MDPI
A Switzerland-based publisher of open-access scholarly journals, books, conferences, and research-discovery services.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
MDPI is a Switzerland-based scholarly publishing organization best known for operating a large portfolio of open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journals. Its name originally referred to Molecular Diversity Preservation International, a nonprofit association founded in Basel in 1996 by chemist Shu-Kun Lin, with Benoit R. Turin, to preserve and exchange rare molecular and biomolecular samples. The early organization also supported scholarly communication: the journal Molecules was created in 1996 in cooperation with Springer-Verlag to document chemical samples, and further titles followed in areas such as entropy, molecular sciences, sensors, marine drugs, and environmental health. The modern publishing business was separated from the original association in 2010 as MDPI AG, formally registered in Basel by Shu-Kun Lin and Dietrich Rordorf. MDPI retained the abbreviation while expanding its meaning to Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. Its journals have been open access, and since 2008 have generally used Creative Commons Attribution licensing. The organization’s portfolio spans natural sciences, engineering, medicine, social sciences, environmental studies, sustainability, food, materials, computing, and related fields. In addition to journals, MDPI publishes open-access books and operates services connected with conferences and scholarly discovery. MDPI’s commercial model is centered on author-funded open access. Article processing charges are ordinarily paid by authors, their institutions, or research funders, while readers can access published articles without subscription charges. The publisher has emphasized broad-scope journals, rapid editorial and production workflows, and special issues organized around focused research topics. Guest editors commonly coordinate these collections, which have become a major part of MDPI’s publishing activity. This operating model helped the company scale rapidly during the late 2010s and early 2020s. The reference material reports year-over-year paper growth above 50 percent in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and more than 235,000 papers published in 2021. In 2020, MDPI was described as the world’s largest publisher of open-access papers by output and the fifth-largest publisher overall by journal-paper volume. As of January 2024, the reference material counted 433 MDPI journals. It reported that 92 were indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded, seven in the Social Sciences Citation Index, 138 in SciFinder, and 270 in Scopus. MDPI also identifies with organizations and initiatives concerned with scholarly publishing and research infrastructure, including the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association, the Committee on Publication Ethics, the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers, and the Initiative for Open Citations. Its international operating footprint includes editorial offices in Switzerland, China, Romania, Serbia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Poland, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. The company’s expansion has included acquisitions and the addition of specialist titles. Examples cited in the reference material include Tomography, acquired from Grapho Publications in 2021, and Nursing Reports and Audiology Research, acquired from PagePress Publications in 2020. MDPI also operates Sciforum, a platform for virtual conferences and researcher-organized events, and Scilit, a free multidisciplinary scholarly-literature aggregator. MDPI’s scale and speed have produced both visibility and controversy. Critics, editors, research institutions, and national publication-ranking bodies have questioned the consistency of peer review, the quality of some articles, the extensive use of special issues, solicitation practices, and the incentives created by article-processing charges. MDPI was placed on Jeffrey Beall’s list of predatory publishers in 2014 and removed after an appeal in 2015. A 2014 review by OASPA concluded that MDPI met its membership criteria. Other episodes included a 2016 data breach, senior-editor resignations at Nutrients in 2018, resignations connected with a special issue in 2020, and resignations from the Vaccines editorial board in 2021 after publication of a disputed COVID-19 article. Some academic bodies in China and Northern Europe have also flagged or downgraded particular MDPI journals. At the same time, the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ 2025 revision reportedly removed all MDPI journals from its early-warning list. MDPI therefore occupies a prominent but contested position in global open-access publishing: it combines high-volume, digitally optimized dissemination with continuing debate about editorial standards and research evaluation.
History
MDPI’s history has two connected strands. The first began in Basel in 1996, when Shu-Kun Lin and Benoit R. Turin established Molecular Diversity Preservation International as a nonprofit association for the preservation and exchange of rare molecular and biomolecular samples. The association linked sample archiving with scholarly communication. In the same year, Molecules was launched in cooperation with Springer-Verlag to document chemical samples and related research. Additional titles followed, including Entropy in 1999, the International Journal of Molecular Sciences in 2000, Sensors in 2001, Marine Drugs in 2003, and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2004. The association also supported scientific meetings and online academic events. Its Electronic Conference on Synthetic Organic Chemistry began in 1997, and MDPI later co-organized conferences in sensor science and sustainability. In 2010, it launched Sciforum as a platform for virtual conferences and subsequently allowed researchers to organize events through the service. These activities created an early digital and community-oriented foundation for the organization’s later publishing expansion. The second strand began in 2010, when MDPI AG was spun off from the original association and formally registered in Basel by Shu-Kun Lin and Dietrich Rordorf. The new organization used MDPI to mean Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute and developed a dedicated open-access publishing operation. MDPI’s journals have been open access, and since 2008 its publishing has generally used Creative Commons Attribution licensing. The company built a broad portfolio rather than concentrating on one discipline, covering chemistry, biology, medicine, engineering, environmental science, sustainability, materials, food, social science, and other fields. During the late 2010s, MDPI expanded rapidly. The publisher’s use of broad-scope journals, article-processing charges, rapid editorial and production processes, and guest-edited special issues enabled it to handle very large submission and publication volumes. The reference material records annual growth above 50 percent in 2017, 2018, and 2019, with 110,000 papers published in 2019. MDPI reported 235,638 papers in 2021, and in 2020 it was characterized as the largest publisher of open-access papers worldwide by article output and the fifth-largest publisher overall by journal-paper volume. Special issues became a defining feature of the operating model. These collections are usually organized around specific research topics and managed by guest editors. Many papers are invited by journal staff or guest editors, and the reference material states that roughly 88 percent of MDPI papers were published in special issues. The number of special issues increased sharply: MDPI journals hosted 6,756 special issues in 2020 and 39,587 in 2021, although only 10,504 of the 2021 issues ultimately produced published papers. The number of special issues resulting in published papers rose to 17,777 in 2022. MDPI broadened its portfolio through both new journal launches and acquisitions. It acquired Nursing Reports and Audiology Research from PagePress Publications in 2020 and Tomography from Grapho Publications in 2021. By January 2024, the reference material counted 433 journals, with substantial representation in major indexing services. MDPI also expanded beyond journals through open-access books, Sciforum conference infrastructure, and Scilit, a multidisciplinary literature aggregator. It maintains editorial offices across Europe, Asia, North America, and elsewhere, including multiple offices in China, Romania, and Serbia. The publisher’s growth has been accompanied by persistent debate over peer review and editorial quality. In 2013, the journal Cancers rejected a fabricated manuscript submitted as part of the “Who’s Afraid of Peer Review?” sting, but broader criticism intensified in 2014 when Jeffrey Beall placed MDPI on his list of predatory open-access publishers. MDPI contested the allegations and was removed after an appeal in 2015. OASPA separately reviewed the organization in 2014 and concluded that it met the association’s membership criteria. A 2016 data breach exposed a large body of email and account-related information. Later controversies involved resignations by Nutrients editors in 2018, prospective guest editors in 2020, and Vaccines board members in 2021. Institutional responses have varied. Some universities and faculties have discouraged publication in MDPI journals or excluded them from performance assessments. The Chinese Academy of Sciences initially placed a substantial number of MDPI titles on an early-warning list, later reducing the number and reportedly removing all MDPI journals in its 2025 revision. Publication-ranking bodies in Norway, Finland, and Denmark have assessed MDPI titles unevenly, with some receiving standard academic classifications and others receiving low or non-academic ratings. MDPI consequently remains a major force in open-access dissemination while facing ongoing scrutiny over the balance between speed, scale, commercial sustainability, and editorial rigor.
- 2025
MDPI journals leave the Chinese Academy of Sciences early-warning list
[1]The 2025 revision of the list reportedly contains no MDPI journals.
- 2024
Portfolio reaches 433 journals
[1]The reference material counts 433 MDPI journals as of January 2024, with many indexed in major scholarly databases.
- 2021
Tomography is acquired
[1]MDPI acquires Tomography from Grapho Publications, extending its medical and imaging portfolio.
- 2020
MDPI becomes the largest open-access article publisher by output
[1]Reference material identifies MDPI as the world’s largest publisher of open-access papers by article output and fifth-largest overall by journal-paper volume.
- 2020
Nursing Reports and Audiology Research are acquired
[1]MDPI acquires the two journals from PagePress Publications.
- 2015
MDPI is removed from Beall’s list
[1]An appeal succeeds and MDPI is removed from the predatory-publisher list maintained by Jeffrey Beall.
- 2014
OASPA conducts a membership review
[1]OASPA reviews MDPI after public criticism and concludes that the publisher satisfies its membership criteria.
- 2010
MDPI AG is spun off and registered
[1]The dedicated publishing company MDPI AG is separated from the original association and registered in Basel.
- 2010
Sciforum is launched
[1]MDPI introduces a platform for virtual academic conferences and later enables researcher-organized events.
- 2008
Creative Commons licensing becomes standard
[1]MDPI journals begin publishing under Creative Commons Attribution licensing, supporting reuse of open-access research.
Products and positioning
A large-scale, multidisciplinary open-access publisher emphasizing broad journal coverage, rapid publication workflows, special issues, and digital scholarly communication.
Open-access scholarly journals · 1996
MDPI journals
MDPI’s core offering is a broad portfolio of peer-reviewed, open-access journals covering science, technology, medicine, engineering, environmental studies, sustainability, social sciences, and related disciplines. The portfolio includes both specialist titles and broad-scope journals. Articles are generally made freely available under open licensing, with publication funded primarily through article-processing charges paid by authors, institutions, or funders.
Chemistry journal · 1996
Molecules
Molecules is the earliest journal associated with the MDPI initiative. It was established in 1996 in cooperation with Springer-Verlag to document chemical samples and research. The title became part of MDPI’s continuing open-access journal portfolio and represents the organization’s origins in molecular science and chemical information exchange.
Molecular-science journal · 2000
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
The International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an MDPI journal covering molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, chemistry, and related life-science fields. It is one of the long-running titles established during the organization’s early development and illustrates MDPI’s expansion from chemical sample preservation into multidisciplinary scientific publishing.
Engineering and technology journal · 2001
Sensors
Sensors is an MDPI title focused on sensing technologies, instrumentation, measurement, signal processing, and applications across engineering and science. It is among the publisher’s established journals and has also been associated with MDPI’s conference activity in sensor science.
Academic conference platform · 2010
Sciforum
Sciforum is MDPI’s platform for virtual and related academic conferences. It was launched in 2010 and has hosted events in fields including synthetic organic chemistry, materials science, sensors, and sustainability. The platform later allowed scholars to organize conferences without a platform fee.
Scholarly literature aggregator
Scilit
Scilit is a free multidisciplinary scholarly-literature discovery service operated by MDPI. It aggregates publication metadata across a large number of publishers and is intended as a supplementary search and monitoring resource rather than a direct replacement for curated commercial indexes such as Web of Science or Scopus.
Academic books
MDPI open-access books
Beyond journals, MDPI publishes open-access scholarly books. The reference material states that these books are represented in discovery and library infrastructures including the Directory of Open Access Books, OAPEN, and Book Citation Index.
Controversies
2024
Finnish publication-channel downgrades
Finland’s Publication Forum downgraded 193 MDPI journals to its lowest classification, intensifying debate about the status of MDPI titles in national research-evaluation systems.
2021
Vaccines article and editorial-board resignations
Five Vaccines editorial-board members resigned after the journal published a controversial COVID-19 article that critics said used data improperly and drew an incorrect conclusion about vaccine benefits.
2020
Special-issue fee-waiver dispute
Prospective guest editors resigned from an International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health special issue after a dispute over the allocation of publication-fee exemptions by researcher location.
2018
Nutrients editorial resignations
Ten senior editors resigned from Nutrients, alleging that MDPI’s management wanted to replace the editor-in-chief and that editorial independence and quality standards were under pressure.
2016
Data breach
A security breach exposed approximately 17.5 GB of data, including email addresses and correspondence involving authors, editors, and reviewers. MDPI stated that the vulnerable data instance was subsequently protected.
2014
Beall’s list controversy
MDPI was placed on Jeffrey Beall’s list of predatory open-access publishers over allegations concerning review rigor, solicitation, and editorial-board practices. MDPI disputed the claims and was removed following a successful appeal in 2015.
Brand decisions
2021
Acquire TomographyM&ABackground
MDPI continued adding specialist titles to its medical and scientific journal portfolio.
Action taken
MDPI acquired Tomography from Grapho Publications.
Aftermath
The title became part of MDPI’s imaging and medical-science publishing activities.
2020
Acquire Nursing Reports and Audiology ResearchM&ABackground
MDPI pursued portfolio expansion through the addition of established journals from other publishers.
Action taken
MDPI acquired Nursing Reports and Audiology Research from PagePress Publications.
Aftermath
The acquisitions expanded MDPI’s coverage of nursing and audiology research.
2010
Separate the publishing company from the original associationStrategyBackground
The original MDPI association combined sample preservation, journals, and conference activities. A separate commercial publishing entity was created to develop the journal business at larger scale.
Action taken
MDPI AG was spun off from Molecular Diversity Preservation International and registered in Basel.
Aftermath
The new organization became the main vehicle for MDPI’s expansion as a multidisciplinary open-access publisher.
2010
Launch a virtual-conference platformStrategyBackground
MDPI had already supported online and physical scientific meetings and sought to extend scholarly communication beyond journals.
Action taken
The company launched Sciforum for virtual conferences and later opened the platform to researcher-organized events.
Aftermath
Sciforum became a continuing conference and scholarly-community service alongside MDPI’s publishing operations.
Recent events
- 2023
Zhejiang Gongshang University changes evaluation policy[1]
Regulation
The university announced that articles in MDPI, Hindawi, and Frontiers journals would no longer be counted in researcher-performance evaluations.
- 2021
University of South Bohemia withdraws support for MDPI publishing[1]
Other
The Faculty of Science announced that it would stop financially supporting publication in MDPI journals, advised against publishing or reviewing for them, and warned that such papers might not count in internal assessments.
- 2014
OASPA review finds MDPI meets membership criteria[1]
Other
The Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association investigated concerns involving MDPI journals, editorial roles, and company practices, and concluded that the publisher satisfied its membership criteria.
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