MDPI Journals — Are They Legitimate? A Balanced Assessment

Few publishers generate as much debate as MDPI. Ask ten senior academics and you will get ten different answers, ranging from "respectable publisher I use regularly" to "do not touch them". So the honest question — are MDPI journals predatory? — deserves a more careful answer than either camp usually provides.

Short answer: no, MDPI is not predatory in the Beall's List sense. It is an indexed, COPE-member, Switzerland-based publisher with over 400 journals, many of them in Scopus and Web of Science. But "not predatory" is not the same as "safe to submit to without thinking". Some MDPI journals are excellent. Some are flagged. Some sit uncomfortably in between. This post gives you the framework to tell the difference.

What MDPI Actually Is

MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with operations in China, Spain, Serbia, Romania, and elsewhere. It was founded in 1996 and now publishes around 450 peer-reviewed journals across sciences, engineering, medicine, and social sciences. In 2024 it published roughly 300,000 articles — more than any other academic publisher in the world.

That scale is both the source of MDPI's usefulness and the source of its criticism. The volume enables fast turnaround and broad coverage. It also means MDPI has attracted sustained criticism over questionable special issues, short review windows, and aggressive editor recruitment. Both things are true simultaneously.

The Case For MDPI

When researchers defend MDPI, they typically cite these points, and the points are factually correct.

1. It is genuinely indexed

Roughly 270 MDPI journals are indexed in Scopus and a significant subset in Web of Science. A paper in MDPI's Sensors, Nutrients, Sustainability, or IJERPH (before its delisting) counts for almost all university requirements that specify "Scopus-indexed" or "SCIE-indexed".

2. Peer review happens

Unlike classical predatory publishers, MDPI runs real peer review with real external reviewers. Reviewer reports are sometimes published alongside articles. The issue is not absence of review — it is the speed and depth of that review, which varies dramatically from journal to journal.

3. It is COPE-compliant

MDPI is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), both of which require baseline ethical standards. It also participates in CrossRef, Portico, and Sherpa/RoMEO — the infrastructure legitimate publishers participate in.

4. Fast turnaround

MDPI's average review time is roughly 40 days, compared to 120+ days at many traditional publishers. For researchers under deadline pressure — PhD submission, promotion deadlines, tenure packages — this matters.

The Case Against MDPI

1. Special issues dominate

Most MDPI papers are published in "special issues" with externally invited guest editors. The quality control of these issues varies hugely. Some are rigorous; others serve as volume-filling exercises. The guest editor may be a junior researcher with limited editorial experience, and reviewer selection may be informal.

2. Short review windows

MDPI asks reviewers to return reports in 10 days. This is too short for serious evaluation of a substantive paper. Reviews are often correspondingly brief. When you publish with MDPI, you are trading depth of review for speed — know that you are making that trade.

3. Specific journals have been delisted

Several MDPI journals have lost Scopus or Web of Science indexing in the last three years, including flagship titles like IJERPH (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health), which was discontinued by Scopus in 2023. Delisting is a serious signal. Always verify indexing status before submission — see our guide on how to check current Scopus indexing.

4. Perception effects

Some hiring committees and grant panels view MDPI publications with suspicion, regardless of their formal indexing status. This is unfair to the good MDPI journals but real in its consequences. Senior colleagues in your field are the best guide to local perception.

Which MDPI Journals Are Currently Credible?

The honest answer: it depends on discipline, and the list changes. Below is a snapshot of commonly-targeted MDPI journals as of early 2026. Always re-verify before submitting — indexing status can change quarterly.

This is an illustrative sample, not an endorsement. Status can change between when this is published and when you submit. The only safe habit is verification at submission time, not at reading time.

Five Criteria Before You Submit to Any MDPI Journal

If you are considering MDPI, work through these five checks. They take ten minutes and prevent almost every reputational regret.

1. 1

   Verify current Scopus indexing

   Search the specific journal on scopus.com/sources. Confirm it is not flagged "discontinued". Do this today, not last month.

2. 2

   Check the specific special issue

   Most MDPI papers go through special issues. Look up the guest editor's credentials, institution, and publication record. A reputable guest editor is a positive signal about the reviewing.

3. 3

   Read three recent papers

   Pick three papers from the journal's last three months. Read the abstracts and introductions. If the quality is comparable to work in your field's mainstream journals, that is reassuring. If papers feel thin or off-topic, it is not.

4. 4

   Check your institution's stance

   Some universities have informal lists of MDPI journals they do or do not count for promotion. Ask a senior colleague or your research office. This is the single most important check — a paper that does not count is not worth the APC.

5. 5

   Calculate the true APC

   MDPI APCs range from around $1,500 to $3,000 depending on the journal. Factor in any institutional discount, not the headline rate. For a walk-through of how to think about APCs, see our complete APC guide.

So, Should You Submit to MDPI?

The answer is: it depends on the specific journal, your specific paper, and your institution's specific expectations. For a clean empirical paper in a currently-indexed MDPI journal with a reputable guest editor, the answer is often yes — the combination of speed, indexing, and open access delivery is genuinely valuable. For a theoretical paper, a paper with borderline scope fit, or any paper where your institution is cool on MDPI, the answer shifts toward a traditional publisher.

The question "are MDPI journals predatory?" is the wrong one. The right question is: "Is this specific MDPI journal currently indexed, well-run, and accepted by my institution?" If you can answer yes to all three, the publisher name does not matter. If any answer is no, choose differently.

For the broader context on spotting journal risks, read our pillar guide on how to identify predatory journals, and for understanding quartile rankings, see what Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 actually mean.