Communications Medicine: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2730-664X · Nature Portfolio · Medicine

Half of the articles Communications Medicine accepted in 2025 were accepted within 287 days of submission (n = 622); the middle half took 218–390 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
287 days median
middle half 218–390 · n = 622
Acceptance → online
21 days median
middle half 14–37 · n = 622
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 218 to 287 days (90% CI +53 to +85 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $3,890

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 Communications Medicine take to accept a paper?

days01202403604802021: middle half 114–211 days1562021n=522022: middle half 188–293 days2402022n=1412023: middle half 171–289 days2182023n=1832024: middle half 242–381 days3042024n=2872025: middle half 218–390 days2872025n=622
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
20256222182873904940.0%0%
20242872423043814610.0%0%
20231831712182890.0%0%
20221411882402930.0%0%
2021521141562111.9%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 1% (4 articles)3060–89 days: 1% (7 articles)6090–119 days: 2% (14 articles)90120–149 days: 4% (24 articles)120150–179 days: 6% (35 articles)150180–209 days: 9% (58 articles)180210–239 days: 9% (54 articles)210240–269 days: 12% (73 articles)240270–299 days: 12% (75 articles)270300–329 days: 8% (47 articles)300330–359 days: 7% (43 articles)330360+ days: 30% (188 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–5940.6%
60–8971.1%
90–119142.3%
120–149243.9%
150–179355.6%
180–209589.3%
210–239548.7%
240–2697311.7%
270–2997512.1%
300–329477.6%
330–359436.9%
360+18830.2%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 21 days (middle half 14–37 days, n = 622).

From submission to online publication, the median was 315 days (middle half 249–417 days, n = 622).

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: $3,890 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $3,439 per article (2023–2025, 30 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)
Retractions0 retracted articles among 1,242 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2025 articles
Publication volume579 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+118% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

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 Communications Medicine, 287 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
EClinicalMedicine112 (2025, n = 627)$6,810$4,911 (37 payments)YesNo
Epidemiologia65 (2025, n = 107)≈$1,467YesNo
The Lancet Regional Health - Europe89 (2025, n = 296)$5,800$3,951 (19 payments)YesNo
Narra J103 (2025, n = 137)NoYes
EBioMedicine161 (2025, n = 503)$6,810$4,922 (46 payments)YesYes
Med98 (2025, n = 156)≈$9,350NoYes
Vaccines39 (2025, n = 1,239)≈$3,300$2,413 (104 payments)YesNo
IJID Regions57 (2025, n = 224)$1,380$1,151 (8 payments)YesNo
BMC Medicine171 (2025, n = 743)$4,490$3,742 (23 payments)YesYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Communications Medicine take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Communications Medicine accepted in 2025 were accepted within 287 days of submission (n = 622); the middle half took 218–390 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Communications Medicine articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 21 days of acceptance (n = 622).

Does Communications Medicine charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $3,890 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2730-664X; NLM ID 9918250414506676; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 622 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.