Publisher profile

BMJ Publishing Group

Medical and health journals with detailed author policies and different specialist audiences.

Overview

Clinical medicine, public health and health research

BMJ Open covers medical and healthcare research, including methods, health services and studies with negative results. BMJ Global Health addresses research relevant to global-health researchers, clinicians, policymakers and practitioners. A submission should explain which of these audiences needs the findings and why, rather than relying on “health” as a sufficient scope match.

BMJ’s author-policy hub brings together research ethics, patient consent, data sharing, competing interests and correction procedures. For medical studies, these requirements belong in the submission package from the start. The publisher’s licensing guidance also notes exceptions for journals published on behalf of other organisations, so check the title-specific agreement before signing.

Publishing model: Fully open-access and hybrid journals
Subject coverage: Clinical medicine, public health and health research
Journal directory: Browse publisher’s journals
Sources checked: 13 November 2026

The assessment

What the rating tells you.

Read our methodology

Safe & Trusted

The publisher is classified as Safe & Trusted in our directory. This is a positive publisher-level assessment. The next step is to confirm that the particular journal meets your research, funding and institutional requirements.

How the assessment is formed

Our evaluation framework considers peer review, editorial credibility, transparency, publishing ethics, indexing and researcher feedback. The overall rating and category are recorded here; a criterion-by-criterion score breakdown is not included in this record.

A rating is not a guarantee of a journal’s suitability or of a particular publication outcome. Check policies at the journal level and confirm claims at their source.

Submit evidence for re-evaluation

Publishing practices
to examine.

Read the sources for each assessment area. Checked 13 November 2026. These summaries describe published policies and verification steps; they do not recalculate the directory rating.

Assessment areaWhat to look forPublisher policies and sources

Editorial accountability

Named editors, relevant affiliations and a clear way to contact the editorial office.

BMJ’s policy hub identifies editorial responsibilities and expectations of independence. Journal pages supply the names and contact details for the team responsible for decisions.Editor roles and author policies

Peer review

A documented review model, reviewer selection and a process for editorial decisions.

BMJ Open describes open peer review. Do not infer that the same disclosure or reviewer-anonymity arrangement applies to every BMJ title.BMJ Open review model BMJ peer-review terms

Indexing and discoverability

The exact journal title and ISSN in the index itself; coverage dates and current status.

Check the exact journal title, ISSN and coverage dates in the database required by your institution. Inclusion of one title does not establish coverage for the publisher’s other journals.Publisher journal catalogue How to verify indexing

Fees and business model

A complete fee schedule, payment timing, waivers and any additional publication charges.

OA publication charges vary by title. Check the journal’s current price, waiver rules and institutional agreement rather than using the rate for The BMJ as a portfolio-wide price.Publication charges and waiver links

Copyright and licensing

The publishing agreement, author rights and a licence that meets your funder’s requirements.

Authors normally retain copyright while granting a publication licence. Some society journals and employer categories use different arrangements; consult the agreement listed for the title.Copyright and author licences Open-access licences

Ethics and corrections

Policies on authorship, competing interests, misconduct, appeals, corrections and retractions.

BMJ distinguishes corrections, retractions and expressions of concern. Report factual errors to the journal and preserve the information needed to assess their effect on the published findings.Correction and retraction policies

Digital preservation

A named preservation service and a clear long-term access policy.

Portico has a publisher record with linked journal holdings. Check the exact title and the content received or committed there; publisher participation alone does not establish complete coverage of every journal and year.Publisher record and holdings at Portico

Selected journals.
Different audiences.

These examples illustrate the publisher’s range; they are not its complete catalogue. Follow each journal’s page for current scope, editorial information and submission requirements.

Browse publisher’s journal directory

BMJ Open

Medical and healthcare research using a broad range of study designs. Its published process describes open peer review; consult the author guidance for the chosen article type.

Explore journal

BMJ Global Health

Open-access global-health scholarship for researchers, policymakers, funders, clinicians and frontline workers. Explain the relevance of the work to this international readership.