Research Journals in Malaysia: MyCite & Scopus

Need a list of journals in Malaysia? Universities across the country put out many well-regarded titles, and a number of them are covered by Scopus and Web of Science. Here you will find major journals together with their publisher, discipline and reported indexing, an explanation of MyCite and MyJurnal, and steps for checking any journal. The guide serves researchers based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; Johor Bahru, Malaysia; Penang, Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and elsewhere. Always read a journal's own aims and scope page before deciding where to send a manuscript.

Scholarly Publishing in Malaysia

Public research universities such as Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Malaya are the country's main journal publishers, generally working through presses such as UPM Press and Penerbit USM. Some of their titles are covered by Scopus and Web of Science, among them the Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, the Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science (SSCI) and Sains Malaysiana (SCIE).

A national citation service is operated by the Ministry of Higher Education. MyCite, the Malaysian Citation Index, gathers bibliographic and citation records for Malaysian journals and issues a Malaysian Journal Citation Report, while journals enter the system through MyJurnal. Staff and postgraduate students are often expected to publish in indexed journals, whether Scopus, Web of Science or MyCite, though the precise requirement varies between universities and programmes. Keep a note of the exact wording your faculty uses so you can match it against each journal.

Malaysian Research Journals: A List

Each journal below is issued in Malaysia by a university, society or research body that can be identified. The “reported coverage” column gives what the journal or its publisher says about itself, so check any indexing claim in Scopus Sources or the Master Journal List prior to submitting.

Reviewed on 4 October 2026 against each journal's site or publisher. It is a starting point for Malaysian researchers and neither ranks journals nor lists all of them.

Online Journal Platforms and Directories to Use

Turn to MyCite and MyJurnal for Malaysian journals and their citation figures, and compare against international directories. Send your manuscript through the journal's own website.

Malaysia's Research Centres

Research universities in Malaysia cluster around the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor and East Malaysia. The cities below are home to leading universities and their journals.

Picking the Right Journal

Choose a journal from your own needs, not from a list. Ask for written confirmation of what your university or funder accepts, shortlist journals with recent papers like yours, and read their author instructions before formatting anything. Having a fallback journal saves weeks if the first rejects the paper. Record each journal's scope statement as you go.

Fees and Affordable Options

A lot of Malaysian university journals ask for no fee, or only a modest processing charge in ringgit, whereas others levy APCs that can be higher for international authors. Read the journal's official fee statement, and see what it covers, before you submit. Save a copy of that page so you have a record of the terms you agreed to.

Pay only after a genuine acceptance, pay only through the official university or publisher channel, and ask about waivers. By way of comparison, JMVRA's fee for foreign authors is $41 USD, due only after acceptance and covering up to five authors.

The complete comparison method is set out in our guide to low-cost journal publication, useful in Malaysia and elsewhere, together with how a low-fee journal covers its costs.

Checking a Journal Step by Step

• Look up the ISSN register entry and confirm the title matches word for word.
• Check that each editorial board member exists and genuinely works at the named institution.
• The journal should name its peer-review type and back it with real reviewer reports.
• Verify any indexing claim on your own through Scopus Sources or the Master Journal List.
• Do not make any payment ahead of a genuine acceptance.

Checklist Before You Submit a Manuscript

1. Journal vettedScope, requirement and indexing all checked
2. Template matchedLayout, citation format and length
3. Similarity scan doneSources all cited, self-citation included
4. Ethics dealt withApproval, consent and conflicts disclosed openly
5. Author details spelled rightNames and affiliations as meant to be shown
6. Cover letter in handReasons this paper is suited to this journal

Practical Tips for Malaysian Academics Publishing in Journals

Malaysian universities place real weight on research output, so careful planning matters. These suggestions emphasise efficient teamwork, sound reporting and respect for the conventions of each journal you consider.

• Define roles inside the research group. Assign who drafts, who analyses and who checks references before writing begins. Clear roles stop duplicated effort and ensure the final manuscript reads with one consistent voice.
• Use reporting guidelines for your design. Many study types have recognised checklists for what to report. Following the relevant one improves completeness and reassures reviewers that nothing important has been left out.
• Write abstracts that stand alone. State the problem, method, main result and implication without abbreviations the reader must look up. Many readers and screening tools judge your paper from the abstract alone.
• Proofread for mixed-language slips. Authors who switch between Malay and English can leave inconsistent spellings or terms. Read the final draft slowly, or have a colleague do so, to catch these slips.
• Respond to reviewers point by point. Number each comment, quote it, then explain exactly what changed and where. Polite, organised replies help editors reach a decision quickly even when you disagree.

Organise your team, follow reporting checklists and answer reviewers courteously and point by point to move each paper forward.

Questions Researchers Often Ask

Summary and What to Do Next

Malaysia offers solid university journals alongside a national citation system. Use MyCite, Scopus and Web of Science in combination, check every journal, and pick by fit and by what you need.

1. Get your institution to state in writing what its publication requirement is.
2. Pick journals from the table for a shortlist, then read their current articles.
3. For help with checking indexing, use this companion guide covering Scopus and Web of Science journals from Malaysia.
4. Prepare the manuscript in the journal's template and submit it at the journal's own website.

References and Sources

Checked on 4 October 2026. Indexing, fees and policies can change, so check them again before submitting.

• MyCite — Malaysian Citation Index
• MyJurnal — About
• Sains Malaysiana
• Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences
• Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science
• Kajian Malaysia
• Scopus Sources
• Clarivate Master Journal List
• ISSN Portal