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Cureus in 2025: A Year of Global Growth and Impact


Happy New Year From Cureus! As we reflect on an extraordinary year, we’re thrilled to celebrate the incredible momentum we built together in 2025: amplifying medical knowledge, expanding our global reach, and breaking down barriers in publishing. With more than 250,000 brand new members joining the Cureus community, your contributions helped shape a more connected, collaborative, and inclusive future for medical science. Thank you for being a vital part of this movement. We couldn’t have done it without you. Citations Are Climbing. Fast. According to Crossref, Cureus articles were cited 65,909 times in 2025, a 53% increase over 2024’s 43,146 citations. That’s part of a five-year trend of accelerating impact. We’ve now surpassed 163,000 total citations, proving that Cureus articles aren’t just being read, they’re shaping clinical conversations and driving real-world impact. More Submissions and Article Reads. In 2025, Cureus received nearly 50,000 article submissions, marking continued growth in author participation. On top of that, on-site article reads increased by 30%, reflecting a surge in global readership and demand for accessible, high-quality medical research. New Market Growth Momentum is building around the world. In 2025, Cureus saw article publication growth across many countries, demonstrating our expanding global presence and commitment to accessible publishing for all. Here’s a sampling of the regions where author activity surged this year: 🇬🇧 +89% more articles published from the United Kingdom 🇲🇽 +65% from Mexico 🇦🇪 +60% from the United Arab Emirates 🇲🇦 +49% from Morocco 🇯🇵 +30% from Japan 🇬🇷 +18% from Greece 🇨🇳 +15% from China Cureus is rapidly becoming the journal of choice for researchers around the globe, driven by regional momentum, institutional trust, and global peer referrals. New Indexing. Greater Discoverability. Cureus was newly indexed in EBSCO, ProQuest, CNKI, Baidu Scholar, CiNii, and Dimensions, further strengthening the visibility and accessibility of our authors' work across the global research landscape. Coming in 2026: The Institute of Medical Information and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMICAMS) and EMBASE indexing! Expanding Our Academic Network In 2025, Cureus proudly partnered with a diverse range of institutions to launch new academic channels, each dedicated to advancing specialized research and showcasing institutional thought leadership. Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine King George’s Medical University, India UCSD Department of Medicine University of Texas The Hong Kong Institute of Musculoskeletal Medicine University of Arizona College of Medicine Centro Médico Episcopal San Lucas, Puerto Rico Stavya Spine Hospital and Research Institute, India These collaborations reinforce Cureus as a trusted partner to leading academic and clinical institutions around the world, expanding visibility for their research and strengthening our shared mission to democratize medical knowledge. Medical Knowledge in Action Cureus isn’t just a place to publish. It’s a place to learn, grow, and connect. In 2025, participation in our weekly Picture Prognosis quizzes skyrocketed by 1,173%, with over 50,000 answers submitted by clinicians and researchers across the globe. This surge reflects a thriving community committed to continuous learning and clinical curiosity. Think you can spot the right diagnosis? Take the quiz now This growth signals our continued commitment to welcoming diverse voices and expanding opportunities for authors around the world. Ready to contribute to our momentum in 2026?

Jan 12, 2026

Cureus Peer Review Explained: Fast, Transparent, and Built for Modern Medical Publishing


One of the most common questions we hear from authors is “How does Cureus publish so quickly without compromising quality?” In an academic publishing environment where peer review decisions often take months, Cureus has taken a deliberate approach to designing a technology-optimized process that respects the time of both authors and reviewers while maintaining rigorous editorial standards. Our newly launched informational peer review page outlines how Cureus combines streamlined workflows, thoughtful automations and technology, and human editorial oversight to support timely, constructive, and accountable scientific evaluation. The Cureus peer review model is structured and collaborative. Manuscripts are matched with relevant experts based on specialty and keywords, reviews are completed directly within the platform, and editors assess feedback to ensure it is professional, appropriate, and aligned with journal standards. All manuscripts receive at least two independent reviews, with timelines driven by reviewer engagement rather than artificial delays. Authors’ testimonials across specialties and regions highlight the clarity, efficiency, and constructive nature of Cureus' peer review, particularly its emphasis on meaningful feedback and speed. The Cureus peer review page offers a comprehensive look at how Cureus supports robust and efficient peer review in modern medical publishing

Jan 08, 2026

Understanding Cureus: An Introduction to the Journal


The Cureus Journal of Medical Science was started in 2009 in the basement of a building on Stanford’s School of Medicine campus. Originally named PeerEmed, Cureus is the brainchild of two accomplished academics who had grown disillusioned with what they perceived to be an overly political and opaque medical publishing process. With a goal of eliminating barriers to the publication and dissemination of medical science, Dr. John Adler, a neurosurgeon at Stanford, and Dr. Alexander Muacevic, a neurosurgeon at the University of Munich, Germany, joined forces to create a new way to publish peer-reviewed medical science. With a focus on equity, efficiency and transparency, Cureus was born. Cureus has long aimed to level the playing field by providing clinicians and researchers with equal opportunity and access to legitimate, peer-reviewed research regardless of their perceived status (country, institutional affiliation, and so on). Initially featuring a revenue model focused on online advertising, Cureus later introduced fees for some authors in the form of an editing fee for articles submitted in poor condition. With this change, the journal moved away from an advertising-dependent model while still offering free publication to roughly one-third of all authors. Authors are provided an opportunity to publish original studies, case reports, technical reports and editorials for free and if their articles fall short of this standard, the required editing fees vary according to the amount of editorial work needed and average $385 an article–still an order of magnitude less than typical article processing charges (APCs). Our editing fee is required for review articles as the editing work is more involved and exceeds that of other article types. The ability to provide authors an opportunity for free publication remains paramount as it is consistent with our emphasis on equity and access for authors around the world. The bedrock of this philosophy is our approach to publication standards. While the vast majority of academic journals only publish articles they deem novel or impactful, Cureus takes a different approach. Credible and legitimate science is the standard for publication, assessed by objective, specialist peer reviewers and editors, thereby removing the subjectivity (and, we would argue, inherent unfairness) of anonymous editors determining the so-called importance of articles. This innovative approach has spurred Cureus to incredible heights with some of the fastest growth in the entire academic publishing industry, from a modest total of 86 articles published in 2014 to over 23,000 articles in 2025. By offering equitable, fair and no or low-cost publishing, Cureus has amassed a large audience of devoted authors and, in turn, an equally large pool of ready and willing peer reviewers. All articles require at least two completed peer reviews from reviewers vetted and invited by the journal. Mentors and colleagues often have excellent advice and feedback for authors, but should not serve as peer reviewers due to the potential conflict of interest per COPE guidelines. That’s why we’ve introduced Advisers to the Cureus publishing process. During the initial manuscript submission, authors must invite at least five colleagues or mentors to provide feedback in an advisory capacity. Advisers are not considered peer reviewers and their comments are not considered part of the formal peer review process. In a unique twist on traditional peer review deadlines, reviewers are pitted against one another in a race to review articles as we’ve found that deadlines just create artificial delays. And lest you think we will accept any peer review regardless of content, all peer reviews are reviewed themselves, and those lacking in critical feedback and thoroughness are summarily rejected. The result is a median turnaround time of just 26 days from submission to publication. Cureus was created to disrupt the medical publishing industry, and judging by the journal’s incredible growth, it’s fair to say we are doing just that. With multiple revenue streams including editing fees, online advertising, sponsored publishing competitions and academic channel subscriptions, Cureus doesn’t rely on often unaffordable APCs, thereby ensuring that all authors, regardless of socioeconomic status, have the opportunity to publish. Cureus channels deserve special mention as the journal’s portfolio of channels has grown to include over 80 university and hospital departments, medical schools, and medical societies. Broadly speaking, channels are a branded section of the journal devoted to publishing, highlighting and promoting the scholarly output of channel organizations and their members. Channel administrators (“Channel Admins”) and curators (“Channel Curators”) take an active role in attracting and reviewing initial submissions and ensuring that journal guidelines are met and post-review revisions are made. Cureus journal editors will still review all submissions and requests for publication, appoint peer-reviewers, determine if authors have applied necessary changes, and remain the final authority on whether to publish or reject each and every channel article. It’s important to note that channels are not independent journals and the ultimate decision on whether to publish these articles resides not with the channel, but with the journal’s editors, who are empowered to act independently. We’d also like to highlight a relatively new addition to the journal, Cureus Collections. Collections feature guest editors vetted and approved by the journal. These guest editors determine whether articles already approved by Cureus journal editors are a good fit for inclusion in their collection. Approved articles will appear within the collection, while articles rejected by the Collection guest editors will still be published, just not in the designated collection. In accordance with our focus on equitable publishing, all articles submitted to Cureus, whether via a channel, competition, collection or none of the above, are subject to the same acceptance and publication criteria and standards. Speed of consideration, peer review and final editorial review and copy editing does not change due to the type of submission. Cureus will continue to challenge the established norms of academic publishing by focusing on equitable and efficient publication of credible and legitimate research and access for all, no matter their status. The journal’s growth is a testament to the need for this approach and we do not take it for granted. On behalf of the editors and staff of the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, we thank you for entrusting us with publishing your scholarly and clinical work. Updated on January 8, 2026

Jan 08, 2026