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Frontiers in Medicine (short name Front. Med., abbreviation fmed, eISSN 2296-858X) is an open access, multidisciplinary medical journal published by Frontiers. This page covers the journal’s scope, its 21 specialty sections, its article processing charges (APCs) and where it is indexed, checked 2026-10-29. For the separate question of how the Frontiers publisher’s peer review is regarded, see Is Frontiers peer reviewed, credible, or legit?.
What Frontiers in Medicine is
Frontiers in Medicine describes itself as a "broad-scope, multidisciplinary journal covering all established medical disciplines." It publishes basic and clinical research that translates advances into therapies and diagnostics, with an emphasis on patient care. It is a journal title within the Frontiers portfolio, not a separate publisher.
Who runs it and what it covers
The journal page lists two Field Chief Editors: Michel Goldman (Université libre de Bruxelles) and Arch Mainous (University of Florida). Articles are handled by external editors, and the journal page states that APCs apply to articles accepted for publication by those external editors.
The 21 specialty sections
Submissions go to a named specialty section. The journal page lists:
- Dermatology
- Experimental, Translational and Evidence-Based Medicine
- Family Medicine and Primary Care
- Gastroenterology
- Gene and Cell Therapy
- Geriatric Medicine
- Healthcare Professions Education
- Hematology
- Hepatobiliary Diseases
- Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy
- Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesiology
- Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine
- Nephrology
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Ophthalmology
- Pathology
- Precision Medicine
- Regulatory Science
- Respiratory Medicine
- Rheumatology
- Urological Disorders
What the journal says it will not take
The About page also states what falls outside the journal’s scope. Check a manuscript against this list before choosing a journal:
- work only on molecular or cellular mechanisms, without a clinical foundation;
- purely descriptive or observational studies without a clear hypothesis;
- primarily epidemiological or public-health studies without a basis in disease pathophysiology or treatment.
Article types are broad: the About page lists 25, including original research, reviews, systematic reviews, clinical trials, case reports, mini reviews, editorials and study protocols.
How to find it and what to choose when submitting
The journal’s home page is frontiersin.org/journals/medicine. The About, section and author-information pages sit under that address. Two choices shape any submission: the specialty section (one of the 21 above) and the article type, because the article type decides the fee (next section). The sign-in link for authors is on the Frontiers site header; look there for the author sign-in.
Fees and waivers
The Frontiers in Medicine publishing-fees page lists APCs in Swiss francs (CHF) by article-type group:
| Group | Article types named on the page | APC (CHF) |
|---|---|---|
| A-Type | Original research, systematic reviews, reviews, clinical trials, study protocols | 3,150 |
| B-Type | Mini reviews, perspectives, case reports, brief research reports, opinion | 2,500 |
| C-Type | Corrections, editorials, retractions, addenda | 0 |
The page describes two support routes: institutional partnership support (full or partial), and discounts for which authors from World Bank low-income and lower-middle-income countries "may be eligible." The page also describes a support programme with an application form for authors and institutions with insufficient funding. Fees are charged only for articles accepted for publication.
Strengths and limits
Strengths, as documented by the journal
- Open access terms: articles are free to read online under a CC-BY licence; authors retain copyright.
- Indexing: the About page lists PubMed Central, Web of Science (SCIE) and Scopus, among others. Confirm the current status in each index before relying on it.
- Breadth: 21 sections and 25 listed article types.
Limits to weigh
- Scope exclusions: molecular-only, descriptive-only and epidemiology-only manuscripts are listed as out of scope.
- Cost: there is an APC for accepted A-Type and B-Type articles unless a waiver or discount applies.
Reading the metrics
On 2026-10-29 the journal page showed an Impact Factor of 3.6 and a CiteScore of 5.4 (the page does not state the metric year). Metrics change from year to year, so check the journal page for the current values. To learn how the measure works and where to check it, read the Journal Impact Factor definition and how to look up a journal’s impact factor.
Alternatives
Other open access publishers that medical authors compare are covered in separate CASRAI explainers:
| Publisher or journal | CASRAI explainer |
|---|---|
| BMC (BioMed Central) | Is BMC peer reviewed and legit? |
| PLOS ONE | Is PLOS ONE a predatory journal? |
| Cureus | Is Cureus peer reviewed? |
For how Frontiers handles review across its journals, see Frontiers collaborative peer review.
FAQ
Is Frontiers in Medicine open access?
Yes. The About page states free online access under CC-BY, with authors retaining copyright. See also open access.
How much does it cost to publish in Frontiers in Medicine?
APCs are CHF 3,150 for A-Type articles (original research, reviews, clinical trials) and CHF 2,500 for B-Type (mini reviews, case reports, opinion). C-Type items carry no fee. Fees apply on acceptance, and waiver routes exist.
Is Frontiers in Medicine indexed in PubMed Central and Web of Science?
The About page says the journal is indexed in PubMed Central (PMC), Web of Science (SCIE) and Scopus, among others. Check PubMed directly for the current status of individual articles.
What is the impact factor of Frontiers in Medicine?
The journal page showed an Impact Factor of 3.6 and a CiteScore of 5.4 on 2026-10-29.
Sources
Primary sources, checked 2026-10-29:
