Bioethics: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0269-9702 · ISSN 1467-8519 · Wiley · Medicine

Half of the articles Bioethics accepted in 2025 were accepted within 270 days of submission (n = 109); the middle half took 210–348 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
270 days median
middle half 210–348 · n = 109
Acceptance → online
36 days median
middle half 23–51 · n = 109
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 269 → 270 days; 90% CI -35 to +37 days).
Open access · fees
Hybrid · ≈$4,550

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 Bioethics take to accept a paper?

days01202403604802020: middle half 132–366 days2122020n=862021: middle half 180–314 days2432021n=1212022: middle half 173–327 days2472022n=792023: middle half 193–349 days2692023n=992024: middle half 170–371 days2692024n=952025: middle half 210–348 days2702025n=109
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
20251092102703481.8%93%
2024951702693710.0%96%
2023991932693491.0%97%
2022791732473271.3%95%
20211211802433140.0%98%
2020861322123661.2%93%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 2% (2 articles)030–59 days: 3% (3 articles)3060–89 days: 3% (3 articles)6090–119 days: 4% (4 articles)90120–149 days: 1% (1 articles)120150–179 days: 6% (7 articles)150180–209 days: 6% (7 articles)180210–239 days: 11% (12 articles)210240–269 days: 14% (15 articles)240270–299 days: 11% (12 articles)270300–329 days: 7% (8 articles)300330–359 days: 10% (11 articles)330360+ days: 22% (24 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2921.8%
30–5932.8%
60–8932.8%
90–11943.7%
120–14910.9%
150–17976.4%
180–20976.4%
210–2391211.0%
240–2691513.8%
270–2991211.0%
300–32987.3%
330–3591110.1%
360+2422.0%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 36 days (middle half 23–51 days, n = 109).

From submission to online publication, the median was 313 days (middle half 248–398 days, n = 108).

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 $4,550 (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 504 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission1.8% of 2025 articles
Publication volume106 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+14% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsHealth Professions journalsGeneral Health Professions 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 Bioethics, 270 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Journal of Bioethical Inquiry154 (2025, n = 106)≈$4,590NoYes
Journal of Medical Ethics72 (2025, n = 191)NoYes
BMC Medical Ethics158 (2025, n = 208)$2,390$2,032 (15 payments)YesYes
Science and Engineering Ethics314 (2025, n = 50)≈$3,090NoYes
Nursing Inquiry116 (2025, n = 66)≈$4,720NoYes
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management96 (2025, n = 281)≈$4,760NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Bioethics take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Bioethics accepted in 2025 were accepted within 270 days of submission (n = 109); the middle half took 210–348 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Bioethics articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 36 days of acceptance (n = 109).

Does Bioethics charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $4,550 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0269-9702; NLM ID 8704792; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 109 articles accepted in 2025 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: accepted before received 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.