The Current Situation of MDPI Publications? Findings from the EU-27 Member States

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to review the situation of mega-journal publishers in the 27 Member States of the EU, with a special focus on the case study of the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing In- stitute (MDPI). Today’s evolving higher education sector requires a research-oriented and competitive approach from universities, which puts increasing pressure on researchers to publish in inter- nationally recognised journals. However, due to various barriers, traditional publishers, especially in the Big Five, are not equally accessible to researchers in the core and periphery regions, and it leads to a higher proportion of MDPI publications in the periph- ery countries. The analysis is based on an empirical comparative methodology using scientometric data. The results show a dynamic increase in the share of MDPI publications in the periphery coun- tries, particularly in the Central and Eastern European region of the EU-27 Member State. The analysis discusses MDPI issues from a Hungarian perspective. However, the scientific value and credi- bility of MDPI in these countries is also a controversial issue from the perspective of higher education and research policy. The paper discusses some of the arguments, including the role of MDPI publi- cations in maintaining competitiveness in international university rankings, APC charges, and recent changes in higher education in Hungary.