A major update in the academic publishing world is shaking up researchers and editors alike. The Finnish Publication Forum (JUFO) has announced that 271 journals, including many from MDPI and Frontiers, will be downgraded to Level 0 beginning in 2025. This means these journals will no longer be recognized as meeting the minimum standards of academic publishing within JUFO’s evaluation framework.
Among the downgraded titles, 123 journals are in the field of biomedical sciences, raising particular concern within that research community.
The Publication Forum (JUFO) is a national evaluation system developed by the Finnish academic community. It is designed to assess the quality and impact of research publications and plays a key role in research funding, institutional evaluations, and academic career advancement in Finland.
JUFO assigns journals, book publishers, and conference proceedings to four quality levels:
Level 3: Top-tier, internationally leading publications
Level 2: High-level, well-regarded publications
Level 1: Recognized academic publications that meet the basic standards
Level 0: Do not meet JUFO’s basic academic criteria
Journals are reviewed by discipline-specific expert panels, considering factors such as peer review, editorial board qualifications, and scholarly impact. JUFO updates its rankings regularly to reflect the evolving academic landscape.
Although JUFO has not published detailed reasons for each downgrade, the widespread demotion suggests concerns over:
Editorial and peer-review quality
Publication transparency
Sustainability of academic integrity amid rapid expansion
Disciplinary relevance and scholarly contribution
It’s worth noting that JUFO’s decisions are not based solely on impact factors. Instead, evaluations emphasize editorial processes, review rigor, and expert consensus.
Yes. Publishers or editorial boards may submit a level change proposal to request reclassification to Level 1 or higher. However, JUFO requires strong academic justification, not just impact factor metrics. Proposals are reviewed periodically by the relevant expert panels.
No. While a majority of their journals are affected, 16 MDPI titles and 22 Frontiers journals remain at Level 1, indicating they still meet JUFO’s minimum academic standards. These exceptions demonstrate that quality varies even within a single publisher’s portfolio.
This decision has significant implications for researchers, especially those affiliated with Finnish institutions or collaborating internationally:
Articles published in Level 0 journals may no longer count toward institutional evaluations or research funding metrics in Finland.
Researchers may need to reconsider submission strategies, especially in fields like biomedicine where many affected journals are concentrated.
The downgrade raises broader questions about publication ethics, editorial standards, and the scalability of open access mega-journals.
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