Publication Guide
The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) is the definitive US professional society for radiology, founded in 1915 and headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. Its publishing program is small but exceptionally influential: six peer-reviewed journals, anchored by Radiology (est. 1923), the field's flagship research title, and RadioGraphics (est. 1981), the leading education journal in diagnostic imaging. Since 2019 RSNA has added three subspecialty titles - Radiology: Artificial Intelligence, Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, and Radiology: Imaging Cancer - and in 2024 launched Radiology Advances, a fully open-access journal published on the Oxford Academic platform.
If you work in medical imaging, imaging AI, or image-guided intervention, RSNA journals are among the highest-visibility venues available. This guide covers which title fits your paper, what open access costs, how peer review works, and how to submit.
Which RSNA journal fits your paper?
| You're most likely to... | Choose this journal |
|---|---|
| Have clinically relevant original imaging research with broad impact | Radiology - the flagship; the highest-impact general radiology journal (JIF around 17.6 in the current JCR) and the most selective RSNA title. |
| Be writing an educational review, pictorial essay, or teaching-focused piece | RadioGraphics - RSNA's education journal, closely tied to RSNA annual meeting educational exhibits. |
| Work on machine learning, deep learning, or informatics in imaging | Radiology: Artificial Intelligence - a leading medical-AI venue with a JIF around 20 in the current JCR. |
| Study cardiac, vascular, or thoracic imaging | Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging - the subspecialty title for heart, vessel, and chest imaging. |
| Focus on cancer imaging, screening, or treatment-response assessment | Radiology: Imaging Cancer - the interdisciplinary cancer-imaging title. |
| Need a fully open-access journal to satisfy a funder mandate | Radiology Advances - RSNA's Gold-OA journal, published with Oxford University Press; APC $3,625 with OUP waiver and Read & Publish coverage. |
What RSNA publishes
Six peer-reviewed journals, all in radiology and medical imaging:
- Radiology (1923) - original clinical research across all imaging modalities; the most-cited general radiology journal.
- RadioGraphics (1981) - education-focused reviews and pictorial essays for practicing radiologists and trainees.
- Radiology: Artificial Intelligence (2019) - AI, machine learning, and informatics applied to imaging.
- Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging (2019) - cardiac, vascular, and thoracic imaging.
- Radiology: Imaging Cancer (2019) - cancer screening, staging, and imaging-guided treatment.
- Radiology Advances (2024) - fully open access, multidisciplinary imaging research with a focus on emerging topics; hosted on Oxford Academic.
RSNA also runs the RSNA annual meeting (the world's largest radiology conference), and its journals frequently publish special collections tied to it.
Open access & fees
RSNA's five core journals are subscription/hybrid titles with an optional Gold OA route; only Radiology Advances is fully open access.
| Route | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Gold OA (core five titles) | $3,500 per article | CC BY 4.0 or CC BY-NC-ND 4.0; immediate free access; RSNA Full Access members get a 15% discount. |
| Radiology Advances (fully OA) | $3,625 per article | Published with OUP; CC BY or CC BY-NC; LMIC discounts per OUP waiver policy; covered by OUP Read & Publish deals. |
| Green OA | $0 | Deposit the accepted manuscript in your institutional repository after a 12-month embargo; RSNA retains copyright. |
| Subscription (no OA) | $0 | Standard route. Content becomes publicly available after 12 months; Radiology and RadioGraphics articles stay free for 4 years before moving to paid Legacy Collections. |
NIH-, HHMI-, and Wellcome-funded articles are deposited to PubMed Central automatically and made free after a 12-month embargo; choose Gold OA if your funder requires immediate access. RSNA also signs institutional Read & Publish agreements (Stanford, Oxford, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, UT Southwestern, and others) that cover CC BY publication for corresponding authors - check with your library, and always confirm current fees on the RSNA open-access policy page.
Peer review
RSNA journals use single-anonymized peer review: reviewers know author identities, authors do not know reviewers. Editorial standards are strict - Radiology in particular is known for rigorous statistical review and detailed reporting requirements (STARD, CLAIM for AI studies, and related checklists). Works submitted under OA licenses go through exactly the same peer review, editorial, and production process as subscription-route papers.
How to submit
- Pick the journal using the decision table above; scope notes live on each journal's page at pubs.rsna.org.
- Read the author instructions for your title - manuscript types, word limits, and required reporting checklists differ by journal.
- Format your manuscript. RSNA journals use AMA-style numbered references; SciSpace templates for RSNA titles can handle formatting automatically.
- Submit via ScholarOne Manuscripts (mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rsna) for the five core titles; Radiology Advances submits through its own Oxford Academic portal.
- Request OA at submission if you want Gold OA - there's a question in the submission form; the $3,500 APC is invoiced only after acceptance.
Ethics and integrity
RSNA is a COPE member and its journals follow COPE guidance on authorship, corrections, and retractions. AI-in-imaging papers face additional transparency requirements (CLAIM checklist, code and data availability statements). Image manipulation, duplicate submission, and undisclosed conflicts of interest are grounds for rejection or retraction. Copyright transfers to RSNA on the subscription and Green routes; Gold OA authors retain copyright under the chosen Creative Commons license.
