Exploration of Immunology in 2024：Annual Development Report

Founded in 2021, Exploration of Immunology (eISSN 2768-6655) is dedicated to publishing high-quality original research in the field of immunology. Since its inception, as an international, open-access, and multidisciplinary journal, it has continuously enhanced its influence in immunological research by optimizing the peer review process, expanding international collaborations, and improving publication efficiency. In 2024, the journal made notable progress in database indexing, citation impact, and internationalization, further strengthening its academic reputation.

Major Achievements in 2024

Manuscript Submissions and Publications

• Significant Growth in Submissions: The total number of submissions in 2024 reached 167, marking a 30.47% year-on-year increase. Notably, unsolicited submissions surged by 66.67%, indicating an enhanced attractiveness of the journal, as more authors opted for direct submission rather than relying solely on special issue invitations. This trend highlights the journal’s expanding influence. Special issue submissions accounted for 107 papers (64%), covering key topics in immunology, such as novel vaccines, cancer immunotherapy, autoimmune diseases, and emerging infectious diseases, thereby attracting a broader readership and author base.
  

• Publication Situation: The average H-index of corresponding authors for published articles is 22.8,. and the journal published 52 articles throughout the year, a 26.83% increase, and remains committed to maintaining high publication quality while gradually expanding its output to provide a broader platform for outstanding research.

• Increase in Original Articles (OA): The proportion of original research articles (OA) in published papers rose to 19.23% (+30.82%). Among them, a notable study from Prof. George J. Kahaly’s team (H-index 65) at the University of Mainz, Germany, explored the safety and tolerance of anti-FcRn monoclonal antibodies in thyroid autoimmunity, accumulating over a thousand views. The journal remains dedicated to steadily increasing the share of high-quality original articles, leveraging its open-access model to maximize the dissemination of impactful research.

Manuscript Processing

• Efficient Peer Review Process: In 2024, the journal rejected 103 manuscripts (+123.91% year-on-year) and accepted 48 manuscripts (+60%), ensuring rigorous quality control while maintaining operational efficiency. In 2025, the journal plans to officially launch its independently developed submission and peer review system, ARES, which is expected to reduce the initial review time to 5 days, offering a more streamlined and rapid review process.

• Internationalized Review Network: A total of 188 experts provided valid peer review feedback, with the reviewer database covering 46 countries and regions and an average H-index of 20.3, also, in order to make sure the review quality, now we will gather 3 constructive comments from qualified reviewers for one paper. In 2025, the transition to the ARES system will continue, facilitating the expansion of the international reviewer pool to enhance the quality of peer review and provide an improved submission experience for authors.

Figure 1. The countries and regions of the reviewers

Editorial Board Development and Collaboration

• Editorial Board Expansion: In 2024, seven new international members joined the editorial board, bringing the total to 53 members.

The journal maintains the following key advantages in editorial board development:

• Academic Authority: The average H-index of editorial board members reached 51.57, with 66% (35 members) having an H-index above 40. The board encompasses a wide range of expertise, including fundamental immunology, clinical immunology, tumor immunology, autoimmunity, infection immunology, vaccine development, and immunotechnology (e.g., CRISPR, nanotechnology), as well as computational immunology. The journal remains firmly rooted in core immunological research while expanding into emerging interdisciplinary fields such as nanotechnology, computational immunology, and gene editing, ensuring comprehensive academic coverage and a strong focus on cutting-edge technologies.

• Geographical Representation: The editorial board spans four continents and 17 countries and regions, continuously working towards building a globally diverse and high-caliber team. The journal actively invites experts from more regions to join its editorial board. The distribution details of the editorial board are shown in the below.
  

Figure 2. Editorial Board Member H-index distribution

Figure 3. The country distribution of EBM

International Conference Collaborations

In 2024, the journal actively engaged in international conference promotions, cooperated with Editorial Board Members Prof. Giustino Varrassi and Prof. Narinder Mehra. Promotional activities were conducted at:

• ROMA PAIN DAYS 2024 (Rome, Italy, June 2024)--click here
  

• IMMUNOCON-2024 (Bangalore, India, October 2024)--click here
  

Figure 4. EI in conferences

These initiatives aimed to foster international collaborations, enhance the journal's visibility, and attract a broader audience.

Special Issue Impact

• Scale and Thematic Advantages: In 2024, the journal launched seven special issues, focusing on cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields in immunology. These included Metabolic Control of Acute Immune Response and Immuno-Materials: The Interdisciplinary Fusion of Immunology and Materials, covering seven key research areas: immunoinformatics, transplantation immunology, novel vaccine development, molecular therapy, immunogenetics, immunomaterials, and metabolic regulation.

• High-Quality Guest Editor Teams: All special issues in 2024 featured 100% interdisciplinary research topics. For instance, the special issue Immuno-Materials, led by Prof. Wantong Song (H-index 43) from China, bridged the gap between materials science and immunotherapy, highlighting advancements in immunomaterials. The average H-index of guest editors for 2024 special issues reached 32.5, ensuring rigorous selection and publication of high-quality research.
  

Table 1. New special issues in 2024

Increasing Citations and Impact

Currently, Exploration of Immunology is indexed in:

• Authoritative Databases: Scopus (Citescore tracker 1.5 in 2025 Jan.), DOAJ

• Open Access Standards: Google Scholar
  

In 2024, the journal's total annual citations reached 158 (+58% YoY), with a 460% surge in the citation rate of newly published articles (from 4.8% to 26.9%). This indicates that articles are gaining immediate recognition and integration into relevant research fields. The overall citation rate increased to 50.8% (+44.32%), while the self-citation rate declined by 3.93%, reflecting growing academic independence.

Database Indexing and Certification

• Dual Ethical and Quality Certification: In 2024, Exploration of Immunology received certification from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This recognition provides substantial encouragement for the journal’s future development, while also presenting new challenges. As the journal continues to grow, its international recognition and publishing quality are increasingly validated through database indexing, serving as a strong testament to the journal's commitment to publishing ethics and high-quality content.
  

EI COPE Page: click here

2025 Plans and Goals

In 2025, Exploration of Immunology will continue its progress, inviting more experts and scholars to join and establishing the journal as a highly internationalized and high-quality open-access publishing platform trusted by global scholars. The key goals include:

• Quality First: Maintaining rigorous control over the rejection rate while publishing more high-quality manuscripts, especially Original Articles. The goal is to raise the OA publishing proportion in 2025 to provide a effective platform for scholars.

• International Expansion: Attracting more experts from diverse countries and regions, with the aim to increase participating countries to 50 or more. The journal will strengthen collaborations with international academic conferences to engage distinguished scholars, particularly young researchers, in more partnerships.

• Editorial Board Development: Continuing to invite influential and academically authoritative scholars to expand the editorial board to approximately 60 members, maintaining its authority and activism.

• More Efficient Manuscript Processing: Implementing the ARES manuscript submission and review system, developed by the publishing company, to provide faster and more efficient services for authors, editors, and reviewers.

• Publishing High-Quality Special Issues: Curating a series of special issues on cutting-edge immunology research topics and collaborating with authoritative scholars for content curation. The goal is to publish 7–10 special issues.

• Promotion and Citation Growth: Promoting the journal through various channels and partnering with international conferences to increase its visibility in the academic community. Focus will be placed on promoting articles with high potential for high citation impact to elevate the journal's overall citation metrics, laying a solid foundation for applications to WOS and PMC.
  

In the future, Exploration of Immunology will continue to strengthen its presence in the field of immunology research, establishing itself as a global open-access publishing platform trusted by scholars worldwide.

EI Editorial Office
Contact us: eijournal@explorationpub.com
EI Website: https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/ei

Data Support: The above data is based on statistics compiled by the journal's editorial team as of December 31, 2024.

EI 2024 ANNUAL REPORT.pdf