Independent journal data · not a publisher
Know what a journal will cost you before you submit.
11,447 biomedical journals, with the numbers publishers make you hunt for: the article processing charge, whether waivers exist, how long review actually takes, and which registries list them.
Publication DNA
Know where your research belongs
Paste your abstract. We rank journals that fit it, using this site’s own directory data. You get a shareable report with cost, time, and a verification number anyone can check.
Tools
APC finder
Filter 11,447 journals by what they charge — including the 1,290 that charge nothing at all. Set a budget, a field and a turnaround, and see what fits.
Open the finder →Can I pay $0?
No-APC journals, fee waivers for your country, and Read & Publish deals your library may already have.
Find a $0 path →Quick match
A faster, browser-only shortlisting tool. Paste your abstract and see ranked suggestions instantly — your text never leaves your browser, nothing is uploaded, and no result is stored.
Match my abstract →Journal check
Look up any journal and see which verifiable facts hold: registry listings, declared review model, stated fees, preservation, DOIs. Facts, so you can judge for yourself.
Check a journal →Journal directory
Every journal we track, with its charges, metrics and scope on one page, plus the closest alternatives if it turns you down.
Browse the directory →Compare journals
Put two to five journals side by side on APC, DOAJ, h-index and turnaround, using the same verified data as the rest of this site.
Compare journals →Independence
What we are, and what we are not
What we are
We publish nothing. We run no journal and charge no submission fee. We accept no payment from any publisher to appear, rank higher, or be described more kindly.
Every figure here comes from a public registry you can check yourself. Every journal page links back to its sources.
What we are not
We do not label journals “predatory.” That word is a legal fight, not an analysis. The best-known attempt at such a list was taken offline in 2017 under pressure.
We give you the verifiable facts instead — who lists it, what it discloses, what it charges — and leave the conclusion to you.
Browse by field
Guides
Written from the same dataset the tools run on. Start with how to verify a journal is legitimate — the seven checks that matter most before you submit.
How to verify a journal is legitimate
Seven checks, in about twenty minutes: verify the ISSN independently, confirm indexing at the source, find the fee in writing, and test the editorial board.
Read & Publish agreements: how researchers pay $0 in APC without knowing it
Many institutions already hold deals that cover the charge in full. With a median APC of $3,140, not checking is an expensive habit.
Impact Factor vs h-index vs CiteScore: what they actually measure
Three metrics, three different things being counted. Across our directory the median h-index is 26 — a number that mostly reflects age and volume.
All guides → · Glossary · Updates · For institutions
Most-cited open access journals
Nucleic Acids Research
Oxford University Press
Open access$3,992
Journal of Biological Chemistry
Elsevier BV
Open access$3,430
Nature Communications
Nature Portfolio
Open access$6,990
Journal of Clinical Investigation
American Society for Clinical Investigation
Open access$5,200
PLoS ONE
Public Library of Science
Open access$2,382
Genes & Development
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
Open access—