Database: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1758-0463 · University of Oxford · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Half of the articles Database accepted in 2025 were accepted within 171 days of submission (n = 80); the middle half took 129–216 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
171 days median
middle half 129–216 · n = 80
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 138 to 171 days (90% CI +12 to +53 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $2,598

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 Database take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 87–179 days1192020n=1072021: middle half 100–166 days1252021n=812022: middle half 90–154 days1152022n=1112023: middle half 102–187 days1382023n=942024: middle half 112–217 days1602024n=1122025: middle half 129–216 days1712025n=80
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
2025801291712160.0%100%
20241121121602170.0%100%
2023941021381870.0%96%
2022111901151540.0%100%
2021811001251660.0%100%
2020107871191790.0%98%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 0% (0 articles)3060–89 days: 5% (4 articles)6090–119 days: 14% (11 articles)90120–149 days: 20% (16 articles)120150–179 days: 20% (16 articles)150180–209 days: 15% (12 articles)180210–239 days: 10% (8 articles)210240–269 days: 1% (1 articles)240270–299 days: 10% (8 articles)270300–329 days: 1% (1 articles)300330–359 days: 1% (1 articles)330360+ days: 2% (2 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–5900.0%
60–8945.0%
90–1191113.8%
120–1491620.0%
150–1791620.0%
180–2091215.0%
210–239810.0%
240–26911.2%
270–299810.0%
300–32911.2%
330–35911.2%
360+22.5%

From acceptance to online publication

Not enough articles with both an acceptance date and an online publication date to measure the time to online publication.

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: $2,598 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,598 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 479 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 volume80 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (-28% 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 Database, 171 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
BMC Bioinformatics137 (2025, n = 328)$3,090$2,587 (35 payments)YesYes
Bioinformatics168 (2025, n = 619)$3,798$3,855 (117 payments)YesYes
Bioinformatics Advances126 (2025, n = 325)$2,620$2,564 (42 payments)YesNo
Briefings in Bioinformatics118 (2025, n = 738)$3,885$3,830 (20 payments)YesYes
Frontiers in Bioinformatics75 (2025, n = 175)≈$3,117$2,112 (22 payments)YesNo
Genomics Proteomics & Bioinformatics350 (2025, n = 142)$3,650YesYes
GigaScience177 (2025, n = 152)$2,638$2,894 (21 payments)YesYes
BioData Mining83 (2025, n = 89)$2,790YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does Database take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Database accepted in 2025 were accepted within 171 days of submission (n = 80); the middle half took 129–216 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

Does Database charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $2,598 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1758-0463; NLM ID 101517697; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 80 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.