Since its establishment in 2020, Open Exploration has been committed to publishing high-quality research and advancing scientific communication. In line with this mission, we founded the Highly Cited Paper Award to annually recognize outstanding contributions published in our journals. Furthermore, to encourage the next generation of scientific leaders, some Open Exploration journals introduced the Best Young Researcher Paper Award in 2025. This initiative aims to provide recognition and commendation for scientists in the early stage of their academic careers.
We are now pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Highly Cited Paper Award and the inaugural Best Young Researcher Paper Award, recognizing exceptional contributions to the global academic community.
Highly Cited Paper Award
The 2025 Highly Cited Paper Award selects papers published between 2024 and 2025. Citation data is based on 2025 Web of Science statistics, and evaluation is carried out by comprehensively considering academic impact and research value. In recognition of their outstanding contributions, the winning author team will receive a monetary prize of 300-1000 USD, a Highly Cited Paper Award certificate, and a one-time 100% APC waiver, while the corresponding guest editor will also receive a monetary prize of 100-300 USD.
The 2025 Highly Cited Paper Award will be presented to the following articles:
Journal | Article Title | Author(s) | Guest Editor(s) |
Insights on aspects of apoptosis in neurodegenerative disorders: a comprehensive review | Rajat Goyal, Kashish Wilson, Anjali Saharan, Rupesh K. Gautam*, Hitesh Chopra, Sumeet Gupta, Mohammad Amjad Kamal | ||
Eric Jou*, Natasha Chaudhury, Fizza Nasim | Seiji Okada | ||
The role of cytokines in wound healing: from mechanistic insights to therapeutic applications | Rachel Si-Yin Wong, Timothy Tan, Alexander Shao-Rong Pana, Dinesh Kumar Srinivasan* | ||
Sathish Selvam, Velpandi Ayyavoo* | Vijay K Sharma | ||
The central role of mitochondrial metabolism in hepatic steatosis | Sanda Win*, Tin Aung Than, Neil Kaplowitz, Nicole Wong, Aliza Arya, Zin Thandar Win, Shwe Hlaing Win, Ei Hnin Phyu, Christina Kuemerle, Jake Suh, Sona Avanesyan, Pujan Prakash Dobaria, Hnin Wai Lwin, Sean Wong, Shannon Kaw, Samuel Wong, Kyaw Khaing Soe, Garmani Kyaw, Filbert Win Min Aung | Carmen Garcia-Ruiz | |
Current therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease and clinical trials | Danqing Xiao*, Chen Zhang* | Ryszard Pluta | |
A review of the effects of pharmaceutical pollutants on humans and aquatic ecosystem | Jaya Vinny Eapen, Sweety Thomas, Shelmi Antony, Paul George, Jayesh Antony* | ||
Leonel Pereira*, João Cotas | |||
Lucía Cassani, Andrea Gomez-Zavaglia* | Andrea Gomez-Zavaglia | ||
Navigating regulatory challenges in molecularly tailored nanomedicine | Ajay Vikram Singh*, Preeti Bhardwaj, Aditya Kumar Upadhyay, Anselmo Pagani, Jyoti Upadhyay, Jolly Bhadra, Veronica Tisato, Manali Thakur, Donato Gemmati, Rudresh Mishra, Paolo Zamboni | ||
Rise of the machines: trends and challenges of implementing AI in biomedical scientific writing | Michal Fornalik*, Magdalena Makuch, Anna Lemanska, Sandra Moska, Monika Wiczewska, Iwona Anderko, Laura Stochaj, Marta Szczygiel, Aleksandra Zielińska* | ||
Filipa Morgado, Ana Valado, João Metello, Leonel Pereira* | Andrea Borghini | ||
Elif Basaran*, Gulali Aktas | Gulali Aktas |
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the authors and guest editors whose dedication and excellence have made these contributions possible.
For a complete list of all winning papers from 2020 to 2025, please refer to the attached PDF: Open Exploration Highly Cited Paper Award---Full List of Winning Papers (2020-2025).pdf
Best Young Researcher Paper Award
We are delighted to announce that the inaugural Best Young Researcher Paper Award for 2025 is presented by the Exploration of BioMat-X journal to the following article. The author team will receive a monetary prize of 500 USD and an award certificate.
Title: Metal 3D printing of biometals for prostheses and implants: a review
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/ebmx.2025.101338
Authors: Apurba Das*, Pradhyut Rajkumar
Looking Ahead
Open Exploration will continue to uphold its commitment to high-quality publishing, putting academia first and researchers at the center, and steadily build an open and efficient academic exchange platform for researchers worldwide. In the future, we will continue to recognize outstanding research achievements through diverse awards and improved services, stand side by side with global researchers, and jointly advance academic innovation and scientific progress.
Congratulations again to all award-winning scholars, and we look forward to working with more colleagues in the research community!
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