Benedikt Meixner, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany

I was very happy to publish fee-free Open Access through our institution’s Read & Publish agreement. For me, the real value was that this enabled not only Open Access, but also a smooth, quick, and genuinely constructive peer-review process. Biology Open’s practice of compensating reviewers is rare and, in my view, contributes to a more respectful and high-quality review culture. The fact that a tree was also planted in recognition of the article made the experience even more positive. Overall, this felt like an excellent use of university-supported publishing funds.