Wisdom Letters

Towards planetary well-being – supporting research-based decision-making.

Publication details

Wisdom Letters is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed and open online journal publishing articles based on high quality scientific research on a range of issues related to sustainable development, sustainability transition and planetary well-being. Wisdom Letters provides policy recommendations that can be used in policymaking, education and civil society. Wisdom Letters does not charge publication fees.

ISSN 2669-9478
Rated by the Publication Forum (JUFO1-level)

Call for papers !

Wisdom Letters is seeking publication proposals on topics related to environmental issues, sustainability transition and planetary well-being. The topics and themes may include, for example, environmental problems and efforts to solve them, or nonhuman nature (including animals and animal policy). Relevant topics can be approached from numerous multi-, inter- or cross-disciplinary perspectives. They can cover, for example, the natural environment, natural resources, as well as the built environment. 

As hybrids of multidisciplinary scientific publications and policy letters, Wisdom Letters publications are structured according to a specific Wisdom Letters format. The format enables the publications general accessibility to their focus groups as well as wider non-academic audiences and strong societal impact. The editorial team supports authors in editing their manuscripts to suit the format and reach the aimed audiences. The publication format is ideally suited to the publication needs of research projects with high societal impact.

Please submit short (max. 500 words) proposals for publication in either Finnish or English (according to the language of the proposed publication) to the Editorial secretary or Editor-in-chief. To prepare a proposal, please take the following steps:

To get familiar with the special Wisdom Letters concept, please read previous issues carefully.
Specify the target audience for which the publication and its recommendations are intended.
Articulate clearly why it is important to publish a Wisdom Letter on the proposed topic.
Please indicate if the proposal is based on a project or a larger body of research.

The final publication manuscripts will be prepared based on the accepted abstracts, according to a schedule to be agreed with the Editorial Team. All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed before their intended publication.

The journal has obtained the label for peer-reviewed scholarly publications of the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies and is committed to following the required guidelines. More information about the label.

Wisdom Letters is published by the School of Resource Wisdom, JYU.Wisdom (University of Jyväskylä, Finland). For any further information, please contact the Editorial Team.

Submit here!

Journal description & instructions for the authors 

Wisdom Letters is a cross-disciplinary, peer-reviewed open access journal that publishes research-based articles to support public decision-making and the awareness of citizens in various issues related to sustainable development, sustainability transition, and planetary well-being. It provides a publication platform for a new format of research articles that present policy recommendations.

The topics and themes discussed may include, for example, environmental problems and efforts to solve them, or nonhuman nature (including animals and animal policy). Relevant topics can be approached from numerous multi-, inter- or cross-disciplinary perspectives. They can cover, for example, the natural environment, natural resources, as well as the built environment. 

Wisdom Letters publishes one article, or ‘letter’, in each issue. The Wisdom Letters publications take the form in-between a research publication aimed at the scientific community and a policy brief-type publication serving the society. They present concrete and practical, scientifically justified policy recommendations that can be used to support private and public decision-making as well as educational work. The content published in the articles may be based on new research data. Alternatively, the articles may present policy recommendations utilizing previous research results. All articles follow the same format of Wisdom Letters. The editorial team supports the authors in the editing and formatting process. 

In addition to articles, Wisdom Letters publishes final reports of research projects or research reports that aim to solve questions related to sustainable development, sustainability transition, and planetary well-being. These reports should also present policy recommendations that can be used to support public decision-making and civil society. Also, these publications go through editorial and peer-review processes to ensure scientific quality and must be written in the Wisdom Letters format. The format differs from usual project reports. 

The scientific quality of the Wisdom Letters publications is ensured, in addition to the authors, by the multidisciplinary Editorial team, interdisciplinary Editorial advisory board, and peer-reviewers. Wisdom Letters publications represent publication type A1 (peer-reviewed scientific article) based on the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM)'s publication classification, and is ranked at level 1 (basic level) in the JUFO Publication Forum's classification of scientific publication channels. The journal has obtained the label for peer-reviewed scholarly publications of the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies and is committed to following the required guidelines. More information about the label. 

Start by writing a publication proposal 

Concise (max. 500 words) publication proposals are submitted either in Finnish or in English (in accordance with the proposed publication language) to the Editorial secretary or Editor-in-chief. In the publication proposal, it must be stated to which audience the publication is aimed and why it is important to publish an article on the proposed topic in Wisdom Letters. Based on the approved abstracts, publication manuscripts are prepared according to a schedule to be agreed with the Editorial Team. 

The format of Wisdom Letters is partly different from the usual scientific publication series. Authors should pay attention to the concreteness of the policy recommendations given and the general understandability of the text. 

Description of the peer review process

Each issue of Wisdom Letters consists of one peer-reviewed text. Each text is peer-reviewed by two or three experts, who are instructed to prepare the review in terms of the genre, form and function of the publication – assessing the scientific quality of the manuscript and taking into account the specific nature of Wisdom Letters as a hybrid of a policy brief and a scientific journal.

In most cases, the first step in offering a manuscript to Wisdom Letters is to write a publication proposal. A concise (max. 500 words) publication proposal should describe the essential content and structure of the proposed manuscript and indicate the audience for which the publication is intended and explain why it is important to publish on the proposed topic in Wisdom Letters. Accepted proposals will serve as the basis for the preparation of the final manuscript, accordance to a schedule to be agreed with the Editorial Board.

However, it is not necessary to submit a publication proposal: you can also submit a full manuscript to Wisdom Letters. Manuscripts offered for publication should be sent to the Editorial Board (preferably either to the Editor-in-Chief or to the Editorial Secretary). The Editorial Board will send a confirmation of the received manuscript to the author. The Editorial Board will make a preliminary assessment of whether the manuscript is in line with the publication profile and format of the series. If the decision is positive, at least two members of the Editorial Board or the Editorial Council will assess whether the manuscript can be submitted for peer review.

If members of the Editorial Board or Editorial Council require changes to the manuscript before peer review, the manuscript and comments are sent to the authors for corrections. If the Editorial Board proposes to submit a manuscript for peer review, the Editorial Board, usually in consultation with the Editorial Council, will select at least two peer reviewers to be asked a written statement on the scientific merit of the manuscript.

Peer reviewers are external experts who have the scientific competence to evaluate the manuscript. They have an impartial and independent relationship with the manuscript submitted for evaluation. The reviewers are doctoral level researchers or other scientific experts. The reviewers shall be anonymous.

Decisions on publication are taken by the Editorial Board on the basis of peer reviews. If the peer reviewers propose to accept the work with significant changes, the revised text may be re-evaluated by the peer reviewers or by members of the Editorial Board. The Editorial Board then makes its decision and sends the authors the reviewers' comments in full, or their essential content. It is very common for a manuscript to go through several rounds of comments and editing before publication.

Wisdom Letters undertakes to follow the peer review procedure and to promote in its own activities the principles of the Finnish Association for Scholarly Publishing’s Peer Review Guidelines and the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity’s guidelines for good scientific practice.

Latest issue

Wisdom Letters 4/2026: How to identify old-growth forests in Northern Europe: Advice from science

Old-growth forests are among Europe’s most valuable, yet most threatened, natural ecosystems. Only about three percent of Europe’s forests meet the criteria for natural or old-growth forests, and this share continues to decline rapidly, including in Northern Europe. The EU Biodiversity Strategy and the EU Forest Strategy require Member States to identify, map, and strictly protect the remaining old-growth and primary forests. However, a consistent scientific basis for applying the criteria has been lacking.

In the latest Wisdom Letters, an international team of researchers presents science-based criteria for identifying old-growth forests in Northern Europe. The recommendations consider, among other factors, native tree species, the age and structure of forest stands, the quantity and quality of deadwood, habitat trees, and species indicative of old-growth forest conditions. The assessment should also consider small forest patches as well as forests showing signs of past human activity. The researchers emphasize the precautionary approach: borderline cases should not be automatically excluded from protection, as overly strict or non-scientific criteria may lead to the loss of valuable forests and increase the costs of future restoration efforts.