Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2024
Finnish publication-channel downgrades
Finland’s Publication Forum downgraded 193 MDPI journals to its lowest classification, intensifying debate about the status of MDPI titles in national research-evaluation systems.
2021
Vaccines article and editorial-board resignations
Five Vaccines editorial-board members resigned after the journal published a controversial COVID-19 article that critics said used data improperly and drew an incorrect conclusion about vaccine benefits.
2020
Special-issue fee-waiver dispute
Prospective guest editors resigned from an International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health special issue after a dispute over the allocation of publication-fee exemptions by researcher location.
2018
Nutrients editorial resignations
Ten senior editors resigned from Nutrients, alleging that MDPI’s management wanted to replace the editor-in-chief and that editorial independence and quality standards were under pressure.
2016
Data breach
A security breach exposed approximately 17.5 GB of data, including email addresses and correspondence involving authors, editors, and reviewers. MDPI stated that the vulnerable data instance was subsequently protected.
2014
Beall’s list controversy
MDPI was placed on Jeffrey Beall’s list of predatory open-access publishers over allegations concerning review rigor, solicitation, and editorial-board practices. MDPI disputed the claims and was removed following a successful appeal in 2015.