With this call for papers, we encourage contributions focusing specifically on transformation knowledge and target knowledge. Our aim is to turn the spotlight on these 2 types of knowledge, as they are indispensable for sustainable development and deserve far more research attention than they are currently receiving.
Shaping transformative pathways toward sustainable development in mountains requires scientific knowledge. During the past four decades, Mountain Research and Development (MRD) has contributed significantly to increasing the global knowledge base on mountain social-ecological systems, as well as publishing evidence-informed agendas for research and policy and sharing validated sustainable development approaches and experiences from different mountain regions worldwide. In its three peer-reviewed sections, MRD presents three different types of knowledge needed for sustainable development in mountains: transformation, systems, and target knowledge.
Despite its importance for promoting and supporting transformations toward sustainability, transformation and target knowledge still receives significantly less attention in scientific research than systems knowledge. To further transformation and target knowledge, MRD invites submissions for its MountainDevelopment and MountainAgenda sections.
MRD’s MountainDevelopment section showcases papers that offer transformation knowledge: knowledge about how to effectively solve problems and tap opportunities for greater sustainability in mountains. Articles should provide systematically validated insights from development interventions, local practices, policy efforts, or transdisciplinary and practice-oriented research.
MRD’s MountainAgenda section focuses on target knowledge: knowledge about what sustainable development we want. Articles in this section should offer well-referenced overviews of the state of the art in mountain research, mountain development, or mountain policy and conclude with agendas for future research, development, or policy efforts in the area reviewed.
We welcome original research on sustainable mountain development experiences and systematic reviews with corresponding agendas. Contributions must offer scientific insights or methodological innovations, include disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches, and be relevant to contemporary sustainable mountain development and policy. Manuscripts should be of high quality and of interest to a broad international audience of researchers, development practitioners, and policymakers. All submissions will be peer-reviewed, and authors will receive constructive feedback on their work.
We look forward to receiving your contributions to MRD’s MountainDevelopment and MountainAgenda sections!
Submission details
- E-mail a short notice of intent (including a working title, 2–3 sentences on the content, and the journal section to which you intend to submit the paper) to mrd-journal.cde@unibe.ch.
- Submit your full paper using MRD’s online submission platform.
- Articles accepted for publication will be assigned to the next possible open issue. Articles are published as soon as they are ready, without waiting for the issue to be full.
- Before submitting, please read our guidelines for authors at https://www.mrd-journal.org/for-authors.
- Specific guidelines for MountainDevelopment contributions: https://www.mrd-journal.org/for-authors/mountaindevelopment.
- Specific guidelines for MountainAgenda contributions: https://www.mrd-journal.org/for-authors/mountainagenda.
- For more information on the journal, see https://www.mrd-journal.org/.
- As a not-for-profit open access journal, MRD charges authors a publication fee to offset part of its production costs: https://www.mrd-journal.org/about/publication-fee-policy/.
MRD Editorial Office, May 2023
