AMBIO: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0044-7447 · ISSN 1654-7209 · Springer Science+Business Media · Environmental Science

Half of the articles AMBIO accepted in 2025 were accepted within 171 days of submission (n = 191); the middle half took 115–234 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
171 days median
middle half 115–234 · n = 191
Acceptance → online
37 days median
middle half 28–48 · n = 192
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 182 → 171 days; 90% CI -33 to +11 days).
Open access · fees
Hybrid · ≈$4,490

Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026

Plan submissions to a deadline — free

How long does AMBIO take to accept a paper?

days0751502253002020: middle half 98–221 days1582020n=1532021: middle half 132–263 days1772021n=1632022: middle half 138–227 days1762022n=1172023: middle half 139–238 days1822023n=1302024: middle half 146–270 days1902024n=1292025: middle half 115–234 days1712025n=191
Line = median; shaded box = middle half of articles (25th–75th percentile). Year of acceptance.
Days from submission to acceptance, by year of acceptance
YearArticles (n)25th pctMedian75th pct90th pctAccepted <14 daysHave a revised date
20251911151712340.5%99%
20241291461902700.8%100%
20231301391822380.0%100%
20221171381762270.0%100%
20211631321772630.0%100%
2020153981582210.0%100%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 1% (2 articles)030–59 days: 4% (7 articles)3060–89 days: 8% (15 articles)6090–119 days: 16% (31 articles)90120–149 days: 10% (20 articles)120150–179 days: 15% (28 articles)150180–209 days: 13% (24 articles)180210–239 days: 9% (17 articles)210240–269 days: 10% (20 articles)240270–299 days: 5% (10 articles)270300–329 days: 3% (5 articles)300330–359 days: 1% (2 articles)330360+ days: 5% (10 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2921.0%
30–5973.7%
60–89157.9%
90–1193116.2%
120–1492010.5%
150–1792814.7%
180–2092412.6%
210–239178.9%
240–2692010.5%
270–299105.2%
300–32952.6%
330–35921.0%
360+105.2%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 37 days (middle half 28–48 days, n = 192).

From submission to online publication, the median was 211 days (middle half 153–273 days, n = 191).

Read these numbers carefully

  • These times describe articles the journal accepted. Rejected manuscripts never appear in public data, so they cannot tell you how long a rejection takes.
  • Dates are the ones the publisher deposited with PubMed. Some publishers record the date a revised manuscript arrived as the submission date, which makes review look faster.
  • Invited articles and special issues can move faster than regular submissions.

Open access status and publishing fees

Hybrid (subscription journal with an open-access option). Listed APC: about $4,490 (as reported by OpenAlex).

OpenAPC has fewer than 5 reported payments for this journal in 2023–2025, so no typical amount is shown.

Many journals waive or reduce fees for authors from eligible countries or institutions with publishing agreements — check with the journal and your library.

Integrity and indexing signals

Facts from public records, shown without judgement. See the methodology for why each can be worth a closer look.

Listed in DOAJNo
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025Yes
Retractions0 retracted articles among 777 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.5% of 2025 articles
Publication volume191 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+42% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Environmental Science journals

Similar journals — faster or cheaper, side by side

Journals publishing on the most similar topics (OpenAlex), ordered by similarity. Only 2025 figures are compared with the 2025 median of AMBIO, 171 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Environmental Management145 (2025, n = 259)≈$2,690NoYes
Conservation Biology250 (2025, n = 232)≈$3,400NoYes
Ecological Applications218 (2025, n = 182)≈$3,970NoYes
Nature Ecology & Evolution231 (2025, n = 172)≈$12,690$12,315 (5 payments)NoYes
Journal of Environmental Management118 (2025, n = 4,279)≈$3,750$3,756 (9 payments)NoYes
Global Change Biology116 (2025, n = 630)≈$4,550NoYes
Carbon Balance and Management159 (2025, n = 103)$1,990YesNo
Ecology and Evolution133 (2025, n = 1,999)$2,700$2,015 (82 payments)YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does AMBIO take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles AMBIO accepted in 2025 were accepted within 171 days of submission (n = 191); the middle half took 115–234 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are AMBIO articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 37 days of acceptance (n = 192).

Does AMBIO charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $4,490 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0044-7447; NLM ID 0364220; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 191 articles accepted in 2025 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: no received date 1.

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Data sources. Submission, acceptance and publication dates: Courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed, entries through Sep 15, 2026). NLM does not endorse Journal Clock, and these figures may not reflect the most current PubMed data. Journal fees and open-access listing: DOAJ (CC0, retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Fees paid by institutions: OpenAPC (Open Database License, retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Retractions: Retraction Watch Database via Crossref (retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Journal identifiers and topics: OpenAlex (CC0). Currency conversion: ECB reference rates (Sep 15, 2026). How these numbers are calculated · For organisations.