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 $370 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 19,000 articles in 2023. 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. Peer reviewers suggested by the authors or invited by channel admins or editors will assist in strengthening the article by providing valuable additional feedback, but these reviews do not count towards the minimum requirement to satisfy peer review.

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.

Academic 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 editors (“Deputy Editors”) 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.

As 2024 draws to a close, 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.