Academic publishing in Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems can be challenging for researchers who want to make their work freely accessible without taking on publication costs. Article Processing Charges can create an additional financial burden, particularly for PhD scholars, early career researchers, and independent academics.
As part of The Journal Selection Guide series, this week we focus on Diamond Open Access journals in AI and Intelligent Systems. Diamond Open Access journals operate without publication fees for authors and without subscription fees for readers, making research freely accessible on both sides of the publishing process.
For researchers looking for indexed publishing options, we identified nine venues associated with AI, intelligent systems, computer science, robotics, and related areas. The list below presents their indexing information and available performance metrics for 2026.
Open Access Journals Without Payment: AI and Intelligent Systems
All the venues presented below follow a Diamond Open Access model, meaning they require no publication fees from authors and no subscription fees from readers, according to the information compiled for this guide.
- Intelligent Computing
Focus Area: Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
CiteScore: 9.0
Best Quartile: Q1
Impact Factor JIF: 6.4
Intelligent Computing is relevant for research focused on artificial intelligence and computer vision. Its indexing in both Scopus and Web of Science makes it a potential venue for researchers working within these areas.
- Autonomous Intelligent Systems
Focus Area: Computer Science and Robotics and Autonomy
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
CiteScore: 8.2
Best Quartile: Q1
Impact Factor JIF: 4.71
Autonomous Intelligent Systems is focused on research involving intelligent systems, robotics, autonomy, and related areas of computer science.
- Artificial Intelligence Chemistry
Focus Area: Chemistry and Multidisciplinary AI in Chemistry
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
CiteScore: Not available
Best Quartile: Q1
Impact Factor JIF: 6.3
This journal is particularly relevant to interdisciplinary research connecting artificial intelligence with chemistry and related scientific applications.
- Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research JAIR
Focus Area: Artificial Intelligence in general
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
CiteScore: 8.3
Best Quartile: Q1
Impact Factor JIF: 4.0
The Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research covers general artificial intelligence research and may be relevant to researchers working across different AI topics.
- ADCAIJ
Focus Area: Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
CiteScore: Not available
Best Quartile: Q3
Impact Factor JIF: 1.6
ADCAIJ provides a publishing option for research within computer science and artificial intelligence.
- Inteligencia Artificial
Focus Area: Artificial Intelligence and Software
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
CiteScore: Not available
Best Quartile: Q4
Impact Factor JIF: 2.18
Inteligencia Artificial focuses on artificial intelligence and software-related research, making it relevant for studies connecting AI with software applications and development.
- Human-Centric Intelligent Systems
Focus Area: Human-Centric Computing and Artificial Intelligence
Indexing: Scopus
Web of Science: No
CiteScore: 11.5
Best Quartile: Q1
Impact Factor JIF: Not available
Human-Centric Intelligent Systems focuses on the intersection of human-centred computing and artificial intelligence. It may be particularly relevant for research examining intelligent technologies from a human-centred perspective.
- Advances in Engineering and Intelligent Systems
Focus Area: Engineering and Intelligent Systems
Indexing: Scopus
Web of Science: No
CiteScore: Not available
Best Quartile: Q2
Impact Factor JIF: Not available
This venue focuses on research combining engineering with intelligent systems and may be relevant to interdisciplinary work in these areas.
- Proceedings of the International FLAIRS Conference
Focus Area: Artificial Intelligence and conference proceedings
Indexing: Scopus
Web of Science: No
CiteScore: Not available
Best Quartile: Not available
Impact Factor JIF: Not available
The Proceedings of the International FLAIRS Conference provide a conference-proceedings route for research in artificial intelligence.
Understanding the Practical Differences
The presence of an indexed journal does not automatically mean that it is the right choice for every manuscript. Researchers should consider their research topic, the journal’s scope, indexing requirements, and the publication format before making a submission decision.
Intelligent Computing, Autonomous Intelligent Systems, Artificial Intelligence Chemistry, and Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research show Q1 as their best quartile in the information compiled for this guide and cover different areas ranging from computer vision and robotics to AI in chemistry and general artificial intelligence.
ADCAIJ and Inteligencia Artificial provide options within computer science, artificial intelligence, and software, with Q3 and Q4 listed respectively.
Human-Centric Intelligent Systems is particularly relevant to human-centric computing and AI, while Advances in Engineering and Intelligent Systems connects intelligent systems with engineering research.
Proceedings of the International FLAIRS Conference offer a conference-proceedings option focused on artificial intelligence.
Therefore, researchers should not select a venue based only on its quartile or impact factor. Research scope and suitability should remain the primary considerations.
What Researchers Should Check Before Submitting
Even when a journal follows a Diamond Open Access model, researchers should conduct their own verification before submitting a manuscript.
- Verify current indexing status
Indexing information can change over time. Check the journal or proceedings directly through the relevant Scopus and Web of Science databases to confirm its current status.
- Check the journal’s scope
Read the aims and scope carefully and review recently published papers. Your manuscript should have a clear connection with the topics covered by the journal.
- Confirm publication charges
Although the venues listed here are presented as Diamond Open Access with no publication fees, authors should always confirm the current author-fee policy on the official publication website before submission.
- Review author guidelines
Check manuscript formatting requirements, article types, word limits, referencing style, ethical requirements, and submission procedures before preparing your manuscript.
- Evaluate the publication route
Some entries are journals, while the Proceedings of the International FLAIRS Conference represent a conference-proceedings route. Researchers should ensure that the publication type meets their university, institution, funding body, or PhD requirements.
Final Thoughts
Diamond Open Access can provide an important alternative for researchers who want to publish their work without paying author publication charges while keeping their research accessible to readers.
The nine venues covered in this week’s guide span artificial intelligence, computer vision, robotics, chemistry, software, human-centric computing, engineering, and AI conference research. However, indexing, quartile information, metrics, fees, and submission policies can change.
The best journal is not necessarily the one with the highest metric. It is the one that matches your research scope, meets your institutional requirements, and provides a suitable and verified publishing pathway.
Disclaimer
Tholga is not affiliated with any of the journals or proceedings listed above and does not receive any remuneration from the publications mentioned. This initiative is intended solely to share factual information about indexed Diamond Open Access publishing venues.
Authors are advised to verify indexing status, quartile, impact metrics, publication fees, scope, and submission guidelines directly through Scopus, Web of Science, and the official publication websites before submitting.
