Cell Reports Methods: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2667-2375 · Elsevier BV · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Half of the articles Cell Reports Methods accepted in 2025 were accepted within 210 days of submission (n = 178); the middle half took 148–274 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
210 days median
middle half 148–274 · n = 178
Acceptance → online
26 days median
middle half 24–31 · n = 158
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 200 → 210 days; 90% CI -10 to +30 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $4,970

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 Cell Reports Methods take to accept a paper?

days0751502253002022: middle half 147–253 days2012022n=1332023: middle half 152–263 days2002023n=1792024: middle half 138–268 days1992024n=1512025: middle half 148–274 days2102025n=178
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
20251781482102741.1%100%
20241511381992685.3%99%
20231791522002632.2%100%
20221331472012530.0%100%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 2% (3 articles)030–59 days: 0% (0 articles)3060–89 days: 2% (4 articles)6090–119 days: 7% (12 articles)90120–149 days: 15% (27 articles)120150–179 days: 11% (19 articles)150180–209 days: 13% (23 articles)180210–239 days: 11% (20 articles)210240–269 days: 12% (21 articles)240270–299 days: 7% (13 articles)270300–329 days: 3% (5 articles)300330–359 days: 4% (7 articles)330360+ days: 13% (24 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2931.7%
30–5900.0%
60–8942.2%
90–119126.7%
120–1492715.2%
150–1791910.7%
180–2092312.9%
210–2392011.2%
240–2692111.8%
270–299137.3%
300–32952.8%
330–35973.9%
360+2413.5%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 26 days (middle half 24–31 days, n = 158).

From submission to online publication, the median was 236 days (middle half 177–301 days, n = 158).

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: $4,970 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $5,028 per article (2023–2025, 17 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 717 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission1.1% of 2025 articles
Publication volume164 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+4% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 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 Cell Reports Methods, 210 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Nature Methods338 (2025, n = 209)≈$12,690$12,315 (5 payments)NoYes
STAR Protocols94 (2025, n = 720)$1,920$1,022 (56 payments)YesYes
Cell Systems312 (2025, n = 138)≈$9,350NoYes
Cytometry Part A202 (2025, n = 59)≈$3,970NoYes
Nature Protocols232 (2025, n = 171)NoYes
Cell Genomics196 (2025, n = 177)$8,900$4,308 (6 payments)YesYes
NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics156 (2025, n = 217)$2,633$2,670 (32 payments)YesYes
Genome biology288 (2025, n = 434)$5,690$4,388 (53 payments)YesYes
Bioinformatics Advances126 (2025, n = 325)$2,620$2,564 (42 payments)YesNo
Genomics Proteomics & Bioinformatics350 (2025, n = 142)$3,650YesYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Cell Reports Methods take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Cell Reports Methods accepted in 2025 were accepted within 210 days of submission (n = 178); the middle half took 148–274 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Cell Reports Methods articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 26 days of acceptance (n = 158).

Does Cell Reports Methods charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $4,970 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2667-2375; NLM ID 9918227360606676; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 178 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.