BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2052-1847 · BioMed Central · Medicine

Half of the articles BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation accepted in 2025 were accepted within 120 days of submission (n = 460); the middle half took 83–184 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
120 days median
middle half 83–184 · n = 460
Acceptance → online
23 days median
middle half 16–41 · n = 460
Change since 2023
Faster than 2023: the median fell from 154 to 120 days (90% CI -50 to -18 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $3,090

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 Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation take to accept a paper?

days0751502253002020: middle half 122–223 days1632020n=732021: middle half 103–194 days1452021n=1652022: middle half 98–209 days1412022n=2092023: middle half 105–218 days1542023n=1882024: middle half 87–211 days1262024n=2442025: middle half 83–184 days1202025n=460
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
2025460831201842530.0%0%
2024244871262113020.0%0%
20231881051542180.0%0%
2022209981412092830.0%2%
20211651031451941.2%0%
2020731221632232.7%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (1 articles)030–59 days: 8% (35 articles)3060–89 days: 22% (102 articles)6090–119 days: 20% (91 articles)90120–149 days: 15% (71 articles)120150–179 days: 8% (36 articles)150180–209 days: 10% (44 articles)180210–239 days: 5% (22 articles)210240–269 days: 4% (20 articles)240270–299 days: 2% (9 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (7 articles)300330–359 days: 2% (7 articles)330360+ days: 3% (15 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2910.2%
30–59357.6%
60–8910222.2%
90–1199119.8%
120–1497115.4%
150–179367.8%
180–209449.6%
210–239224.8%
240–269204.3%
270–29992.0%
300–32971.5%
330–35971.5%
360+153.3%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 23 days (middle half 16–41 days, n = 460).

From submission to online publication, the median was 150 days (middle half 111–218 days, n = 460).

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: $3,090 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,581 per article (2023–2025, 8 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 2025None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead)
Retractions1 retracted article among 1,231 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.81 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2025 articles
Publication volume437 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+76% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsOrthopedics and Sports Medicine 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 Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation, 120 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Sports Medicine - Open273 (2025, n = 153)$4,390$3,561 (12 payments)YesNo
Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology44 (2025, n = 480)≈$1,956$1,881 (10 payments)YesNo
Sports41 (2025, n = 476)≈$2,200$1,856 (38 payments)YesNo
Journal of Sports Science and Medicine68 (2025, n = 85)≈$1,800$2,165 (15 payments)NoYes
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports112 (2025, n = 180)≈$4,550NoYes
Journal of science and medicine in sport175 (2025, n = 154)≈$3,720NoYes
European Journal of Sport Science220 (2025, n = 204)$2,950YesYes
International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance145 (2025, n = 207)NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation accepted in 2025 were accepted within 120 days of submission (n = 460); the middle half took 83–184 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 23 days of acceptance (n = 460).

Does BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $3,090 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2052-1847; NLM ID 101605016; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 460 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.