Academic publishing in healthcare and medicine can involve significant publication costs, particularly when researchers choose Open Access routes that require Article Processing Charges. For PhD scholars, early career researchers, and independent academics, these costs can become an additional consideration when planning where to submit their work.
As part of The Journal Selection Guide series, this week we focus on Diamond Open Access journals in Healthcare and Medicine. Diamond Open Access journals operate without publication fees for authors and without subscription fees for readers, allowing research to remain accessible without placing publication charges on authors.
For researchers looking for indexed publishing options, we identified eight venues covering areas such as oncology, medical physics, pain medicine, public health, toxicology, tropical medicine, and medical imaging. The list below presents their indexing information, available metrics, and subject areas for 2026.
Open Access Journals Without Payment: Healthcare and Medicine
All the venues presented below operate on 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.
- Journal of the Egyptian National Cancer Institute
Focus Area: Oncology and Cancer Research
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
Impact Factor JIF: 2.2
CiteScore: 3.2
Best Quartile: Q3
The Journal of the Egyptian National Cancer Institute focuses on oncology and cancer research, making it relevant for researchers working on cancer-related studies and associated medical research.
- Journal of Medical Physics
Focus Area: Medical Physics, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Radiation Oncology
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
Impact Factor JIF: 0.9
CiteScore: 1.3
Best Quartile: Q3
This journal is relevant to research involving medical physics and its applications in areas such as radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiation oncology.
- Pain Medicine
Focus Area: Pain Medicine, Anesthesiology, and Pain Management
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
Impact Factor JIF: 4.0
CiteScore: 6.6
Best Quartile: Q1
Pain Medicine covers research related to pain management, pain medicine, and anesthesiology, making it relevant to researchers working on clinical and interdisciplinary studies in these areas.
- Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology
Focus Area: Occupational and Environmental Health and Toxicology
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
Impact Factor JIF: 1.6
CiteScore: 3.0
Best Quartile: Q3
This journal focuses on occupational and environmental health and toxicology, providing a relevant publishing venue for research examining workplace health, environmental exposure, and toxicological concerns.
- Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences
Focus Area: General Medicine, Health Sciences, and Public Health
Indexing: Scopus
Impact Factor JIF: Not available
CiteScore: 2.9
Best Quartile: Q2
The Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences covers a broad range of health sciences, including general medicine and public health, making it relevant to multidisciplinary healthcare research.
- Journal of Vector Borne Diseases
Focus Area: Vector-Borne Diseases, Parasitology, and Tropical Medicine
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
Impact Factor JIF: 1.2
CiteScore: 2.1
Best Quartile: Q3
This journal is focused on vector-borne diseases and related areas such as parasitology and tropical medicine.
- Imaging Akadémiai Kiadó
Focus Area: Medical Imaging, Radiology, and Nuclear Medicine
Indexing: Scopus and Web of Science
Impact Factor JIF: 1.0
CiteScore: 0.5
Best Quartile: Q4
Imaging is relevant to researchers working in medical imaging, radiology, nuclear medicine, and related diagnostic applications.
- Public Health and Toxicology
Focus Area: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, and Toxicology
Indexing: Scopus
Impact Factor JIF: Not available
CiteScore: 1.7
Best Quartile: Q3
This journal covers research across public health, environmental health, occupational health, and toxicology.
Understanding the Practical Differences
The healthcare and medicine journals listed in this guide cover different research areas. Therefore, researchers should consider the specific subject and scope of their manuscript when evaluating potential publication venues.
Journal of the Egyptian National Cancer Institute focuses on oncology and cancer research, while Journal of Medical Physics covers medical physics and related applications in radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiation oncology.
Pain Medicine focuses on pain medicine, anesthesiology, and pain management. Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology addresses occupational and environmental health as well as toxicology.
For broader healthcare research, Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences covers general medicine, health sciences, and public health.
Researchers working in infectious diseases, parasitology, and tropical medicine may consider the subject coverage of the Journal of Vector Borne Diseases. Meanwhile, Imaging Akadémiai Kiadó focuses on medical imaging, radiology, and nuclear medicine.
Public Health and Toxicology brings together research areas including public health, environmental and occupational health, and toxicology.
These differences highlight why journal selection should be based on research scope and subject relevance, rather than relying on a single metric.
What Researchers Should Check Before Submitting
Even when a journal follows a Diamond Open Access model, researchers should carefully evaluate the publication venue before submitting their manuscript.
- Verify Current Indexing and Metrics
Indexing status and journal metrics can change over time. Researchers should verify the current information through the relevant Scopus and Web of Science databases before submission.
- Check the Journal’s Scope
Read the journal’s aims and scope carefully and review recently published articles. Your manuscript should align clearly with the research areas covered by the journal.
- Confirm Publication Fees
The journals featured in this guide are presented as Diamond Open Access venues with no publication fees. However, authors should confirm the current fee policy directly on the official journal website before submitting.
- Review Author Guidelines
Check manuscript requirements, article types, formatting instructions, ethical policies, referencing style, and submission procedures before preparing your manuscript.
- Consider Your Institutional Requirements
If your university, research institution, or funding body requires specific indexing, quartile status, or publication types, verify that the journal meets those requirements before submission.
Final Thoughts
Diamond Open Access provides researchers with a publishing model where authors can publish without publication charges while readers can access the research without subscription fees.
The eight venues featured in this week’s guide cover a broad range of healthcare and medical research, including oncology, medical physics, pain medicine, toxicology, public health, tropical medicine, and medical imaging.
However, journal metrics alone should not determine where you submit your manuscript. Researchers should consider subject fit, journal scope, indexing status, institutional requirements, publication policies, and the current fee structure before making a submission decision.
Disclaimer
Tholga is not affiliated with any of the journals 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 for researchers.
Authors are advised to verify indexing status, impact metrics, publication fees, scope, and submission guidelines directly through Scopus, Web of Science, and the official journal websites before submitting.
