Name: Scientific Reports
Link: www.nature.com/srep/
Description: Scientific Reports is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal publishing scientifically valid original research across all areas of natural and clinical sciences, emphasizing technical rigor over perceived impact.
Key Words: open-access, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary, natural sciences, clinical sciences, scientific validity, mega journal
Introduction:
Scientific Reports, launched in 2011 by Nature Portfolio, is a prominent open-access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research across a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines, including natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences) and clinical sciences (medicine, psychology, and related fields). Unlike many traditional journals, Scientific Reports prioritizes scientific validity and technical soundness over perceived significance or novelty, making it a unique platform for researchers to share robust findings, including those with negative or incremental results. With a 2024 impact factor of 3.9, it is one of the largest journals by publication volume, having surpassed PLOS One in 2016 to become the world’s largest open-access mega journal by article count.
The journal’s editorial policy focuses on ensuring methodological rigor and reproducibility, requiring authors to adhere to strict guidelines, such as providing detailed methodologies, data availability statements, and compliance with ethical standards for studies involving human or animal subjects. Submissions are handled through an online system, with a median time from submission to acceptance of approximately 102 days for papers in guest-edited collections, and an average of 20 days to first decision, reflecting a relatively rapid peer-review process. Authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in repositories like Dryad to support open science, and the journal provides options for supplementary materials to enhance research transparency.
Scientific Reports is fully open-access, with all articles freely available under Creative Commons licenses (typically CC BY), allowing global access without subscription barriers. This aligns with its mission to democratize scientific knowledge, supported by its high visibility, with over 135 million annual downloads. The journal also publishes subject-specific collections, often guest-edited, covering topics from artificial intelligence to sustainability, fostering interdisciplinary research and collaboration.
While its high publication volume and focus on special issues have raised concerns about editorial rigor in some circles, Scientific Reports maintains a commitment to quality through its peer-review process and indexing in prestigious databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Its accessibility, broad scope, and emphasis on valid science make it an essential outlet for researchers worldwide, particularly those seeking to share technically sound work without the pressure of demonstrating groundbreaking impact. The journal’s growth reflects its role in meeting the demand for open-access publishing, though debates persist about balancing quantity with quality in its model.
