Basics

Q: What is Upstreamed?

A: Upstreamed is the first platform that empowers clinicians and researchers to launch their own peer-reviewed medical journals, grow a subscriber base, and earn income from their work. With AI tools, instant publishing, peer review, analytics, and verified credibility — you own your audience, your data, and your impact.

Q: Who is Upstreamed for?

A: Clinicians, researchers, scientists, and healthcare professionals ready to share knowledge, build professional recognition, and earn revenue — without traditional gatekeeping.

Q: What problems does Upstreamed solve?

A: It eliminates publishing delays, opaque peer review, profit-extracting journals, and lack of content control. Upstreamed lets you publish faster, reach more people, and get paid.

Q: How does Upstreamed compare to ResearchGate, Substack, or traditional journals?

A: Upstreamed offers Substack-style monetization, ResearchGate-style collaboration, and traditional journal credibility — all under your control. Verified credentials, optional double-blind peer review, and real-time analytics set it apart.

Q: Can I publish with or without peer review?

A: Yes. You can publish instantly, or choose to submit your work for double-blind peer review first if you want the added credibility.

Q: How fast is peer review?

A: Peer-reviewed content can be published in as little as 3 days — up to 97% faster than traditional journals.

Q: Is Upstreamed free to use?

A: Yes. The Basic plan is free. Paid plans offer more posts, features, and monetization tools.

Features & Functionality

Q: How does peer review work on Upstreamed?

A: Verified users may opt to submit content for double-blinded peer review. Reviewers are matched by profession and specialty. At least 3 qualified reviewers must accept and score your post for it to earn the “Peer-Reviewed” badge. No fees, no bias — and you can publish before or after review.

Q: Is there a fee to publish or get peer reviewed?

A: No. Upstreamed charges no publication or peer review fees.

Q: What is my personal Impact Factor?

A: It’s your reputation score — like a journal’s Impact Factor, but for individuals. It tracks peer-reviewed work, citations, engagement, subscriber growth, and endorsements.

Q: Can I collaborate with co-authors?

A: Yes. Verified users on paid plans can invite co-authors to contribute, comment, and share credit and Impact Factor.

Q: How does anonymous posting work?

A: Paid, verified users can post anonymously. Your identity is hidden from the public, though visible to admins. Profession and specialty remain visible. Total anonymity is not guaranteed.

Q: What is a Key Opinion Leader on Upstreamed?

A: KOLs are top professionals ranked by Impact Factor, peer-reviewed publications, endorsements, and engagement. They are distinguished contributors and community leaders.

Subscribers, Monetization & Payments

Q: How do subscriptions work?

A: You set your price ($10–$100/month or $100–$1000/year). Readers subscribe to your journal. You earn directly, minus a small platform fee (5–8%). We use Stripe Connect for secure payments and payouts.

Q: How do I get paid?

A: Upstreamed uses Stripe Connect Express for automatic payouts (usually weekly or monthly).

Q: Can I manage my subscribers?

A: Yes. You can view subscriber data, track growth and revenue, and export email lists.

Q: What analytics are available?

A: You get dashboards for subscribers, citations, revenue, post performance, and email analytics.

Q: How do Boosts (Promotions) work?

A: Boosts promote your post to a targeted audience. Choose impressions, monitor reach and engagement, and grow your audience faster. Any user can boost any post (except anonymous ones). Boosts are non-refundable and continue until impressions are delivered.

Q: Can I limit access to certain subscriber tiers for all types of posts?

A: Subscriber targeting is currently available only for Articles and Cases. These post types typically involve deeper insights, clinical reasoning, or original content — making them ideal for monetization.

Discussions, questions, and surveys are designed to be open formats that foster community engagement, peer collaboration, and visibility. That’s why they are not restricted by subscriber tier.

This approach helps you: build trust and grow your audience through open interactions and monetize your highest-value content when you’re ready.

Subscription Plans

Basic (Free)

5 posts/month
100 subscribers
No AI, endorsements, or anonymous posting
Limited reference/survey tools

Creator ($19/month)

15 posts/month
2,500 subscribers
AI tools, analytics, verification
Anonymous posting, revenue dashboard, endorsements

Expert ($39/month)

30 posts/month
Unlimited subscribers
Full analytics, priority support, KOL badge eligibility
More AI credits, advanced publishing tools

Privacy, Security & Verification

Q: Is verification required?

A: Not yet. But it’s required for peer review, co-authorship, and anonymous posting — and may become required for all users in the future.

Q: Is my data secure?

A: Yes. We use modern encryption, 2FA, and Stripe’s secure payment system. We never sell or share your data.

Q: How is my anonymity protected?

A: Admins retain identity access for moderation and safety. Users see only your profession and specialty.

Q: Who can become verified?

A: Licensed clinicians and credentialed researchers with proof of professional status. Government ID and certification may be required.

Referral Program

A: If you refer another clinician, researcher, or expert who starts earning subscription revenue on Upstreamed, you earn 10% of Upstreamed’s platform fee from their revenue — for their first 12 months.

Example: If your referral earns $10,000, Upstreamed takes a 7% fee ($700), and you receive $70.

You keep 100% of your own earnings, and your referral rewards come from Upstreamed’s share — never from the creator’s payout.

Q: Do I need to do anything to get paid?

A: Yes — you’ll need to connect your Upstreamed account to Stripe (via Stripe Connect Express) to receive payouts.

This takes just a few minutes and ensures you can receive referral earnings securely and directly.

Q: How do I refer someone?

A: Share your unique referral link (like upstreamed.com/signup?ref=yourID). When someone signs up using your link and starts earning, you automatically start earning too.

You can find and copy your referral link from your dashboard.

Q: Where can I track referrals and earnings?

A: In your referral dashboard, you’ll see:

How many creators you’ve referred
How much you’ve earned
Time remaining on each referral’s 12-month window
Your rank on the Uplink List (our referral leaderboard)

Q: How long do referral earnings last?

A: You earn for 12 months from the moment your referral begins earning on Upstreamed.

There’s no cap on how many creators you can refer.

Support, Apps & Social

Is there a mobile app?

Not yet. We’re building native apps. Upstreamed is fully optimized for desktop (best on Chrome).

How can I get help?

Email [email protected]. We typically respond within 48 hours.