EMBO Molecular Medicine: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1757-4676 · ISSN 1757-4684 · Springer Nature · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Half of the articles EMBO Molecular Medicine accepted in 2025 were accepted within 172 days of submission (n = 175); the middle half took 128–237 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
172 days median
middle half 128–237 · n = 175
Acceptance → online
22 days median
middle half 18–31 · n = 175
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 169 → 172 days; 90% CI -13 to +20 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $8,270

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 EMBO Molecular Medicine take to accept a paper?

days0751502253002020: middle half 124–238 days1812020n=1292021: middle half 113–238 days1802021n=1402022: middle half 105–220 days1652022n=1252023: middle half 127–221 days1692023n=1262024: middle half 94–226 days1592024n=1522025: middle half 128–237 days1722025n=175
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
20251751281722376.9%98%
2024152941592269.9%96%
20231261271692214.0%98%
20221251051652209.6%94%
20211401131802382.9%96%
20201291241812380.8%100%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 9% (15 articles)030–59 days: 5% (9 articles)3060–89 days: 3% (6 articles)6090–119 days: 5% (9 articles)90120–149 days: 17% (29 articles)120150–179 days: 15% (27 articles)150180–209 days: 14% (24 articles)180210–239 days: 8% (14 articles)210240–269 days: 5% (8 articles)240270–299 days: 6% (11 articles)270300–329 days: 3% (6 articles)300330–359 days: 3% (5 articles)330360+ days: 7% (12 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–29158.6%
30–5995.1%
60–8963.4%
90–11995.1%
120–1492916.6%
150–1792715.4%
180–2092413.7%
210–239148.0%
240–26984.6%
270–299116.3%
300–32963.4%
330–35952.9%
360+126.9%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 22 days (middle half 18–31 days, n = 175).

From submission to online publication, the median was 194 days (middle half 153–267 days, n = 175).

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: $8,270 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $7,025 per article (2023–2025, 31 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
Retractions1 retracted article among 720 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (1.39 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission6.9% of 2025 articles
Publication volume174 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+9% 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 EMBO Molecular Medicine, 172 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Cells39 (2025, n = 2,035)≈$3,300$2,622 (327 payments)YesYes
Protein & Cell76 (2025, n = 68)$2,570YesYes
Current Molecular Medicine99 (2025, n = 116)NoYes
Seminars in Cancer Biology115 (2025, n = 91)≈$6,060NoYes
Cell & Bioscience120 (2025, n = 179)$2,990$2,644 (5 payments)YesNo
Experimental & Molecular Medicine161 (2025, n = 233)$4,690YesYes
Cell Death and Disease193 (2025, n = 963)$5,250$4,270 (51 payments)YesYes
Cancer Science120 (2025, n = 276)$2,600YesYes
Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports105 (2025, n = 514)$2,750YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does EMBO Molecular Medicine take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles EMBO Molecular Medicine accepted in 2025 were accepted within 172 days of submission (n = 175); the middle half took 128–237 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are EMBO Molecular Medicine articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 22 days of acceptance (n = 175).

Does EMBO Molecular Medicine charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $8,270 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1757-4676; NLM ID 101487380; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 175 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.