After more than thirty years as a newspaper, Bionieuws will appear from January as a monthly magazine, with a new design and a revamped website. The editorial team has been working on the transition for months – one that builds on over a century of specialist journal tradition for biologists.
From January, Bionieuws will no longer appear fortnightly as a newspaper, but monthly as a magazine, with a new design and a website that will become the central platform for current biological news. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in the long history of the journal, which has been connecting biologists and keeping them informed about developments in their field since 1919.
Next phase
That history began over a century ago with the Vakblad voor Biologen, which transformed into Biovisie in 1988 and acquired the name Bionieuws in 1991. The core mission has always remained the same: to give biologists an easy way to keep up with their field. The move to a monthly format and a stronger online presence is a logical next phase in that long trajectory of renewal and connection. This creates a clear division of labour between the two platforms: the magazine offers depth and context, whilst the website provides space for current news and rapid analysis. The decision also aligns with a broader development within specialist journals, where digital reading habits and rising printing and postage costs call for a new balance between print and online.
The run-up to the change began last year with a reader survey among nearly a thousand members. This produced a nuanced but clear picture (Bionieuws 3). Members rate Bionieuws highly, but not everyone finds the current frequency necessary. Most biologists prefer to read the journal in print, yet at the same time see room for renewal and greater depth of content. For the editorial team, this was an important signal: publishing less frequently is only viable if the journal improves in terms of content – with more space for background and imagery, and with a good website where members can also keep up with current developments.
Brainstorming sessions
To gather ideas for this, the editorial team organised brainstorming sessions in recent months with science journalists and biology teachers. They helped us sharpen our thinking about what makes Bionieuws unique and how we can translate that into the new format. This was followed by a poll in the newspaper, in which four readers – ranging from student to emeritus professor – shared what they consider important for a future-proof specialist journal (Bionieuws 9). Their suggestions aligned with the ideas from the earlier brainstorming sessions: from greater attention to education and young biologists to a stronger online profile. All of this input has been incorporated into the new design and editorial direction.
On the basis of all these ideas, the editorial team drew up a provisional editorial formula. This sets out which sections will remain, which will disappear and which will be newly introduced, how print and online will complement each other, and what the structure of the magazine and website will look like. This editorial blueprint forms the basis for the next phase: the design and practical implementation.
This editorial blueprint forms the basis for the next phase
The design of the new editorial formula is currently being developed by the agency Curve, which previously handled the 2019 redesign. The first concepts show that Bionieuws will remain recognisable whilst looking more modern: with greater attention to imagery, a clear structure, and a magazine that is a pleasure to read and worth keeping. At the same time, ePublishers is building a new website suited to regular updates, a more searchable archive, and member access. In this way, Bionieuws aims to become more visible digitally to new generations of biologists and students.
Core
With the move to a monthly magazine and a stronger online presence, the editorial team aims to combine the best of both worlds: depth and calm on paper, speed and topicality online. The core remains unchanged throughout. Bionieuws remains an independent journalistic platform that connects biologists – from student to emeritus, from researcher to teacher.
The first issue of the new magazine will appear in January 2026. With this, Bionieuws joins a tradition of more than a hundred years of specialist journal history, and continues it in a form better suited to the present day: substantive, engaged, and forward-looking. In the final issue of this year (Bionieuws 20), we will present the new editorial formula and website in full.