FEBS Open Bio: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2211-5463 · Wiley · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Half of the articles FEBS Open Bio accepted in 2025 were accepted within 120 days of submission (n = 178); the middle half took 83–160 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
120 days median
middle half 83–160 · n = 178
Acceptance → online
14 days median
middle half 10–22 · n = 177
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 117 → 120 days; 90% CI -13 to +20 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $2,480

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 FEBS Open Bio take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 69–153 days1052020n=2752021: middle half 73–161 days1202021n=2362022: middle half 76–163 days1152022n=1492023: middle half 73–164 days1172023n=1762024: middle half 84–178 days1272024n=1632025: middle half 83–160 days1202025n=178
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
2025178831201602.2%96%
2024163841271782.5%93%
2023176731171641.1%97%
2022149761151632.7%96%
2021236731201612160.4%94%
2020275691051531881.1%97%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 8% (14 articles)030–59 days: 8% (14 articles)3060–89 days: 16% (29 articles)6090–119 days: 18% (32 articles)90120–149 days: 16% (28 articles)120150–179 days: 16% (28 articles)150180–209 days: 9% (16 articles)180210–239 days: 4% (7 articles)210240–269 days: 1% (2 articles)240270–299 days: 1% (2 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (3 articles)300330–359 days: 2% (3 articles)330360+ days: 0% (0 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–29147.9%
30–59147.9%
60–892916.3%
90–1193218.0%
120–1492815.7%
150–1792815.7%
180–209169.0%
210–23973.9%
240–26921.1%
270–29921.1%
300–32931.7%
330–35931.7%
360+00.0%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 14 days (middle half 10–22 days, n = 177).

From submission to online publication, the median was 142 days (middle half 99–185 days, n = 177).

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: $2,480 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $1,649 per article (2023–2025, 5 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
Retractions5 retracted articles among 914 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (5.47 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission2.2% of 2025 articles
Publication volume178 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+15% 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 FEBS Open Bio, 120 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine162 (2025, n = 594)$5,730YesYes
International Journal of Biological Sciences115 (2025, n = 398)≈$1,425YesYes
Cell Death and Disease193 (2025, n = 963)$5,250$4,270 (51 payments)YesYes
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences62 (2025, n = 478)≈$3,850$3,318 (62 payments)YesNo
Cell Death Discovery140 (2025, n = 616)$2,790$2,400 (20 payments)YesNo
Cell & Bioscience120 (2025, n = 179)$2,990$2,644 (5 payments)YesNo
Non-Coding RNA62 (2025, n = 77)≈$2,200YesNo
IUBMB Life84 (2025, n = 77)≈$4,430NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does FEBS Open Bio take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles FEBS Open Bio accepted in 2025 were accepted within 120 days of submission (n = 178); the middle half took 83–160 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are FEBS Open Bio articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 14 days of acceptance (n = 177).

Does FEBS Open Bio charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $2,480 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2211-5463; NLM ID 101580716; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 178 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.