BMC Immunology: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1471-2172 · BioMed Central · Immunology and Microbiology

Half of the articles BMC Immunology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 112 days of submission (n = 114); the middle half took 80–160 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
112 days median
middle half 80–160 · n = 114
Acceptance → online
26 days median
middle half 12–42 · n = 114
Change since 2023
Faster than 2023: the median fell from 189 to 112 days (90% CI -107 to -47 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $3,190

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 BMC Immunology take to accept a paper?

days0751502253002020: middle half 104–215 days1512020n=642021: middle half 103–246 days1652021n=762022: middle half 106–227 days1672022n=622023: middle half 127–263 days1892023n=552024: middle half 83–228 days1272024n=802025: middle half 80–160 days1122025n=114
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
2025114801121600.0%0%
202480831272280.0%0%
2023551271892630.0%0%
2022621061672271.6%0%
2021761031652460.0%0%
2020641041512150.0%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 14% (16 articles)3060–89 days: 19% (22 articles)6090–119 days: 22% (25 articles)90120–149 days: 13% (15 articles)120150–179 days: 18% (20 articles)150180–209 days: 6% (7 articles)180210–239 days: 1% (1 articles)210240–269 days: 1% (1 articles)240270–299 days: 0% (0 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (2 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (0 articles)330360+ days: 4% (5 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–591614.0%
60–892219.3%
90–1192521.9%
120–1491513.2%
150–1792017.5%
180–20976.1%
210–23910.9%
240–26910.9%
270–29900.0%
300–32921.8%
330–35900.0%
360+54.4%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 26 days (middle half 12–42 days, n = 114).

From submission to online publication, the median was 143 days (middle half 105–193 days, n = 114).

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

Open access (listed in DOAJ). Listed APC: $3,190 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,644 per article (2023–2025, 5 reported payments in OpenAPC; converted from euros at yearly ECB average rates).

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 DOAJYes (DOAJ record)
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025Yes
Retractions1 retracted article among 384 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (2.60 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2025 articles
Publication volume108 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+32% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Immunology and Microbiology journalsMedicine journalsImmunology 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 BMC Immunology, 112 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Journal of Immunology Research156 (2025, n = 74)$3,110YesYes
Immunology119 (2025, n = 153)≈$5,330NoYes
The Journal of Immunology145 (2025, n = 363)≈$3,500NoYes
Immunologic Research96 (2025, n = 142)≈$2,890NoYes
Immunology Letters136 (2025, n = 101)≈$3,290NoYes
Seminars in Immunology82 (2025, n = 51)≈$4,370NoYes
Immunology and Cell Biology130 (2025, n = 50)≈$3,750NoYes
International Immunology93 (2025, n = 61)≈$3,530NoYes
Clinical & Experimental Immunology160 (2025, n = 90)≈$3,816NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does BMC Immunology take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles BMC Immunology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 112 days of submission (n = 114); the middle half took 80–160 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are BMC Immunology articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 26 days of acceptance (n = 114).

Does BMC Immunology charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $3,190 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1471-2172; NLM ID 100966980; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 114 articles accepted in 2025 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: none.

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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.