-ml.org/
• ARPHA Platform: https://arphahub.com/about/platform
• Indexing and archiving services: CLOCKSS (https://clockss.org/), Zenodo (https://zenodo.org/), Portico (https://www.portico.org/), Zendy (https://zendy.io/)
• Related recent paper: https://doi.org/10.3897/fmj.7.175714

References:
Topping CJ, Nogoy N, Boyadzhieva I, Stoev P, Penev L (2026) A journal by modellers, for modellers: Introducing Agricultural and Environmental Modelling. Agricultural and Environmental Modelling 8: e194160.
Singer A, Schmolke A, Becher MA, et al. (2026) Concept for APODEMUS – a wood mouse population model for pesticide risk assessment. Food and Ecological Systems Modelling Journal 7: e175714. https://doi.org/10.3897/fmj.7.175714

Image Credits: Pensoft Publishers

Keywords: agricultural modeling, environmental modeling, computational modeling, open access, FAIR principles, model lifecycle, reproducibility, formal model, agroecology, pesticide risk assessment, open science, ARPHA platform

The collaboration promises to leverage Pensoft’s cutting-edge publishing platform, ARPHA, an all-encompassing digital ecosystem designed to streamline the entire editorial workflow. ARPHA’s infrastructure supports manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, publication, and archiving within a unified online environment. By automating and integrating these processes, it enhances efficiency and transparency. This transformation will significantly elevate how dental research is disseminated and consumed, enabling both human readers and computational algorithms to access, cite, and reuse scholarly content with unprecedented ease.

Problems of Dental Medicine has long been respected for its commitment to quality and academic rigor in the dissemination of dental knowledge. Its scope encompasses a broad spectrum of disciplines including clinical dentistry, oral pathology, dental materials, and public dental health policy. With contributions from leading researchers worldwide, the journal has historically fostered the exchange of novel insights and methodologies that advance dental science. Through this new partnership, the journal researchers will benefit from open-access publishing supported by Medical University Sofia, eliminating author fees and democratizing access to cutting-edge findings.

The adoption of the ARPHA platform not only modernizes the journal’s workflow but also introduces semantic enrichment capabilities and enhanced interlinking within published articles. These technological features embed machine-readable metadata and hyperlinked references directly into texts, facilitating sophisticated literature searches, data mining, and integrative analysis across multiple sources. Semantic publishing stands to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery by enabling data interoperability and reducing barriers to knowledge synthesis in dental medicine and related fields.

In addition to enabling authors to publish without article processing charges, this partnership also brings enhanced discoverability to the journal’s extensive archive, which spans nearly five decades of scientific contribution. Readers and researchers can now navigate the journal’s digital backlist with ease, ensuring legacy research remains accessible and continues to inform contemporary studies. This continuity bridges historical knowledge with emerging trends, fostering a comprehensive understanding of dental science evolution.

Furthermore, Pensoft’s commitment to open science aligns seamlessly with the ethos of Problems of Dental Medicine. By prioritizing transparency and open access, the journal supports reproducibility and maximizes the societal impact of dental research. In an era where public health challenges are increasingly complex, facilitating broad dissemination and accessibility of evidence-based dental science is critical for shaping effective health policies and clinical practices globally.

During the announcement of the partnership, Editor-in-Chief Prof. Boyko Bonev emphasized the transformative potential of this collaboration. He highlighted that joining forces with Pensoft marks “a major step forward” for the journal, anticipating significant benefits including broader international visibility and new opportunities to propel dental science. Such endorsement underscores the strategic importance of infrastructure innovation in academic publishing as a catalyst for scientific advancement.

From Pensoft’s perspective, CEO and founder Prof. Lyubomir Penev expressed enthusiasm about incorporating Problems of Dental Medicine into their publishing portfolio. He projected that the alliance will substantially contribute to the development and deeper understanding of dental sciences. This extension of Pensoft’s platform beyond its traditional biodiversity and environmental sciences niche signals the adaptability and scalability of ARPHA’s technology to serve diverse scientific disciplines.

Pensoft itself is renowned for pioneering innovations in scholarly communication, having launched ZooKeys, the first digital-first zoology journal to incorporate semantic enrichments and dynamic cross-linking. Through its extensive experience in integrating digital technologies with editorial practices, Pensoft brings a wealth of expertise to Problems of Dental Medicine. This experience is instrumental in realizing the full potential of digital transformation in scholarly publishing, moving beyond traditional static formats toward interactive, interconnected research outputs.

Moreover, Pensoft’s involvement in ambitious projects such as the OpenBiodiv knowledge graph and the European Horizon 2020 BiCIKL initiative illustrates its leadership in advancing data interoperability and knowledge integration within scientific communities. By embedding these principles into Problems of Dental Medicine’s publishing approach, the journal not only enhances individual article utility but also contributes to the broader infrastructure supporting open science and collaborative research networks.

In summary, the partnership between Pensoft Publishers and the Faculty of Dental Medicine at Medical University Sofia signals a pivotal evolution in the dissemination of dental research. By combining a long-standing academic legacy with state-of-the-art publishing technology, Problems of Dental Medicine is set to amplify its impact within the global scientific community. Researchers, clinicians, and policymakers stand to benefit from enhanced access to, and interaction with, high-quality dental science, supporting improved oral health outcomes worldwide.

As the journal embarks on this transformative journey, it exemplifies the critical role that innovation in scholarly communication plays in accelerating scientific progress. Through open access, semantic publishing, and integrated digital workflows, Problems of Dental Medicine envisions a future where dental research is more accessible, interconnected, and impactful than ever before. This collaboration serves as a model for other specialized academic journals seeking to harness technology and collaboration to advance their fields in an increasingly digital world.

Subject of Research: Dental Medicine and Dental Sciences Publishing

News Publication Date: Not specified

Web References:

• Pensoft Publishers
• Faculty of Dental Medicine at Medical University Sofia
• Problems of Dental Medicine Journal
• ARPHA Publishing Platform
• OpenBiodiv Knowledge Graph
• BiCIKL Project

Keywords: Dentistry, Health care, Academic publishing, Academic journals, Publishing industry