2018 PROGRESS REPORT

An award-winning
Open Science platform and leading
Open Access scholarly publisher.
Key facts
Frontiers is an award-winning Open Science platform and leading Open Access scholarly publisher.

Our mission is to make research results openly available to the world, thereby accelerating scientific and technological innovation, societal progress and economic growth. We empower scientists with innovative Open Science solutions that radically improve how science is published, evaluated and disseminated to researchers, innovators and the public. Access to research results and data is open, free and customized through Internet Technology, thereby enabling rapid solutions to the critical challenges we face as humanity.
Fourth most-cited publisher
3.65
Publishers
Average Citations
Analysis of the world’s 20 largest publishers by volume, ranked by number of average citations received to articles published in 2015, 2016 and 2017 (Scimago, 2018).

Frontiers ranks 4th most-cited with an average of 3.65 citations per article. When compared to multi-disciplinary publishers, Frontiers ranks as the top most-cited. Read the full analysis here.
Article Citations (total Scopus)
883,785
Articles published (total)
104,825
Articles published (per year)
Articles
Year
Total
Submitted
163,057
Accepted
106,668
Rejected
40,324
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
The Frontiers collaborative review certifies objective quality, validity and rigor of research. It is performed by our editorial board of researchers, assisted by our peer-review team and powered by our custom-build Open Science platform technology. The review mandate does not focus on potential impact, nor are artificial acceptance or rejection rates imposed. Within this framework, the rejection rate for 2018 was on average 38% across all Frontiers journals, and up to 59% in some fields.
Article views & downloads (total)
497,883,774
Map Views & Downloads
Open-access journals (total)
Academic disciplines (total)
64
542
Institutional Agreements (total)
122
National Agreements (total)
2
Pioneers of fully transparent national Open Access agreements with universities in Austria and Sweden.
Top institutional affiliations
Institutions
Total
Editors
87,092
Authors
363,071
Users
551,921
University of California System
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Harvard University
University of Texas System
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
State University System of Florida
Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren (HZ)
Italian National Research Council
University College London
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG)
Johns Hopkins University
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
The State University of New York (SUNY)
Stanford University
University of Michigan
University of Pittsburgh
Universidade de São Paulo
Sapienza University of Rome
University of Oxford
University of Toronto
University of Zurich
King's College London
University of Padova
Imperial College London
The University of Queensland
University of Pennsylvania
Karolinska Institutet (KI)
University of Cambridge
University of Edinburgh
Monash University
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
University of Western Australia
McGill University
University of Naples Federico II
The University of Melbourne
Yale University
Columbia University
University of Bologna
The Ohio State University
Cornell University
National University of Singapore
Duke University
University of Copenhagen
New York University
Texas A&M University System
University of Southern California
University of Milan
Editors (total)
87,092
Editors’ geographical locations
World Map
44%
Europe
32%
North
America
14%
Asia
4%
Oceania
3%
South
America
1%
Africa
Authors (total)
363,071
Authors’ geographical locations
World Map
41%
Europe
26%
North
America
25%
Asia
3%
Oceania
4%
South
America
1%
Africa
News mentions of articles (total)
Social media mentions of articles (total)
26,683
706,267
Journal Citations
Journal impact is traditionally measured via the number of citations received by the articles published within the journal. Journal Impact Factor and CiteScore, which measure average citations over a given time period, are two indicators of journal quality.
Read our full impact analysis here.
Journal Impact Factor
Impact Factor rankings
Analysis of Impact Factor rankings. A total of 11,655 journals are indexed in the 2017-JCR (released in 2018 by Clarivate Analytics). Of the 26 Frontiers journals listed in 23 JCR categories, 21 rank in the top 30% most impactful journals. Overall, Frontiers journals rank at the 72nd Impact Factor percentile on average and reach as high as the 91st percentile.
Impact Factor by journal
A journal’s Impact Factor is the average number of citations received in the last year to articles published in the journal for the previous two years. It is measured each year by Clarivate Analytics and reported in the Journal Citation Reports. The 2017-JCR analysis released in 2018 is based on citations in 2017 to articles published in 2015 and 2016.
Most cited journals in the 2017-JCR
Journals
Citations
      Analysis of the top 10 most-cited journals in several JCR categories (JCR-2017, released in 2018 by Clarivate Analytics). Bar plots show the total number of citations in 2017 to articles published in 2015 and 2016, with Frontiers journals in red. *Neurosciences: The ranking is calculated from total citations for all journals in the Frontiers in Neuroscience journal series, in the Neurosciences category (JCR-2017). The Frontiers in Neuroscience journal series includes all Frontiers journals in the field of Neuroscience.
      Journal CiteScore
      CiteScore rankings
      Analysis of CiteScore rankings. A total of 25,322 journals are indexed in the CiteScore 2017 edition (Scopus, 2018). The analysis here includes only the 22,472 journals with a full three-year publication history, that is, with published articles in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Of the 34 such Frontiers journals listed in 54 CiteScore categories, 9 rank in the top 10% most impactful journals. Overall, Frontiers journals rank at the 84th CiteScore percentile on average and as high as the 95th CiteScore percentile.
      CiteScore by journal
      CiteScore is a journal impact metric covering titles in Elsevier’s Scopus database. The CiteScore number represents the average citations received in a specific year to articles published in the previous three years. The CiteScore 2017 edition is therefore based on citations in 2017 to articles published in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
      Most cited journals in the 2017 CiteScore edition
      Journals
      Citations
          Analysis of the top 10 most-cited journals in several 2017 CiteScore categories (released in 2018 by Scopus, Elsevier). Bar plots show the total number of citations in 2017 to articles published in 2014, 2015 and 2016, with Frontiers journals in red. *Neurosciences: The ranking is calculated from total citations for all journals in the Frontiers in Neuroscience journal series, in the Neuroscience subject area (CiteScore 2017 edition). The Frontiers in Neuroscience journal series includes all Frontiers journals in the field of Neuroscience.
          Research topics
          Spotlighting research
          and maximizing impact

          Frontiers’ Research Topics are peer-reviewed article collections around themes of cutting-edge research. Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they unite the world’s leading experts around the hottest topics in research, stimulating collaboration and accelerating science.

          Managed and disseminated on Frontiers’ customized Open Science Platform, these collections are free to access and highly visible, increasing the discoverability, readership, and citations of your research.
          281,903,220
          Research Topics
          views & downloads (total)
          Research Topics with eBooks (total)
          1,527
          Collaborative Peer Review
          Rigorous, constructive,
          transparent and fast

          Peer review is at the heart of the publishing process, and constantly improving peer review has been a priority. Our unique system is engineered to be rigorous, yet at the same time efficient, collaborative, transparent and fair. These guiding principles are integrated into our sophisticated online review platform, the Collaborative Review Forum.
          Average time
          from submission to decision
          90 days
          Average time for online
          publication of accepted articles
          20 days
          Collaborative Peer Review
          89%
          Reviewers rated our Collaborative Review Forum as good/excellent
          86%
          Authors rated our Collaborative Review Forum as good/excellent
          86%
          Authors feel our collaborative review helped improve their paper
          79%
          Authors feel our collaborative review is a significant improvement over traditional peer review
          Frontiers for Young Minds
          Science edited for kids, by kids

          Frontiers for Young Minds is an open-access scientific journal written for and reviewed by 8-15 year olds.

          It provides a channel for researchers to describe their work to kids and their families – in a format that also teaches kids about how science is conducted and validated — generating enthusiasm and awareness of science among children and their families.

          Frontiers for Young Minds connects young people to scientists, who then collaborate to provide feedback to authors about how their articles can be improved to be better understood by kids. Frontiers for Young Minds provides a growing collection of articles on cutting edge science and on core scientific concepts to help motivate and stimulate the next generation of scientists.
          Frontiers for Young Minds key figures
          340
          Science Mentors
          1,300
          Young Minds
          80
          Scientific Editors
          520
          Authors
          40
          Editor's countries
          6
          Specialties
          Frontiers for Young Minds 2016-2017: selection of articles
          Loop
          The open network that maximizes the impact of researchers and their discoveries

          Loop profiles of authors, editors and reviewers are integrated into all Frontiers research articles, journal webpages, editorial board listings, and article reviews on the Collaborative Peer Review Forum. Loop profiles guarantee transparency and accountability in the peer review process and enhance researcher recognition.

          Smart algorithms connect researchers to their community and disseminate their research into a network of researchers with related interests, which greatly improves article discoverability and, ultimately, author-level and article-level impact.
          Loop key figures
          28,500
          Institutions
          535,000
          Academics
          76,200,000
          Searchable
          publications
          Innovations
          When Frontiers launched we made the bold decision to build our technology in-house. This has resulted in a highly scalable digital platform which we custom-developed for the needs of our authors, reviewers, editors and readers. This allows us to consistently innovate powerful Open Science tools and Open Access publishing technologies.
          2018
          AIRA - Artificial Intelligence Review Assistant
          The next generation of peer review in which AI and machine learning enable more rigorous quality control and efficiency in the peer review
          My Frontiers
          A new editorial interface that helps authors, editors and reviewers to easily track the status of their manuscripts and assignments
          New submission system
          Streamlined submission system to ensure papers are being submitted to the correct journals to prevent delays
          2017
          AI powered reviewer recommendations
          Improved suggestions for editors on the editorial board experts most relevant to manuscripts
          2016
          Editorial Contributions
          Editorial roles showcased on Loop profiles, providing visibility and accreditation for editorial contributions
          2015
          Research Topic Metrics
          Article views and downloads on all articles aggregated at collection level
          2013
          Frontiers for Young minds
          Free open-access science journal for kids, reviewed by kids
          2012
          Frontiers Research Network - Loop
          Academic profiles and research network to improve content dissemination, innovation and impact.
          2011
          Author-Level Metrics - Pioneer
          Article views and downloads on all articles aggregated at author level
          2010
          Digital Editorial Office
          A dedicated online cockpit for editors to manage their journals, enormously enhancing efficiency, oversight and quality control
          Profiles - Pioneer
          Showcasing published work and career achievements for all authors, editors and reviewers and integrated into all articles and journal pages
          Community Platform
          Profiles enriched with multi-media tools, including events and videos
          Commenting functionality & post-publication review
          On all articles and multi-media content
          2009
          Research Topics
          Themed article collections around trending research
          2008
          Online publishing platform Collaborative Review Forum - Pioneer
          Discussion forum for authors and reviewers during peer review
          Article-Level Metrics and Journal-Level Metrics - Pioneer
          Quantative metrics based on article views and downloads
          Frontiers, first publisher to
          launch a comprehensive IT
          publishing platform
          Awards
          Frontiers' innovative spirit and entrepreneurial approach to advancing the cause of Open Science has been acknowledged with numerous awards.
          European Union Prize for Women Innovators - 2017
          Finalist
          Acknowledging outstanding women entrepreneurs who brought their breakthrough ideas to the market.
          Stevie Entrepreneur
          of the Year - 2016
          Gold Winner
          Spotlighting successful companies run by women.
          Ernst and Young Entrepreneur
          of the Year - 2016
          Finalist
          Celebrating entrepreneurs, their achievements and commitment to their businesses and the world around them.
          L’HEBDO Forum 100 - 2016
          Top 100 personalities that “make” French speaking Switzerland
          Recognition for top innovators.
          ALPSP Gold Award for Innovation
          in Publishing - 2014
          Gold Winner
          Acknowledging boldness, innovation and development in the publishing industry.
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