Brain and Spine: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2772-5294 · Elsevier BV · Medicine

Half of the articles Brain and Spine accepted in 2025 were accepted within 86 days of submission (n = 265); the middle half took 64–122 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
86 days median
middle half 64–122 · n = 265
Acceptance → online
1 days median
middle half 0–3 · n = 264
Change since 2023
Faster than 2023: the median fell from 98 to 86 days (90% CI -24 to -0 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $1,950

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 Brain and Spine take to accept a paper?

days045901351802022: middle half 58–124 days762022n=1012023: middle half 67–141 days982023n=1322024: middle half 42–128 days762024n=2262025: middle half 64–122 days862025n=265
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
202526564861221681.5%96%
2024226427612820312.8%74%
202313267981415.3%87%
202210158761243.0%88%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 3% (8 articles)030–59 days: 16% (43 articles)3060–89 days: 32% (86 articles)6090–119 days: 21% (55 articles)90120–149 days: 12% (33 articles)120150–179 days: 6% (17 articles)150180–209 days: 3% (9 articles)180210–239 days: 2% (5 articles)210240–269 days: 2% (5 articles)240270–299 days: 0% (1 articles)270300–329 days: 0% (1 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (1 articles)330360+ days: 0% (1 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2983.0%
30–594316.2%
60–898632.5%
90–1195520.8%
120–1493312.5%
150–179176.4%
180–20993.4%
210–23951.9%
240–26951.9%
270–29910.4%
300–32910.4%
330–35910.4%
360+10.4%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 1 day (middle half 0–3 days, n = 264).

From submission to online publication, the median was 89 days (middle half 66–125 days, n = 265).

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: $1,950 (DOAJ).

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 DOAJYes (DOAJ record)
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead)
Retractions1 retracted article among 710 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (1.41 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission1.5% of 2025 articles
Publication volume269 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+28% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsSurgery 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 Brain and Spine, 86 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
The Spine Journal141 (2025, n = 230)≈$4,980NoYes
North American Spine Society Journal (NASSJ)60 (2025, n = 119)$2,240YesNo
European Spine Journal127 (2025, n = 838)≈$2,790NoYes
Neurospine72 (2025, n = 69)$400YesNo
Journal of Neurosurgery Spine135 (2025, n = 205)NoYes
Spine66 (2025, n = 365)NoYes
Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society92 (2025, n = 89)$300YesNo
Journal of Spine Surgery92 (2025, n = 122)NoNo
Asian Spine Journal71 (2025, n = 161)No fee (DOAJ)YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does Brain and Spine take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Brain and Spine accepted in 2025 were accepted within 86 days of submission (n = 265); the middle half took 64–122 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Brain and Spine articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 1 day of acceptance (n = 264).

Does Brain and Spine charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $1,950 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2772-5294; NLM ID 9918470888906676; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 265 articles accepted in 2025 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: online date out of range 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.