BMJ Open Respiratory Research: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2052-4439 · BMJ · Medicine

Half of the articles BMJ Open Respiratory Research accepted in 2025 were accepted within 234 days of submission (n = 217); the middle half took 162–316 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
234 days median
middle half 162–316 · n = 217
Acceptance → online
29 days median
middle half 23–38 · n = 217
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 157 to 234 days (90% CI +52 to +102 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · ≈$3,223

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

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How long does BMJ Open Respiratory Research take to accept a paper?

days0901802703602020: middle half 50–117 days762020n=1222021: middle half 59–172 days1092021n=1482022: middle half 59–126 days902022n=1042023: middle half 118–224 days1572023n=1542024: middle half 132–284 days1892024n=1902025: middle half 162–316 days2342025n=217
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
20252171622343164180.5%0%
20241901321892840.0%0%
20231541181572240.0%0%
202210459901264.8%0%
2021148591091721.4%22%
202012250761172.5%98%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 1% (3 articles)030–59 days: 1% (3 articles)3060–89 days: 3% (7 articles)6090–119 days: 6% (14 articles)90120–149 days: 9% (20 articles)120150–179 days: 11% (23 articles)150180–209 days: 8% (17 articles)180210–239 days: 12% (25 articles)210240–269 days: 7% (15 articles)240270–299 days: 11% (24 articles)270300–329 days: 9% (20 articles)300330–359 days: 7% (15 articles)330360+ days: 14% (31 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2931.4%
30–5931.4%
60–8973.2%
90–119146.5%
120–149209.2%
150–1792310.6%
180–209177.8%
210–2392511.5%
240–269156.9%
270–2992411.1%
300–329209.2%
330–359156.9%
360+3114.3%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 29 days (middle half 23–38 days, n = 217).

From submission to online publication, the median was 273 days (middle half 197–356 days, n = 217).

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: 2,390 GBP (about $3,223 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,778 per article (2023–2025, 9 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 805 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 volume220 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+26% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsPulmonary and Respiratory 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 BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 234 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
BMC Pulmonary Medicine122 (2025, n = 608)$3,190$2,314 (8 payments)YesYes
ERJ Open Research83 (2025, n = 370)≈$1,725$610 (47 payments)YesNo
The Clinical Respiratory Journal206 (2025, n = 94)$2,430YesYes
Open Respiratory Archives66 (2025, n = 60)$2,060YesNo
Respiratory Medicine117 (2025, n = 540)≈$3,630NoYes
Respirology130 (2025, n = 133)≈$4,330NoYes
European Respiratory Journal154 (2025, n = 120)$2,542 (5 payments)NoYes
Thorax169 (2025, n = 163)NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does BMJ Open Respiratory Research take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles BMJ Open Respiratory Research accepted in 2025 were accepted within 234 days of submission (n = 217); the middle half took 162–316 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are BMJ Open Respiratory Research articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 29 days of acceptance (n = 217).

Does BMJ Open Respiratory Research charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: 2,390 GBP (about $3,223 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2052-4439; NLM ID 101638061; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 217 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.