The Cureus Journal of Medical Science was removed from the Web of Science index on October 27, 2025. As a result, Cureus no longer receives a Journal Impact Factor (JIF). Cureus has since tightened its published standards, added new integrity screening, and planned an independent review of its published articles. Cureus becomes eligible to reapply for Web of Science indexing in October 2027.
Why was Cureus removed from Web of Science?
Clarivate, the company behind Web of Science, regularly re-evaluates indexed journals against its quality criteria. In its decision, Clarivate pointed to how Cureus' aims and scope defined article credibility: “confirming the absence of fatal scientific and methodological flaws.” Clarivate considered that standard too low for the Web of Science Core Collection.
What has Cureus changed since the delisting?
A higher standard. Cureus updated its aims and scope to emphasize that every submission undergoes detailed editorial assessment and independent peer review to verify scientific rigor and methodological soundness.
Citation integrity screening. Cureus partnered with Digital Science to screen every submission in order to detect unusual self-citation patterns in submitted research. Flagged articles receive an additional editorial review before any decision is made. Cureus is now expanding this screening beyond self-citations to assess whether every reference in a submission is relevant and appropriate.
Public integrity policies (released in early 2026). The Cureus Research Integrity page explains how Cureus investigates suspected misconduct and handles post-publication review, corrections, and retractions.
Peer review improvements. Peer reviewers must now list their subspecialty and research keywords to facilitate more precise matching with submissions in their area of expertise. Editors can also flag and reject peer reviews that do not meet Cureus standards.
More editors, more oversight. Cureus has brought on many new associate editors, and our editorial staff is notified of each new associate editor’s articles so they can monitor their work.
Clear AI policy. Cureus published an AI policy that defines which uses of AI are permitted, which require verification and disclosure, and which are not permitted, for authors, peer reviewers, and editors. Compliance is strictly monitored by our editorial staff and management.
Industry participation. Cureus joined STM, the international association of scholarly, scientific, and medical publishers.
What Cureus continues to do to combat academic misconduct
Correcting the record. Since 2009, Cureus has retracted 253 articles, or 0.2% of all articles published.
Plagiarism screening. Cureus continues to screen every submission with iThenticate before review.
Following industry standards. Maintaining membership in COPE and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and following ICMJE guidelines.
Will Cureus reapply to Web of Science?
Cureus becomes eligible to reapply for Web of Science indexing in October 2027. Clarivate's standard policy places a two-year waiting period on delisted journals before they can be re-evaluated, and that period starts from the October 2025 decision (Clarivate policy). Cureus plans to reapply once eligible.
What does this mean for Cureus authors?
Journal Impact Factor. The most recent JIF for Cureus is the 2024 JIF of 1.3 (2-year and 5-year), and it applies to 2024 only. Cureus will not receive new JIFs while it is not listed in the Web of Science.
Articles already published. Cureus articles published from January 2018 through September 2024 remain indexed in Web of Science.
Other indexing. Cureus remains indexed in PubMed and archived in PubMed Central and Europe PMC, so all new articles will be discoverable to clinicians and researchers worldwide through PubMed and Google Scholar, the two most used search platforms for medical research.
Peer review credit. Reviewers can still add completed Cureus peer reviews to their Web of Science profiles manually.
The path forward
Losing Web of Science indexing is a setback, and Cureus is responding with concrete changes rather than reassurances. The Cureus mission stays the same: efficient, affordable, independently peer-reviewed publishing that clinicians can apply to improve patient outcomes, backed by Springer Nature's research integrity standards.
To see the policies behind every article Cureus publishes, visit the Research Integrity page.
Frequently asked questions
Where else is Cureus indexed?
Beyond PubMed and PubMed Central, Cureus articles are indexed in Google Scholar, Dimensions, EBSCO, ProQuest, Scilit, CNKI, and Baidu Scholar. Abstracts by Japanese authors also appear in CiNii. Cureus assigns every peer-reviewed article a Crossref DOI. See the full list of partners on the Cureus Partnerships page.
How does peer review work at Cureus?
Every article submitted to Cureus needs at least two completed reviews from independent peer reviewers invited by the journal. Reviewers from the same institution as an author can't review that author's article. Specialist editors make the final decision. Learn more in the Cureus Reviewer Guide.
How can I report a concern about a published Cureus article?
Contact the Cureus editorial team through the Research Integrity page. Cureus investigates concerns under COPE guidelines, which can include post-publication peer review and contacting the authors' institutions. Outcomes can include a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction.
How can I track the reach of my Cureus article without a JIF?
Cureus focuses on article-level metrics, including reads, downloads, and citations, as a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). Readers can also rate articles using the Scholarly Impact Quotient (SIQ), the Cureus post-publication rating system. See more on the About Cureus page.
This post was drafted with AI assistance and edited by our team before publishing.
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