Anyone who's finished an AI paper and opened a blank "where do I submit this" search knows the problem isn't a shortage of options โ it's the opposite. Artificial intelligence journals now cover everything from broad machine learning theory to narrow sub-fields like federated learning or medical imaging, and they range wildly in indexing status, cost, and how long you'll actually wait to hear back. Prestige alone doesn't tell you much. Fit does.
This guide walks through what actually separates a solid journal of artificial intelligence from a shaky one, compares the titles researchers ask about most, and answers the specific questions people type in right before they hit submit.
Before comparing individual titles, it helps to know what separates a credible artificial intelligence journal from a predatory one, because the field has attracted more than its share of the latter.
Signs worth checking, in order of how much time they take:
None of these checks take more than fifteen minutes combined, and running them before submission is far less painful than discovering a problem after acceptance.
Indexing follows the paper for years. Where a paper is indexed decides who finds it, how it's counted toward degrees and promotions, and whether citation tools like Google Scholar and Scopus track it accurately. This isn't uniform across countries:
Open access vs. subscription is no longer a purely personal choice for a lot of researchers. Open-access journals publish under licenses like CC BY 4.0, meaning anyone can read the paper without a subscription โ usually funded by an Article Processing Charge. Subscription journals often skip the author fee but restrict who can read the final version. UKRI, Germany's Plan S commitments, and France's ANR now effectively require open-access publication for funded work, and Indian and US funders are moving the same direction. Check grant terms before assuming there's a free choice here.
Review speed varies more than people expect โ anywhere from six weeks to over a year, publisher to publisher. If a paper is tied to a graduation deadline, a grant reporting cycle, or a job market timeline, ask directly for average time-to-first-decision rather than a generic "average review time" figure, which publishers sometimes report more favorably than what authors actually experience.
ISSN 2582-9793. Open access under CC BY 4.0, six issues a year, covering AI, machine learning, deep learning, NLP, and computer vision. AAIML lists itself as indexed in both Scopus and the Web of Science Core Collection โ worth confirming directly against Scopus Preview and Clarivate's Master Journal List before submitting, standard practice for any journal regardless of how it's marketed. The journal states a peer review commitment of 6โ10 weeks from initial submission, on the faster end for an indexed title in this space. Its editorial board includes faculty affiliated with the University of Cincinnati, Harvard Medical School, Tunghai University, and the University of Toronto. The journal also states that manuscripts identified as AI-generated are rejected without review.
Submit a manuscript ยท Author guidelines
What is the best artificial intelligence journal to publish in? There isn't a single "best" โ it depends on your priorities. For researchers who want fast, open-access, indexed publication, AAIML is one to look at directly, with a stated 6โ10 week review commitment. For maximum prestige regardless of speed or cost, AIJ or Nature Machine Intelligence carry more institutional weight. For no-fee publication, JMLR and JAIR stand out.
Which AI journals are indexed in Scopus? AIJ, JMLR, Neural Networks, Pattern Recognition, and Nature Machine Intelligence are well-established Scopus-indexed titles. AAIML lists Scopus and Web of Science indexing on its own site as well โ worth confirming on Scopus Preview directly, since CiteScore and quartile rankings update annually and self-reported figures can lag or vary.
How long does peer review take for AI journals? It ranges widely. AAIML states a 6โ10 week commitment. Larger, more selective journals like Nature Machine Intelligence typically take several months. Always check a journal's own stated timeline rather than assuming a standard.
Are open-access AI journals as credible as subscription journals? Yes, when the journal is properly indexed and peer-reviewed. Open access describes a licensing and distribution model, not a quality tier โ the credibility markers (verifiable indexing, a real editorial board, a transparent review process) apply the same way regardless of access model.
Do I need Scopus or Web of Science indexing to publish AI research? Not to publish, but for most academic evaluation โ PhD requirements in India, REF scoring in the UK, DFG/ANR compliance in Germany and France โ indexed journals are effectively required. Confirm a journal's indexing status directly through Scopus Preview or Clarivate's Master Journal List before submitting, rather than relying on a journal's own claims.
Narrowing down a submission for an artificial intelligence journal comes down to three questions: is it indexed where your institution requires, does its access model match your funding terms, and can you live with its review timeline. Run the legitimacy checks above on any journal under consideration โ the fifteen minutes it takes is worth it against months of review time. AAIML, JAIR, AIJ, JMLR, and Nature Machine Intelligence each answer those three questions differently, and the right one depends on which tradeoff matters most for a given paper.
Read AAIML's author guidelines ยท Submit your manuscript to AAIML