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Open Forum Infectious Diseases: Scope & Guide

Explore Open Forum Infectious Diseases (OFID): IDSA scope, Oxford University Press open-access APC rates, peer-review process, and indexing standards.

Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board

Last updated

Open Forum Infectious Diseases (OFID) is a peer-reviewed, fully open-access medical journal published online by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA). Established in 2014, the journal serves as a digital venue for clinical, translational, and epidemiological research across infectious diseases, public health, and microbial pathogenesis. Every article is freely accessible under open-access licenses and permanently indexed in international bibliographic databases.

What it is

Open Forum Infectious Diseases is an online-only, continuous-publication journal dedicated to the rapid dissemination of clinical and translational research. Unlike traditional print journals with quarterly or monthly issue printing, OFID publishes articles electronically as soon as production finishes. It carries electronic International Standard Serial Number (e-ISSN) 2328-8957 and operates under a gold open-access model, where an article processing charge (APC) provides immediate, permanent, global access without subscription barriers.

The journal addresses the demand for timely publication of clinical trials, observational cohorts, and health outcomes. Backed by IDSA governance, the journal bridges basic laboratory discoveries and bedside clinical care, prioritizing studies that inform patient management, antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention, and public health practice.

Who runs it and what it covers

Open Forum Infectious Diseases is owned by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and HIVMA, with Oxford University Press managing editorial systems, production, and distribution. Editorial leadership is directed by Editor-in-Chief Roger J. Bedimo, MD, FIDSA, Professor of Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Chief of Infectious Diseases at the VA North Texas Health Care System. Dr. Bedimo succeeded founding editor Dr. Paul E. Sax, MD, FIDSA, and interim co-editors Dr. John Baddley and Dr. Andrej Spec.

The journal covers a broad clinical and public health scope, focusing on:

  • Clinical Infectious Diseases: Diagnostic evaluations, therapeutic efficacy, and clinical trials across bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections.
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship: Surveillance of drug-resistant pathogens, hospital antibiotic stewardship, and clinical pharmacokinetics.
  • Healthcare Epidemiology: Infection prevention, nosocomial outbreak investigations, and surveillance methodologies.
  • HIV and Retroviruses: Antiretroviral therapies, opportunistic infections, and immune recovery studies in partnership with HIVMA.
  • Immunocompromised Hosts: Infections in transplant recipients, hematology-oncology patients, and autoimmune cohorts.
  • Emerging Pathogens: Clinical characterization of zoonotic, vector-borne, and pandemic threats.

The publication is indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science), and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), with over 31,500 registered DOIs in Crossref.

How to search or use it

Researchers reading or submitting to Open Forum Infectious Diseases interact with the journal through standard digital steps:

  1. Accessing Articles: Browse issues, advance articles, and topical collections through the Oxford Academic portal (academic.oup.com/ofid). Search tools allow filtering by keyword, author, or publication date.
  2. Reviewing Article Categories: Consult official author instructions to format manuscripts according to accepted types, including Major Articles (up to 3,000 words), Brief Reports (up to 1,500 words), Clinical Commentaries, Perspectives, and Reviews.
  3. Entering Editorial Manager: Authors sign into the Editorial Manager submission portal using an authenticated ORCID identifier to ensure verified researcher attribution.
  4. Uploading Required Declarations: Submissions require completed ICMJE conflict-of-interest declarations, institutional ethics approvals (IRB), patient consent forms where necessary, and a explicit Data Availability Statement.
  5. Undergoing Double-Anonymous Review: Papers passing initial editorial screening undergo double-anonymous peer review, concealing author and reviewer identities from each other to reduce bias.
  6. Selecting Creative Commons Licenses: Accepted authors select either Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) or NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licenses to meet institutional or funder open-access mandates.
  7. Managing APC Processing and Waivers: Settle the $3,859 USD APC. Authors at institutions with Oxford Open Read and Publish agreements receive automated fee coverage. IDSA and HIVMA members receive discounted rates, and researchers in qualifying low-income nations obtain waivers via Research4Life.

Strengths and limits

Authors evaluating the journal should weigh its specific structural strengths and operational limits:

  • Strengths:
    • Immediate Open Access: Immediate global availability without subscriber paywalls promotes wide readership and citation uptake.
    • Society Backing and Authority: Association with premier infectious disease societies ensures high editorial standards and clinical relevance.
    • Double-Anonymous Evaluation: Blinding both author and reviewer identities provides equitable assessment across institutions and geographic regions.
    • Conference Visibility: OFID coordinates with major society gatherings, including IDWeek, to highlight key clinical presentations.
  • Limits:
    • Publication Cost: The standard $3,859 APC is a significant consideration for researchers without grant support or institutional agreements.
    • Digital-Only Format: The absence of print distribution means the journal is unavailable in physical library archives.
    • Clinical Threshold: The journal emphasizes clinical relevance; basic bench science without direct translational value is outside scope.

Alternatives

The table below compares Open Forum Infectious Diseases with other prominent infectious disease publications:

Journal Publisher / Sponsor Access Model Standard APC (USD) Peer Review Primary Scope
Open Forum Infectious Diseases (OFID) Oxford University Press / IDSA Fully Open Access $3,859 Double-Anonymous Clinical and translational infectious disease investigations
Clinical Infectious Diseases (CID) Oxford University Press / IDSA Hybrid Subscription Subscription (Hybrid OA: ~$4,800) Single-Blind High-impact clinical trials and society practice guidelines
The Journal of Infectious Diseases (JID) Oxford University Press / IDSA Hybrid Subscription Subscription (Hybrid OA: ~$4,800) Single-Blind Basic microbial pathogenesis and host-pathogen biology
Lancet Infectious Diseases Elsevier Hybrid Subscription Subscription (Hybrid OA: ~$6,800) Single-Blind Global health epidemiology and phase III clinical trials
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ASM Hybrid Subscription Subscription (Hybrid OA: ~$3,950) Single-Blind Antimicrobial pharmacology and resistance mechanisms

Submissions to CID or JID that meet scientific quality standards but suit open-access delivery can transition to OFID through cascading peer review, preserving reviewer reports to accelerate publication.

FAQ

What is the difference between OFID, CID, and JID?

All three are official IDSA journals published by Oxford University Press. CID focuses on major clinical trials, society practice guidelines, and clinical policy; JID focuses on fundamental microbiology, immunology, and host pathogen mechanisms; and OFID is a fully open-access journal focused on clinical, translational, and epidemiological studies needing rapid, unrestricted dissemination.

How much does it cost to publish in Open Forum Infectious Diseases?

OFID charges a standard Article Processing Charge of $3,859 USD upon acceptance. Fees may be covered under institutional Read and Publish agreements, discounted for IDSA or HIVMA members, or waived for qualifying low-income nations via Research4Life.

What peer-review model does OFID use?

OFID uses a double-anonymous peer review model. Author and reviewer identities are masked from each other during evaluation to support objective assessment based on methodology and clinical merit.

Can manuscripts rejected from CID or JID transfer to OFID?

Yes. The IDSA journals support cascading peer review. If editors at CID or JID determine a manuscript is sound but better matched to an open-access format, authors may transfer the paper and existing reviews directly to OFID.

Where is Open Forum Infectious Diseases indexed?

OFID is indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded, and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), with DOIs deposited in Crossref.

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