BMC Plant Biology: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1471-2229 · BioMed Central · Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Half of the articles BMC Plant Biology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 104 days of submission (n = 1,992); the middle half took 72–161 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
104 days median
middle half 72–161 · n = 1,992
Acceptance → online
21 days median
middle half 12–34 · n = 1,993
Change since 2023
Faster than 2023: the median fell from 135 to 104 days (90% CI -36 to -25 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 Plant Biology take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 112–217 days1552020n=5772021: middle half 96–199 days1372021n=5862022: middle half 93–183 days1252022n=5942023: middle half 94–184 days1352023n=6642024: middle half 75–175 days1092024n=1,2692025: middle half 72–161 days1042025n=1,992
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
20251,992721041612570.0%0%
20241,269751091752870.0%0%
2023664941351842490.0%0%
2022594931251832570.0%0%
2021586961371992790.0%0%
20205771121552172930.2%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 1% (13 articles)030–59 days: 13% (263 articles)3060–89 days: 26% (509 articles)6090–119 days: 20% (404 articles)90120–149 days: 12% (236 articles)120150–179 days: 8% (161 articles)150180–209 days: 5% (100 articles)180210–239 days: 4% (74 articles)210240–269 days: 3% (51 articles)240270–299 days: 3% (50 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (30 articles)300330–359 days: 1% (20 articles)330360+ days: 4% (81 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–29130.7%
30–5926313.2%
60–8950925.6%
90–11940420.3%
120–14923611.8%
150–1791618.1%
180–2091005.0%
210–239743.7%
240–269512.6%
270–299502.5%
300–329301.5%
330–359201.0%
360+814.1%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 21 days (middle half 12–34 days, n = 1,993).

From submission to online publication, the median was 132 days (middle half 96–191 days, n = 1,992).

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 $2,803 per article (2023–2025, 26 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
Retractions0 retracted articles among 5,047 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2025 articles
Publication volume1,945 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+55% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Agricultural and Biological Sciences journalsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology journalsPlant Science journalsMolecular Biology 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 Plant Biology, 104 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Plant Direct158 (2025, n = 89)$3,120YesNo
Molecular Horticulture195 (2025, n = 58)$2,600YesNo
The Plant Journal139 (2025, n = 640)≈$5,450NoYes
Horticulture Research121 (2025, n = 328)$2,960$2,978 (7 payments)YesNo
Molecular Plant105 (2025, n = 223)≈$5,000NoYes
Plant Communications153 (2025, n = 260)$3,500$2,619 (8 payments)YesYes
Frontiers in Plant Science70 (2025, n = 3,153)≈$3,850$3,264 (256 payments)YesNo
Plant Physiology and Biochemistry94 (2025, n = 1,367)≈$3,990NoYes
Journal of Integrative Plant Biology97 (2025, n = 264)≈$3,000NoYes
Plant Science105 (2025, n = 476)≈$3,760NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does BMC Plant Biology take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles BMC Plant Biology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 104 days of submission (n = 1,992); the middle half took 72–161 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are BMC Plant Biology articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 21 days of acceptance (n = 1,993).

Does BMC Plant Biology charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $3,190 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1471-2229; NLM ID 100967807; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 1,992 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.