FEMS Microbiology Reviews: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0168-6445 · ISSN 1574-6976 · Oxford University Press · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Half of the articles FEMS Microbiology Reviews accepted in 2025 were accepted within 133 days of submission (n = 66); the middle half took 85–179 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
133 days median
middle half 85–179 · n = 66
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 137 → 133 days; 90% CI -32 to +23 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · ≈$3,371

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 FEMS Microbiology Reviews take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 72–169 days1202020n=692021: middle half 96–161 days1222021n=572023: middle half 98–188 days1372023n=622025: middle half 85–179 days1332025n=66
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
202566851331790.0%98%
202362981371880.0%95%
202157961221610.0%0%
202069721201690.0%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 12% (8 articles)3060–89 days: 14% (9 articles)6090–119 days: 15% (10 articles)90120–149 days: 18% (12 articles)120150–179 days: 15% (10 articles)150180–209 days: 5% (3 articles)180210–239 days: 6% (4 articles)210240–269 days: 2% (1 articles)240270–299 days: 3% (2 articles)270300–329 days: 5% (3 articles)300330–359 days: 3% (2 articles)330360+ days: 3% (2 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–59812.1%
60–89913.6%
90–1191015.2%
120–1491218.2%
150–1791015.2%
180–20934.5%
210–23946.1%
240–26911.5%
270–29923.0%
300–32934.5%
330–35923.0%
360+23.0%

From acceptance to online publication

Not enough articles with both an acceptance date and an online publication date to measure the time to online publication.

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: 2,500 GBP (about $3,371 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $3,171 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
Retractions0 retracted articles among 268 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.

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 FEMS Microbiology Reviews, 133 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Current Opinion in Microbiology71 (2025, n = 69)≈$3,800NoYes
FEMS Microbiology Letters112 (2025, n = 148)≈$3,297NoYes
MicrobiologyOpen160 (2025, n = 178)$3,720YesYes
mLife158 (2025, n = 56)$2,500YesNo
Trends in Microbiology54 (2025, n = 166)≈$7,030NoYes
Molecular Microbiology128 (2025, n = 74)≈$4,430NoYes
Nature Microbiology279 (2025, n = 223)≈$12,690$11,712 (7 payments)NoYes
Current Microbiology170 (2025, n = 644)≈$3,990NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does FEMS Microbiology Reviews take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles FEMS Microbiology Reviews accepted in 2025 were accepted within 133 days of submission (n = 66); the middle half took 85–179 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

Does FEMS Microbiology Reviews charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: 2,500 GBP (about $3,371 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0168-6445; NLM ID 8902526; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 66 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.