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Frequently asked questions

Institutional Partnerships

What is Frontiers’ history with open access?

Frontiers was founded in 2007 by neuroscientists and researchers Dr. Kamila Markram and Prof. Henry Markram. With a mission to make all scholarly articles, especially in the field of science, accessible to everyone, Frontiers has been committed to realizing open science since its inception. Frontiers has enabled researchers worldwide to read, share, and use the findings of research articles freely. We continue to advocate for open science and work closely with academic communities, funders, and policymakers to spread the benefits of open access. Read more.

What is Frontiers’ impact on open access publication?

Frontiers has had a significant impact on the advancement of open access publication:

  • Visibility: since its launch in 2007, Frontiers has published hundreds of thousands of open access articles freely available for the global scientific community and the public, making it one of the largest open access publishers in the world.

  • Quality: Frontiers is committed to rigorous peer review with transparency and robustness, publishing articles that meet high standards for research integrity, ethical conduct, and scientific validity.

  • Innovation: Frontiers has pioneered several innovations such as collaborative peer review, article impact metrics, and research networking, contributing to the evolution of open science. Frontiers' platform offers a digital space to facilitate interactions among researchers, enabling them to collaborate and accelerate the knowledge-sharing process.

  • Policy: Frontiers works closely with academic communities, research funders, policymakers, and institutions to advocate for open science and help shape the future of open access publishing.

Frontiers' impact on open access publication is profound, as evidenced by our significant volume of high-quality articles, innovative digital tools, and efforts to spread the benefits of open access both within and beyond the scientific community.

How many institutional partnerships does Frontiers have?

Currently, Frontiers institutional partnerships cover over 700 institutions worldwide through individual, consortia, and funder agreements. For more on our partners, visit our webpage.

How transparent is Frontiers with its business model?

Frontiers values transparency and makes efforts to be very clear about its business model.
Regarding its open-access publishing model, article publishing charges (APCs) are clearly listed for every journal Frontiers publishes. The breakdown of the costs involved in the publishing process is also available online. These costs encompass not only the administration of peer review and editorial work but also production charges and investments into technology for innovative solutions in scholarly communication. Similarly, within its institutional partnership models, Frontiers provides detailed and regular reporting to partnered institutions to maintain visibility over outputs and payments. This includes data on the number of submissions, published articles, and details of the article processing charges. Frontiers also explains its rigorous peer-review process and provides clear guidelines for editors and reviewers to ensure the quality and integrity of the research it publishes.

What are the different payment and invoicing options covered by an institutional partnership?

In an institutional partnership with Frontiers, different payment and invoicing options are available to suit each institution's needs and administrative processes.

  • Prepayment: institutions deposit funds into a prepayment account, from which APCs can be debited. This gives the institution more control over the budget and reduces administration.

  • Monthly invoicing: the institution receives a single invoice covering all the articles processed during the specified period (usually monthly or quarterly). This method streamlines administrative processes, reduces overhead, and facilitates better budget control for the institution.

  • Direct invoicing: APCs for all accepted articles are sent directly to the institution's contact point. This model is cost-effective and efficient, as it reduces the time researchers spend processing individual payments.

In all models, institutions receive detailed reports on published articles, payments, and any remaining credits, giving them full control and transparency over their expenditures. It's important to note that Frontiers' institutional partnerships team is always ready and willing to work with institutions to find the best solutions that comply with their internal administrative and financial procedures.

What is the Frontiers’ policy on copyright and author rights?

At Frontiers, all articles that are published are open access, which ensures worldwide, unrestricted access to research. The articles are typically published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). This licensing model encourages the distribution and utilization of research, aligns with open access principles, and promotes collaboration and advancement within the scientific community.

What is the global reach and dissemination potential?

Frontiers articles are freely accessible to anyone in the world. In 2023, Frontiers articles were viewed and downloaded 687 million times worldwide, totaling more than 2.5 billion. Article citations also increased, totaling 7.2 million citations. Learn more from our impact report.

How are Frontiers’ publications indexed and discoverable?

Frontiers' open-access model ensures that all articles are freely available to the wider scientific community and the public, enhancing their visibility and accessibility. Our articles are indexed by leading databases and search engines such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Clarivate Analytics databases (including Web of Science), among others. This increases the exposure and reach of the published articles globally and allows them to be easily found by interested readers doing topical research. All articles published by Frontiers are assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), facilitating long-term and persistent linking to and citing of the articles. We also maintain metadata exports to data aggregators and repositories, such as CrossRef, which enhances the content's visibility and discoverability. Read more about how we publish.

What support and services are provided to authors and institutions under a partnership?

We use the latest custom-built technology and AI tools to support our partners and researchers at every stage of the publishing process, from submission to publication – saving time to spend on more research. This includes:

  • Simplified submission process without administrative barriers to publication. 

  • Articles will be freely and permanently available immediately after publication, ensuring maximum reach, impact, and visibility.

  • User-friendly platform to manage author output, organize research, and track impact easily. 

How does the Frontiers handle peer review?

Frontiers has a unique and rigorous collaborative peer review process that ensures the high quality of published research. It emphasizes transparency, constructiveness, and fairness, with the aim of fostering positive scientific dialogue between authors and reviewers. To learn more, please visit our peer review page.

What tools are available for tracking article impact?

Frontiers provides robust and advanced tools to track the impact and reach of your published article. Once your article is published with Frontiers, you'll access a wide range of metrics that offer real-time insights on your work's visibility and impact, including views and downloads, citations, social media sharing, altmetrics, and geographic reach.
These tools give a real-time, multifaceted view of your research's impact, providing a more comprehensive perspective than the traditional citation-centric approach alone.

What is Frontiers' approach to open data and supplementary materials?

Frontiers is strongly committed to the principles of transparent and open science. We strongly encourage authors to make their datasets openly accessible to promote transparency and reproducibility and to give other researchers the opportunity to work with existing data. We recommend data repositories that provide the necessary metadata and a data citation. Just like with the data sets, supplementary materials are subject to peer review to ensure validity. By fostering an open data policy, Frontiers aims to improve the validity, replicability, and utility of the published research, promoting the advancement of science. This open-access approach aligns with current global initiatives to enhance transparency and accessibility in research.

How does Frontiers address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Frontiers is deeply committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within its community. We recognize that such values are essential for advancing knowledge and promoting innovation in science. Frontiers aims to democratize science by putting researchers in the driving seat of their operations. Researchers across different backgrounds serve as editors, reviewers, and authors, making Frontiers a truly researcher-centric publisher. Diversity is also valued in our editorial boards. We encourage the inclusion of members from different geographies, backgrounds, and career stages. This representation fosters a variety of perspectives, driving scientific innovation. Furthermore, open access publishing significantly increases the inclusivity and fairness of research, making scientific knowledge accessible to all, not just those who can afford expensive subscriptions.