British Journal of Ophthalmology: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0007-1161 · ISSN 1468-2079 · BMJ · Medicine

Half of the articles British Journal of Ophthalmology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 157 days of submission (n = 248); the middle half took 104–228 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
157 days median
middle half 104–228 · n = 248
Acceptance → online
169 days median
middle half 141–193 · n = 248
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 140 → 157 days; 90% CI -5 to +38 days).
Open access · fees
Hybrid · no listed APC found

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 British Journal of Ophthalmology take to accept a paper?

days0751502253002020: middle half 70–136 days992020n=4112021: middle half 86–165 days1172021n=3002022: middle half 100–204 days1352022n=2192023: middle half 96–202 days1402023n=1482024: middle half 104–237 days1622024n=1742025: middle half 104–228 days1572025n=248
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
20252481041572282942.0%0%
20241741041622371.7%0%
2023148961402020.7%0%
20222191001352042561.4%0%
2021300861171652080.7%45%
202041170991361790.2%100%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 3% (7 articles)030–59 days: 2% (5 articles)3060–89 days: 13% (33 articles)6090–119 days: 15% (37 articles)90120–149 days: 14% (34 articles)120150–179 days: 13% (33 articles)150180–209 days: 11% (28 articles)180210–239 days: 7% (18 articles)210240–269 days: 6% (15 articles)240270–299 days: 6% (14 articles)270300–329 days: 4% (10 articles)300330–359 days: 2% (4 articles)330360+ days: 4% (10 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2972.8%
30–5952.0%
60–893313.3%
90–1193714.9%
120–1493413.7%
150–1793313.3%
180–2092811.3%
210–239187.3%
240–269156.0%
270–299145.6%
300–329104.0%
330–35941.6%
360+104.0%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 169 days (middle half 141–193 days, n = 248).

From submission to online publication, the median was 333 days (middle half 268–410 days, n = 248).

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

Hybrid (subscription journal with an open-access option). No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.

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 DOAJNo
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025Yes
Retractions0 retracted articles among 1,091 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission2.0% of 2025 articles
Publication volume231 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+23% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsOphthalmology 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 British Journal of Ophthalmology, 157 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Ophthalmology64 (2025, n = 236)≈$4,990NoYes
Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology137 (2025, n = 153)≈$3,220NoYes
Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology125 (2025, n = 84)≈$4,150NoYes
International Ophthalmology138 (2025, n = 503)≈$3,790NoYes
Archivos de la Sociedad Española de Oftalmología (English Edition)97 (2025, n = 127)≈$2,350NoYes
Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology123 (2025, n = 151)≈$3,790NoYes
Oman Journal of Ophthalmology274 (2025, n = 85)No fee (DOAJ)YesNo
Korean Journal of Ophthalmology97 (2025, n = 85)$250YesYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does British Journal of Ophthalmology take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles British Journal of Ophthalmology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 157 days of submission (n = 248); the middle half took 104–228 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are British Journal of Ophthalmology articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 169 days of acceptance (n = 248).

Does British Journal of Ophthalmology charge an article processing charge (APC)?

No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0007-1161; NLM ID 0421041; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 248 articles accepted in 2025 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: none.

Spotted a problem with this journal's data, or are you the publisher? Report a correction or email rafiq@gradsummit.com. Verified errors are corrected within five business days.

Get the free Journal Submission Go/No-Go Checklist

The pre-submission checks from Write and Publish a Scientific Paper: journal fit, formatting, cover letter and reviewer suggestions. We’ll email you the download link.

One email with your download, then occasional research tips. One-click unsubscribe, anytime. We never sell your data.

Get Write and Publish a Scientific Paper

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.