Best open-access journals for Education

1. 1
   The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning

   5.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Athabasca University Press

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
2. 2
   Australasian Journal of Educational Technology

   4.4 cites/paper · Q1 · Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
3. 3
   CBE—Life Sciences Education

   3.7 cites/paper · Q1 · American Society for Cell Biology

   Open AccessScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
4. 4
   Education Sciences

   3.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
5. 5
   Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice

   3.5 cites/paper · Q1 · University of Wollongong

   Open AccessScopusWeb of Science
6. 6
   Online Learning

   3.2 cites/paper · Q1 · Online Learning Consortium

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
7. 7
   Cogent Education

   3.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
8. 8
   Physical Review Physics Education Research

   3.1 cites/paper · Q1 · American Physical Society

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
9. 9
   Frontiers in Education

   2.8 cites/paper · Q1 · Frontiers Media

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
10. 10
    Teoría de la Educación Revista Interuniversitaria

    2.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
11. 11
    Social Sciences & Humanities Open

    2.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV

    Open AccessDOAJScopusPubMed
12. 12
    Arab World English Journal

    1.4 cites/paper · Q1 · Arab World English Journal

    Open AccessScopusWeb of Science
13. 13
    Revista Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado Continuación de la antigua Revista de Escuelas Normales

    0.5 cites/paper · Q1 · University of Murcia

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
14. 14
    Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales Niñez y Juventud

    4.4 cites/paper · Q2 · Universidad de Manizales

    Open AccessDOAJScopus
15. 15
    Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education

    2.4 cites/paper · Q2 · Modestum Limited

    Open AccessScopus
16. 16
    Discover Education

    2.1 cites/paper · Q2 · Springer Science+Business Media

    Open AccessDOAJScopusPubMed
17. 17
    European Journal of Educational Research

    2.0 cites/paper · Q2 · RU Publications

    Open AccessScopus
18. 18
    AJP Advances in Physiology Education

    1.9 cites/paper · Q2 · American Physical Society

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
19. 19
    International Journal of Information and Education Technology

    1.8 cites/paper · Q2 · International Journal of Information and Education Technology

    Open AccessScopusPubMed
20. 20
    Journal of Baltic Science Education

    1.7 cites/paper · Q2 · Scientia Socialis Ltd

    Open AccessScopusWeb of Science
21. 21
    International Journal of Learning Teaching and Educational Research

    1.6 cites/paper · Q2 · Tresorix Ltd

    Open AccessScopus
22. 22
    Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education

    1.5 cites/paper · Q2 · Anadolu University

    Open AccessScopusWeb of ScienceTR-Dizin
23. 23
    Pedagogia Social Revista Interuniversitaria

    1.0 cites/paper · Q2 · Sociedad Iberoamericana de Pedagogía Social

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
24. 24
    Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education

    1.0 cites/paper · Q2 · American Society for Microbiology

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
25. 25
    Education Policy Analysis Archives

    0.9 cites/paper · Q2 · Arizona State University

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
26. 26
    The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education

    0.8 cites/paper · Q2 · Cambridge University Press

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
27. 27
    Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología

    0.8 cites/paper · Q2 · Konrad Lorenz Fundación Universitaria

    Open AccessScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
28. 28
    Educar

    0.7 cites/paper · Q2 · Autonomous University of Barcelona

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
29. 29
    Revista Española de Pedagogía

    0.6 cites/paper · Q2 · International University of La Rioja

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
30. 30
    Estudios sobre Educación

    0.6 cites/paper · Q2 · University of Navarre

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
31. 31
    The Australian journal of teacher education

    0.4 cites/paper · Q2 · Edith Cowan University

    Open AccessScopusWeb of Science
32. 32
    Cadernos de Pesquisa

    0.3 cites/paper · Q2 · Fundação Carlos Chagas

    Open AccessDOAJScopusPubMed
33. 33
    Российский психологический журнал

    0.3 cites/paper · Q2

    Open AccessDOAJScopus
34. 34
    Educação & Realidade

    0.1 cites/paper · Q2 · Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

    Open AccessDOAJScopusPubMed
35. 35
    Knygotyra

    0.1 cites/paper · Q2 · Vilnius University Press

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
36. 36
    South African Journal of Education

    9.6 cites/paper · Q3 · Education Association of South Africa

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
37. 37
    Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology

    1.4 cites/paper · Q3 · Canadian Network for Innovation in Education

    Open AccessDOAJScopus
38. 38
    Multidisciplinary Reviews

    1.3 cites/paper · Q3

    Open AccessScopus
39. 39
    TEM Journal

    1.2 cites/paper · Q3 · UIKTEN

    Open AccessScopusWeb of Science
40. 40
    International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE)

    1.1 cites/paper · Q3 · Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science (IAES)

    Open AccessScopus

“Cites/paper” is the OpenAlex 2-year citation rate — a transparent signal, not a licensed Impact Factor. Many regional and open-access journals are strong but aren’t covered by Scimago, so they show “no Scimago quartile”; that’s a coverage gap, not a quality judgement.