Development: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 0950-1991 · ISSN 1477-9129 · The Company of Biologists · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Half of the articles Development accepted in 2025 were accepted within 173 days of submission (n = 244); the middle half took 125–224 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Development take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 244 | 125 | 173 | 224 | 281 | 1.6% | 0% |
| 2024 | 286 | 120 | 167 | 216 | 282 | 0.4% | 0% |
| 2023 | 294 | 123 | 173 | 224 | 271 | 0.3% | 0% |
| 2022 | 321 | 122 | 167 | 218 | 302 | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2021 | 330 | 122 | 169 | 244 | 309 | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2020 | 323 | 119 | 159 | 213 | 283 | 0.3% | 0% |
- 2026: not shown yet — a year is reported once late-indexed articles have arrived (at least 180 days after it ends).
Distribution in 2025
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 9 | 3.7% |
| 30–59 | 10 | 4.1% |
| 60–89 | 18 | 7.4% |
| 90–119 | 22 | 9.0% |
| 120–149 | 31 | 12.7% |
| 150–179 | 42 | 17.2% |
| 180–209 | 41 | 16.8% |
| 210–239 | 24 | 9.8% |
| 240–269 | 17 | 7.0% |
| 270–299 | 14 | 5.7% |
| 300–329 | 4 | 1.6% |
| 330–359 | 2 | 0.8% |
| 360+ | 10 | 4.1% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 39 days (middle half 33–47 days, n = 244).
From submission to online publication, the median was 213 days (middle half 164–264 days, n = 244).
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.
Institutions reported paying a median of about $4,447 per article (2023–2025, 8 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 DOAJ | No |
|---|---|
| Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025 | Yes |
| Retractions | 0 retracted articles among 1,791 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 1.6% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 309 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (-10% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation (19% of indexed topics)
- Congenital heart defects research (7% of indexed topics)
- Pluripotent Stem Cells Research (5% of indexed topics)
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research (5% of indexed topics)
- Plant Molecular Biology Research (4% of indexed topics)
- Wnt/β-catenin signaling in development and cancer (4% of indexed topics)
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 Development, 173 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developmental Biology | 133 (2025, n = 226) | ≈$3,550 | — | No | Yes |
| Developmental Dynamics | 138 (2025, n = 78) | ≈$4,430 | — | No | Yes |
| Developmental Cell | 280 (2025, n = 205) | ≈$10,400 | $8,789 (6 payments) | No | Yes |
| Biology Open | 62 (2025, n = 152) | $2,500 | $1,948 (8 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology | 136 (2025, n = 62) | ≈$4,670 | — | No | Yes |
| Current Opinion in Genetics & Development | 98 (2025, n = 75) | ≈$4,200 | — | No | Yes |
| BMC Biology | 186 (2025, n = 374) | $3,790 | $2,968 (35 payments) | Yes | Yes |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Development take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Development accepted in 2025 were accepted within 173 days of submission (n = 244); the middle half took 125–224 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are Development articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 39 days of acceptance (n = 244).
Does Development 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 0950-1991; NLM ID 8701744; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 244 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.