Is Frontiers in Immunology a Good Journal? The High-Volume OA Question
Frontiers in Immunology is a high-volume OA journal with IF 5.7 and a collaborative peer review model. Here's when it fits, the legitimacy question, and how it compares to J. Immunology, JEM, and Immunity.
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Journal fit
See whether this paper looks realistic for Frontiers in Immunology.
Run the Free Readiness Scan with Frontiers in Immunology as your target journal and see whether this paper looks like a realistic submission.
Frontiers in Immunology at a glance
Key metrics to place the journal before deciding whether it fits your manuscript and career goals.
What makes this journal worth targeting
- IF 5.9 puts Frontiers in Immunology in a visible tier — citations from papers here carry real weight.
- Scope specificity matters more than impact factor for most manuscript decisions.
- Acceptance rate of ~~40% means fit determines most outcomes.
When to look elsewhere
- When your paper sits at the edge of the journal's stated scope — borderline fit rarely improves after submission.
- If timeline matters: Frontiers in Immunology takes ~~80 days. A faster-turnaround journal may suit a grant or job deadline better.
- If open access is required by your funder, verify the journal's OA agreements before submitting.
How to read Frontiers in Immunology as a target
This page should help you decide whether Frontiers in Immunology belongs on the shortlist, not just whether it sounds impressive.
Question | Quick read |
|---|---|
Best for | Frontiers in Immunology is the largest journal in the Frontiers series and one of the most prolific. |
Editors prioritize | Clinical relevance and translational focus |
Think twice if | Assuming lower standards due to higher acceptance rate |
Typical article types | Original Research, Review, Clinical Trial |
Quick answer: Frontiers in Immunology (IF 5.7, JCR 2024) is a legitimate, well-indexed open-access immunology journal. It is a good journal for solid immunology work that benefits from broad OA visibility. The high acceptance rate (~50%) and enormous publication volume create perception issues that authors should understand before submitting.
The Legitimacy Question
This is the question behind the question. When researchers ask "Is Frontiers in Immunology a good journal?" they often really mean "Is Frontiers legitimate?"
The answer is yes. Frontiers in Immunology is indexed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. It has a real JCR impact factor. It uses peer review. It is not a predatory journal.
But the perception problem is real. Frontiers in Immunology publishes thousands of papers per year with an acceptance rate around 50%. The collaborative peer review model, where reviewer identities are disclosed and the process is framed as improving the paper rather than gatekeeping, contributes to that acceptance rate. Some sections are editorially rigorous; others are less so. The result is a journal with genuine papers alongside work that would not survive traditional peer review at a more selective venue.
This doesn't make it a bad journal. It makes it a journal where your paper's quality has to speak for itself, because the journal name alone won't signal selectivity.
The Numbers
Metric | Value |
|---|---|
Impact Factor (JCR 2024) | 5.7 |
5-Year IF | ~5.9 |
Publisher | Frontiers Media |
Quartile | Q1 in Immunology |
Acceptance rate | ~50% |
APC | ~$3,000 |
Peer review model | Collaborative, open (reviewer names published) |
How Frontiers in Immunology Compares
Journal | IF (2024) | Acceptance | APC | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Frontiers in Immunology | 5.7 | ~50% | $3,000 | Broad immunology with OA visibility |
Journal of Immunology | 3.4 | ~25-30% | Free (subscription) | AAI society immunology, traditional prestige |
Journal of Experimental Medicine | 10.6 | ~10-15% | $4,500 (OA) | Mechanistic immunology and disease biology |
Immunity | 26.3 | ~5-8% | Free (subscription) | Top-tier mechanistic immunology |
Frontiers vs J. Immunology: This is the comparison that confuses people. Frontiers in Immunology has a higher IF (5.7 vs 4.4) but a much higher acceptance rate. J. Immunology, the AAI flagship, is the traditional society journal. In many immunology departments, a J. Immunology paper signals more per-paper prestige than a Frontiers paper despite the lower IF. The IF difference is driven partly by Frontiers' volume of highly cited review articles.
Frontiers vs JEM: Journal of Experimental Medicine (IF 12.6) is a different tier entirely. If your paper has strong mechanistic immunology with disease relevance, JEM is worth trying first. Frontiers is the fallback when the paper is solid but not competitive at that level.
Frontiers vs Immunity: Immunity (IF 26.3) is the top mechanistic immunology journal. Papers competitive for Immunity are rarely in the same decision set as Frontiers in Immunology. If they are, aim higher first.
The Collaborative Peer Review Model
Frontiers uses "collaborative peer review" where reviewers and authors work together through an interactive review forum. Reviewer identities are disclosed upon publication. The stated goal is constructive improvement rather than gatekeeping.
In practice, this means:
- Reviews tend to be less adversarial than at traditional journals
- Papers are rarely rejected after entering full review (most rejections happen at the editorial screen)
- The process can feel more collaborative, but it also means the selectivity bar is lower
- Reviewer quality varies significantly across sections and topic editors
This model is neither good nor bad. It's different. Authors who value constructive feedback and fast turnaround appreciate it. Authors who want their publication to signal that the paper survived rigorous gatekeeping may prefer a traditional journal.
Submit If
- The paper is methodologically sound with a clear immunology question
- You value OA visibility and broad readership over selectivity signaling
- The section fit is obvious and the topic editor for that section has a strong track record
- Speed and accessibility matter more than prestige for this particular paper
- You have the $3,000 APC budget
Journal fit
See whether this paper looks realistic for Frontiers in Immunology.
Run the scan with Frontiers in Immunology as the target. Get a manuscript-specific fit signal before you commit.
Think Twice If
- The paper could realistically reach JEM, Nature Immunology, or Immunity, try there first
- You need the publication to signal selectivity for a job or grant application
- The APC is a significant budget concern and a free-to-publish journal (J. Immunology) covers the same audience
- The section fit is vague, which increases the chance of inconsistent review quality
- You're publishing here because it's easy, not because it's the right audience
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Frontiers in Immunology hurt my career?
No, but it won't help as much as a more selective journal. In most fields, a solid Frontiers paper is perfectly acceptable. At highly competitive research institutions where per-paper prestige matters for tenure decisions, some committees discount high-acceptance-rate journals. Know your institutional context.
Are Frontiers review articles worth publishing?
Frontiers publishes a large number of reviews and mini-reviews. These can accumulate citations, which partly explains the journal's IF. If you have a genuinely useful review to write, Frontiers provides good visibility. But be aware that review invitations from Frontiers are extremely common, and not all carry the same weight as a review in Annual Review of Immunology or Nature Reviews Immunology.
Is the APC negotiable?
Not typically. Frontiers offers fee waivers for authors from qualifying low-income countries but does not negotiate APCs on a case-by-case basis. Some institutions have Frontiers open-access agreements that cover the APC.
How fast is the review process?
Faster than most traditional journals. Median time from submission to acceptance is typically 3-4 months, with some papers moving faster depending on the section.
Before submitting, a Frontiers in Immunology scope and readiness check can help you decide whether Frontiers in Immunology is the right venue or whether a more selective immunology journal is realistic for your paper.
Before you submit
A Frontiers in Immunology submission readiness check identifies the specific framing and scope issues that trigger desk rejection before you submit.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Frontiers in Immunology is a legitimate, peer-reviewed, PubMed-indexed journal published by Frontiers Media. It has a JCR impact factor of 5.7 and is Q1 in Immunology. The legitimacy question arises because of its high volume and acceptance rate (~50%), not because of any indexing or editorial fraud issues. It is not a predatory journal.
Approximately 50%. This is substantially higher than traditional immunology journals. The collaborative peer review model, where reviewers work with authors to improve papers rather than acting as gatekeepers, contributes to this rate. Quality varies across sections.
The APC is approximately $3,000 for a standard research article. There are no submission fees. Fee waivers are available for authors from low-income countries. This is comparable to other large OA publishers but significant for labs without dedicated publication budgets.
Journal of Immunology (IF 4.4, AAI flagship) is the traditional society journal for immunology and is more selective despite having a lower IF. Frontiers in Immunology (IF 5.7) has a higher IF largely due to volume and citation patterns in review articles. For career signaling in immunology departments, J. Immunology often carries more weight per-paper than Frontiers.
Sources
- Frontiers in Immunology journal homepage, Frontiers Media.
- Frontiers peer review guidelines, Frontiers Media.
- Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR 2024, released June 2025).
Final step
See whether this paper fits Frontiers in Immunology.
Run the Free Readiness Scan with Frontiers in Immunology as your target journal and get a manuscript-specific fit signal before you commit.
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Same journal, next question
- Frontiers in Immunology Submission Guide (2026)
- How to Avoid Desk Rejection at Frontiers in Immunology
- Frontiers in Immunology Review Time: What Authors Can Actually Expect
- Frontiers in Immunology Impact Factor 2026: Ranking, Quartile & What It Means
- Is Your Paper Ready for Frontiers in Immunology? The Section-Based Submission System
- Frontiers in Immunology APC and Open Access: What the CHF 3,150 Fee Gets You
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