Planetary Research: a new open-access journal for planetary sciences
Led by an international community of researchers, with strong involvement from IPGP scientists, the new journal Planetary Research offers an alternative model for publishing in planetary sciences: fully open access to articles, with no publication fees for authors. Following the publication of its first issue in summer 2026, the journal is now continuing to develop.
How can scientific knowledge be disseminated more openly while giving the research community greater control over its publication? This is the ambition behind Planetary Research, a new international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the full range of planetary sciences.
Launched on the initiative of researchers from the Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP) and their partners in France and internationally, the journal is based on the diamond open access model: all articles are freely accessible to everyone, and authors are not charged any publication fees. The journal’s website currently presents it as the first diamond open-access journal dedicated exclusively to planetary sciences.
Its first issue, published on 27 August 2026, features research on topics including the dating of planetary surfaces through impact crater analysis, the geology of a lunar landing site, and the composition of the surfaces of the Moon and Mercury. A second issue followed in September, featuring work on subjects including icy moons and the atmosphere of Venus.
A scientific journal governed by researchers
Beyond free access, Planetary Research also stands out for the way it is organised. The journal is owned by the Planetary Research Cooperative, a non-profit organisation created and managed by planetary scientists. It is published in cooperation with the Open Publishing Services (OPUS) of Université Paris Cité.
The aim is to place the scientific community at the heart of the editorial process, from peer review and journal governance to defining its overall direction. The model is also designed to encourage international and diverse representation, regardless of researchers’ country of affiliation or career stage.
IPGP plays an important role in this initiative. Mark Wieczorek, a researcher at IPGP, is the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, heading an international editorial board made up of specialists from institutions in several countries. Antoine Lucas, also a researcher at IPGP, serves on the steering board of the Planetary Research Cooperative.
Making open science a core editorial principle
This commitment to openness goes beyond access to publications. Planetary Research also encourages authors to make the data and software associated with published research available in order to facilitate verification, reproducibility and reuse of scientific results.
This approach forms part of a broader project led by the Planetary Research Cooperative to develop tools supporting exchange and knowledge sharing within the planetary science community. The organisation also runs a blog aimed at presenting recent research both to scientists and to a wider audience, while developing collaborative services intended to facilitate the sharing of research, the organisation of events and exchanges between researchers.
A different way of publishing research
Through Planetary Research, its founders aim to demonstrate that another model of scientific publishing is possible: with no financial barriers for authors or readers, no profit motive, and governance directly led by the scientific community. In France, the initiative is supported by the CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Université Paris-Saclay and IPGP.
The publication of the journal’s first issues therefore marks a new stage for this initiative born within the planetary science community: turning openness, knowledge sharing and collective control over scientific publishing from guiding principles into a practical publishing model.
Find out more and browse articles published in Planetary Research:
https://planetary-research.org/
