Verify current indexing
Search the journal on Scopus Sources and in Clarivate's Master Journal List. Confirm coverage is current, not discontinued. Do this on the day you submit.
A source-checked look at one of the largest open-access publishers: how its journals are indexed, how fast its review runs, and how to decide whether your paper belongs in one.
Are MDPI journals predatory? No, not in the usual sense of the word. MDPI runs external peer review, is a member of COPE and OASPA, and hundreds of its journals are covered by Scopus and Web of Science. But "not predatory" is not the same as "safe to submit to without checking", and the evidence below shows why each journal has to be judged on its own.
MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) is a Basel-based open-access publisher whose journals are indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, but whose quality and reputation vary from one journal to the next. Every figure in this guide comes from a named source, listed at the end, and each one was rechecked on 1 October 2026.
The specific journal is currently covered by Scopus or Web of Science, its scope clearly matches your paper, and your institution counts it.
The journal has been removed from Scopus or Web of Science, your paper only fits a broad scope umbrella, or your institution's list rates it low.
MDPI says it has supported academic communities since 1996 and is based in Basel, Switzerland. It lists offices in China, the USA, Spain, Serbia, the UK, Japan, Romania, Canada, Poland, Singapore, Thailand and South Korea (MDPI, About).
As of October 2026, MDPI lists 536 peer-reviewed journals plus 9 conference journals. In 2025 it published 261,576 peer-reviewed articles from more than 669,000 submissions, according to its own 2025 annual report release.
That scale explains both sides of the debate. It allows fast turnaround and wide subject coverage. It has also drawn steady criticism over special issues, short review windows and very high output in some titles.
MDPI's own Scopus list shows 371 of its journals currently covered by Scopus (checked 1 October 2026). In the June 2026 Journal Citation Reports, 330 MDPI journals received an Impact Factor (MDPI, June 2026). A paper in a currently indexed MDPI journal meets most requirements that ask for "Scopus-indexed" or "SCIE-indexed" work.
MDPI journals use external reviewers. Authors can choose open peer review, in which case the review reports are published with the paper, and reviewers may sign them with their permission. The real question is not whether review happens, but how deep it goes, and that varies by journal.
MDPI journals are listed as COPE members, and MDPI AG is an OASPA member. MDPI also states that it works with DOAJ, Crossref, STM, ALPSP and ORCID, and that its content is archived in CLOCKSS and the Swiss National Library.
MDPI reports a publisher-wide median first decision of under 18 days for papers published in the first half of 2026. By journal, the median was about 15 to 18 days in Applied Sciences, Nutrients, Energies, Sustainability and Sensors, and about 28 days in Behavioral Sciences. Researchers facing a thesis or promotion deadline often value that speed.
If your institution's rule is simply "publish in a Scopus or SCI-indexed journal", an MDPI journal that is currently indexed meets that rule. The exceptions are institutions or national lists that rate MDPI journals separately, covered below.
A peer-reviewed study of publishing growth found that 88% of MDPI articles in 2022 appeared in special issues (Hanson et al., 2024, Quantitative Science Studies). Special issues are run by guest editors, so the standard of review depends heavily on who is editing that issue.
MDPI's reviewer guidelines say reviewers are generally given 7 to 10 days to submit a report, and about three days for a revised manuscript. That is short for a complex paper, so reviews can be brief. When you publish with MDPI, you are often trading some depth of review for speed.
In February 2023, Clarivate removed IJERPH (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health) and the Journal of Risk and Financial Management from Web of Science, citing content outside the journals' scope. MDPI appealed the IJERPH decision, and Clarivate upheld it in June 2023 (MDPI announcement). IJERPH is still covered by Scopus and PubMed, so it counts for Scopus-based rules but no longer has an Impact Factor.
Scopus has acted too. It discontinued MDPI's mathematics journal Axioms as of 2023, although SCImago now shows Scopus coverage again from 2025 and MDPI lists it as covered. Scopus also paused indexing of Sustainability for re-evaluation in late 2023 before deciding to continue coverage. Indexing can change, so always confirm status on the day you submit. See our guide on how to check current Scopus indexing.
Some hiring panels and national lists treat MDPI papers with caution, whatever their indexing. Finland's Publication Forum (JUFO), for example, moved MDPI and Frontiers journals it could not recommend without reservation to level 0 from the start of 2025 (JUFO). If your career is judged against a list like this, it matters more than the indexing badge.
Here is the current status of seven MDPI journals that researchers often ask us about. The quartiles are the ones MDPI shows on each journal's homepage, which is usually the journal's best subject category. Other categories can rank lower.
| Journal | Indexing | Quartile shown |
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Scopus, SCIE | JCR Q2 · CiteScore Q1 |
| Sustainability | Scopus, SCIE, SSCI | JCR Q2 · CiteScore Q1 |
| Nutrients | Scopus, SCIE | JCR Q1 · CiteScore Q1 |
| Behavioral Sciences | Scopus, SSCI | JCR Q1 |
| Applied Sciences | Scopus, SCIE | JCR Q2 · CiteScore Q1 |
| Energies | Scopus, SCIE | CiteScore Q1 |
| IJERPH | Scopus, PubMed | Removed from Web of Science (2023) |
Source: each journal's MDPI homepage, checked 1 October 2026. This is a status snapshot, not an endorsement. Recheck on the day you submit.
A PhD candidate in comparative education had faced repeated editorial and desk rejections. After repositioning the paper and targeting a special issue on AI and educational psychology in Behavioral Sciences (MDPI), the manuscript was accepted after a single revision round, about eleven weeks after submission. The publisher was not the problem. Journal and scope fit was.
Read the full case study →If you are considering MDPI, work through these five checks. They take about ten minutes and prevent most regrets.
Search the journal on Scopus Sources and in Clarivate's Master Journal List. Confirm coverage is current, not discontinued. Do this on the day you submit.
Look up the guest editors' institutions and publication records. A well-known guest editor is a good sign for the review you will receive.
Pick three papers from the last three months. If they match the standard of mainstream journals in your field, that is reassuring. If they feel thin or off-topic, it is not.
Some universities and national systems keep their own lists. Ask your research office or a senior colleague. A paper that does not count for your evaluation is not worth submitting there.
MDPI charges an article processing charge that differs by journal. Check the journal's current APC page and any institutional agreement or discount before you submit. Our complete APC guide explains how to plan for it.
Fast-turnaround journals suit well-scoped, data-driven papers best. Speed rewards a clean results story. It does not rescue an under-developed argument.
It depends on the specific journal, your paper and your institution's rules. For a clear empirical paper in a currently indexed MDPI journal with a strong guest editor, the answer is often yes. The mix of speed, indexing and open access can be valuable. For a theory-heavy paper, a borderline scope fit, or an institution that rates MDPI low, a traditional subscription or society journal may serve you better.
So "are MDPI journals predatory?" is the wrong question. The better question is: "Is this specific MDPI journal currently indexed, well run and accepted by my institution?" If all three answers are yes, the publisher's name matters far less.
For the wider picture, read our pillar guide on how to identify predatory journals, and see what Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 actually mean.
MDPI is not a predatory publisher in the usual sense. It runs external peer review, is a member of COPE and OASPA, and hundreds of its journals are covered by Scopus and Web of Science. Quality still varies from journal to journal, so each journal should be checked on its own.
Yes. Clarivate removed IJERPH from Web of Science in February 2023, so it no longer receives an Impact Factor, but the journal is still covered by Scopus and PubMed.
MDPI asks reviewers to return reports within 7 to 10 days. For papers published in the first half of 2026, journals such as Sensors, Sustainability, Nutrients and Applied Sciences reported a median first decision of about 15 to 18 days after submission.
No. Most indexing-based requirements are met by an indexed MDPI journal, but some national and institutional lists rate MDPI journals lower. Finland's Publication Forum, for example, moved many MDPI journals to level 0 from 2025. Always check your own institution's list.
Enter the journal's name and website in our Predatory Journal Checker, or ask our team to review your shortlist with you.
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