Evolution Letters: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2056-3744 · Wiley · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Half of the articles Evolution Letters accepted in 2025 were accepted within 147 days of submission (n = 54); the middle half took 114–198 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
147 days median
middle half 114–198 · n = 54
Acceptance → online
35 days median
middle half 27–54 · n = 54
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 178 → 147 days; 90% CI -72 to +10 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $2,575

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 Evolution Letters take to accept a paper?

days0901802703602021: middle half 107–257 days1742021n=542023: middle half 122–282 days1782023n=702024: middle half 109–259 days1712024n=722025: middle half 114–198 days1472025n=54
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
2025541141471980.0%94%
2024721091712590.0%97%
2023701221782820.0%100%
2021541071742571.8%89%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 2% (1 articles)030–59 days: 2% (1 articles)3060–89 days: 7% (4 articles)6090–119 days: 24% (13 articles)90120–149 days: 15% (8 articles)120150–179 days: 20% (11 articles)150180–209 days: 6% (3 articles)180210–239 days: 9% (5 articles)210240–269 days: 4% (2 articles)240270–299 days: 4% (2 articles)270300–329 days: 4% (2 articles)300330–359 days: 2% (1 articles)330360+ days: 2% (1 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2911.9%
30–5911.9%
60–8947.4%
90–1191324.1%
120–149814.8%
150–1791120.4%
180–20935.6%
210–23959.3%
240–26923.7%
270–29923.7%
300–32923.7%
330–35911.9%
360+11.9%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 35 days (middle half 27–54 days, n = 54).

From submission to online publication, the median was 189 days (middle half 150–248 days, n = 54).

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: $2,575 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,078 per article (2023–2025, 19 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)
Retractions0 retracted articles among 278 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 volume64 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (-19% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology journalsAgricultural and Biological Sciences journalsGenetics journalsEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics 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 Evolution Letters, 147 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Journal of Evolutionary Biology194 (2025, n = 153)≈$3,123NoYes
Evolution169 (2025, n = 258)≈$3,214$1,781 (5 payments)NoYes
Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences85 (2025, n = 149)$2,374 (33 payments)NoYes
Trends in Ecology & Evolution129 (2025, n = 138)≈$7,030NoYes
Heredity160 (2025, n = 72)≈$2,690NoYes
Biology Letters68 (2025, n = 50)No fee (DOAJ)$2,611 (10 payments)YesYes
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences148 (2025, n = 178)$2,569 (22 payments)NoYes
Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society303 (2025, n = 128)≈$5,390NoYes
Molecular Ecology178 (2025, n = 396)≈$5,150NoYes
BMC Ecology and Evolution141 (2025, n = 136)$2,990$2,427 (17 payments)YesYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Evolution Letters take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Evolution Letters accepted in 2025 were accepted within 147 days of submission (n = 54); the middle half took 114–198 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Evolution Letters articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 35 days of acceptance (n = 54).

Does Evolution Letters charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $2,575 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2056-3744; NLM ID 101715791; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 54 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.