Our Values - What we believe in

1. Focus on standards, ethics and best practice

If we want to play the big game, we must adhere to strict peer review and editorial quality control; ethical conduct and zero tolerance to malpractice.

2. Be passionate about equal access to knowledge

Hence, Open Access. From the beginning we scored 86% on the Open Access Spectrum. And we're working hard to score higher on Machine Readability. Just for the record, no journal in the world has scored 100% yet!

3. Care about long-term goals

We know that good things don't come quickly and easily. We're not interested in short-term gains. We're patient - good things happen to those who can wait.

4. Be positive and constructive

We come from a background where we work with young people and we know how developmental positive attitude and constructive feedback can be.
Therefore we approach authors, reviewers, editors without harsh criticism, especially when we have to turn down manuscripts, and even more so when we work with beginning researchers and inexperienced reviewers. We want to help them learn and develop so they'll stay with us.

5. Simplify

There's no corporate culture. We always try to think of the simplest way to solve things. We operate on a budget that is as thin as a hair so with such limited resources we should be wise.

6. Take responsibility

We have a lot of autonomy here and can decide how and when we work. But we never forget that freedom is closely linked to responsibility.

And we try to anticipate problems because, if we mess up, it does matter. We too are responsible for our authors' success. Communication is key! And with everyone involved in the process - authors, editors and reviewers, we believe in transparency. Therefore, we inform everyone if we have an issue as trust is the basis for success!

7. Embrace change

Change is inevitable! Be responsive and flexible. Try if you believe it will play out! If it doesn't, reflect, and share what you learned.

8. Be proactive

Some people hope, we make sure. Go out and make sure good things happen.

9. Treat people right

Treat people as you want to be treated. Everyone needs to be heard. Answer strange questions, listen to suggestions... everyone deserves to feel respected for what they are and what they do.

10. Take care of yourself

Learn and develop, grow professionally, take care of both your physical and mental health - we want the people who we work with at their best!