Spanish Journal of Soil Science selects Frontiers as first publishing partner

Open access society journal the Spanish Journal of Soil Science (SJSS) has chosen Frontiers as its first commercial publishing partner. The agreement will see the SJSS move from a self-publishing model into a new operational phase, using Frontiers’ best-in-class technology and infrastructure to facilitate growth. The agreement with Frontiers will take effect from April this year.

The journal is the official journal of the Spanish Society of Soil Science (Sociedad Española de la Ciencia del Suelo or SECS) and continues to be owned by the society. The SJSS is also affiliated with the Spanish National Research Council and the Biodiversity Foundation (Fundación Biodiversidad).

Irene Ortiz, vice president of SECS, and Rosa M. Poch. editor-in-chief of SJSS, made a joint statement on behalf of the society and journal: “We are excited about starting this new venture of SJSS with Frontiers, aiming at publishing on all basic and applied aspects of Soil Science that contribute to the sustainable management of the soil resources in all regions of the world.”

The SJSS intends to use Frontiers’ publishing platform, experience, and open access expertise to achieve more impact and expand into new regions, including North America, Asia and elsewhere throughout Europe. In addition, the journal is already indexed by Web of Science’s Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) and will be supported by Frontiers in its next steps towards achieving an Impact Factor.

Fred Fenter, Chief Executive Editor at Frontiers, said: “The Spanish Journal of Soil Science plays a key role in strengthening the connection between academic communities, scientific researchers, and research centers dedicated to soil research, study, education, and management. We are very pleased to welcome them into our growing family of open access society journals, and I am confident that we’ll enable growth into new regions through our platform, commitment to open access, and our deep pool of academic networks and expertise.”

Frontiers Publishing Partnerships launched last year to help facilitate open access for society journals, by providing open access publishing services that supports compliance with Plan S. The SJSS is the sixth society journal to partner with Frontiers during that time. Recent agreements have also included society partners such as the Geological Society of London, the Swiss School of Public Health, and the International Drug Abuse Research Society.

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