Ecology and Evolution: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2045-7758 · Wiley · Environmental Science

Half of the articles Ecology and Evolution accepted in 2025 were accepted within 133 days of submission (n = 1,999); the middle half took 89–182 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
133 days median
middle half 89–182 · n = 1,999
Acceptance → online
18 days median
middle half 13–28 · n = 1,999
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 130 → 133 days; 90% CI -2 to +8 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $2,700

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 Ecology and Evolution take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 74–165 days1122020n=1,1402021: middle half 77–174 days1192021n=1,2952022: middle half 90–192 days1362022n=1,0902023: middle half 85–192 days1302023n=1,1182024: middle half 88–190 days1332024n=1,6052025: middle half 89–182 days1332025n=1,999
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
20251,999891331822432.1%96%
20241,605881331902652.3%96%
20231,118851301922593.6%94%
20221,090901361922633.7%93%
20211,295771191742423.1%94%
20201,140741121652364.4%94%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 5% (98 articles)030–59 days: 6% (118 articles)3060–89 days: 15% (295 articles)6090–119 days: 15% (308 articles)90120–149 days: 20% (392 articles)120150–179 days: 14% (270 articles)150180–209 days: 9% (180 articles)180210–239 days: 7% (130 articles)210240–269 days: 4% (74 articles)240270–299 days: 2% (49 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (30 articles)300330–359 days: 1% (18 articles)330360+ days: 2% (37 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–29984.9%
30–591185.9%
60–8929514.8%
90–11930815.4%
120–14939219.6%
150–17927013.5%
180–2091809.0%
210–2391306.5%
240–269743.7%
270–299492.5%
300–329301.5%
330–359180.9%
360+371.9%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 18 days (middle half 13–28 days, n = 1,999).

From submission to online publication, the median was 156 days (middle half 111–208 days, n = 1,999).

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: $2,700 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,015 per article (2023–2025, 82 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)
Retractions2 retracted articles among 7,203 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.28 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission2.1% of 2025 articles
Publication volume1,940 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+24% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Environmental Science journalsEcology 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 Ecology and Evolution, 133 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Journal of Animal Ecology198 (2025, n = 212)≈$3,610NoYes
Trends in Ecology & Evolution129 (2025, n = 138)≈$7,030NoYes
Ecology Letters176 (2025, n = 225)≈$5,300NoYes
Integrative Zoology148 (2025, n = 142)≈$3,760NoYes
Ecology180 (2025, n = 269)≈$3,970NoYes
Oecologia216 (2025, n = 186)≈$3,790NoYes
Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society303 (2025, n = 128)≈$5,390NoYes
Conservation Biology250 (2025, n = 232)≈$3,400NoYes
Nature Ecology & Evolution231 (2025, n = 172)≈$12,690$12,315 (5 payments)NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Ecology and Evolution take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Ecology and Evolution accepted in 2025 were accepted within 133 days of submission (n = 1,999); the middle half took 89–182 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Ecology and Evolution articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 18 days of acceptance (n = 1,999).

Does Ecology and Evolution charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $2,700 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2045-7758; NLM ID 101566408; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 1,999 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.