Collection Overview 

Scientific Reports has launched a Guest-Edited Collection on Prosociality and altruism. 

Prosociality refers to behaviours that are intended to benefit others, such as caring, sharing, donating, helping, and volunteering. They are altruistic if there are no expectations of benefits to oneself. Prosociality and altruism are critical for the wellbeing of human societies and exist across cultures and nations. Yet, little is known about the cognitive, neural, and biological processes underlying people’s engagement in prosocial and altruistic behavior.

This will be a Collection of original research papers  and will be open for submissions from all authors – on the condition that the manuscripts fall within the scope of the Collection and of Scientific Reports more generally. We are welcoming submissions until 27th May 2026.

Why is this Collection important?

"Prosociality and altruism lie at the heart of human cooperation, social cohesion, and wellbeing, making them highly relevant both scientifically and societally. I am excited about this collection because it brings together diverse perspectives to deepen our understanding of why and how people help others, even at a personal cost. The collection has the potential to advance theory, inform interventions, and inspire interdisciplinary dialogue. Researchers should submit because this special issue offers a unique platform to showcase innovative work, reach a broad scientific audience, and contribute to shaping future directions in prosociality research."

- Dr. Manapl Singh Bhogal, Guest Editor

Why submit to a collection?  

Collections like this one help promote high-quality science. They are led by Guest Editors, who are experts in their fields, and In-House Editors and are supported by a dedicated team of Commissioning Editors and Managing Editors at Springer Nature. Collection manuscripts typically see higher citations, downloads, and Altmetric scores and provide a one-stop-shop on a cutting-edge topic of interest.  

Who is involved?

Guest Editors:

• Manapl Singh Bhogal, University of Wolverhampton, UK
• Daniel Farrelly, PhD, University of Worcester, UK

Internal Team:

• In-House Editor: Betty Mousikou, Scientific Reports, UK
• Commissioning Editor: Stuart Weir, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK
• Managing Editor: Rebecca Chan, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK

How can I submit my paper?

Visit the Collection page for more information on the Collection, and how to submit your article.