European Spine Journal: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0940-6719 · ISSN 1432-0932 · Springer Science+Business Media · Medicine

Half of the articles European Spine Journal accepted in 2025 were accepted within 127 days of submission (n = 838); the middle half took 76–196 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
127 days median
middle half 76–196 · n = 838
Acceptance → online
13 days median
middle half 9–22 · n = 838
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 133 → 127 days; 90% CI -16 to +4 days).
Open access · fees
OA status not determined · ≈$2,790

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 European Spine Journal take to accept a paper?

days0751502253002020: middle half 95–198 days1382020n=3432021: middle half 113–228 days1562021n=3362022: middle half 107–229 days1572022n=3482023: middle half 97–177 days1332023n=5202024: middle half 89–209 days1412024n=4152025: middle half 76–196 days1272025n=838
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
2025838761271962820.5%99%
2024415891412092771.9%99%
2023520971331772300.6%97%
20223481071572293030.9%96%
20213361131562283200.6%91%
2020343951381982651.2%87%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles70376126193
Reviews10582135223

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 2% (14 articles)030–59 days: 13% (105 articles)3060–89 days: 18% (150 articles)6090–119 days: 16% (131 articles)90120–149 days: 11% (96 articles)120150–179 days: 10% (87 articles)150180–209 days: 8% (71 articles)180210–239 days: 7% (55 articles)210240–269 days: 4% (33 articles)240270–299 days: 3% (27 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (20 articles)300330–359 days: 1% (11 articles)330360+ days: 5% (38 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–29141.7%
30–5910512.5%
60–8915017.9%
90–11913115.6%
120–1499611.5%
150–1798710.4%
180–209718.5%
210–239556.6%
240–269333.9%
270–299273.2%
300–329202.4%
330–359111.3%
360+384.5%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 13 days (middle half 9–22 days, n = 838).

From submission to online publication, the median was 144 days (middle half 94–216 days, n = 838).

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

Subscription or hybrid (not determined). Listed APC: about $2,790 (as reported by OpenAlex).

No institutional payments for this journal are recorded in OpenAPC.

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 DOAJNo
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025Yes
Retractions2 retracted articles among 2,448 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.82 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.5% of 2025 articles
Publication volume812 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+79% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsSurgery journalsPathology and Forensic 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 European Spine Journal, 127 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Spine66 (2025, n = 365)NoYes
Asian Spine Journal71 (2025, n = 161)No fee (DOAJ)YesNo
North American Spine Society Journal (NASSJ)60 (2025, n = 119)$2,240YesNo
Journal of Spine Surgery92 (2025, n = 122)NoNo
The Spine Journal141 (2025, n = 230)≈$4,980NoYes
Neurospine72 (2025, n = 69)$400YesNo
Journal of Neurosurgery Spine135 (2025, n = 205)NoYes
Clinical Spine Surgery A Spine Publication210 (2025, n = 258)NoYes
Journal of Craniovertebral Junction and Spine34 (2025, n = 77)No fee (DOAJ)YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does European Spine Journal take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles European Spine Journal accepted in 2025 were accepted within 127 days of submission (n = 838); the middle half took 76–196 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are European Spine Journal articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 13 days of acceptance (n = 838).

Does European Spine Journal charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $2,790 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0940-6719; NLM ID 9301980; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 838 articles accepted in 2025 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: none.

Spotted a problem with this journal's data, or are you the publisher? Report a correction or email rafiq@gradsummit.com. Verified errors are corrected within five business days.

Get the free Journal Submission Go/No-Go Checklist

The pre-submission checks from Write and Publish a Scientific Paper: journal fit, formatting, cover letter and reviewer suggestions. We’ll email you the download link.

One email with your download, then occasional research tips. One-click unsubscribe, anytime. We never sell your data.

Get Write and Publish a Scientific Paper

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.