Frontiers in Digital Health: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2673-253X · Frontiers Media · Multidisciplinary

Half of the articles Frontiers in Digital Health accepted in 2025 were accepted within 111 days of submission (n = 547); the middle half took 67–161 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
111 days median
middle half 67–161 · n = 547
Acceptance → online
21 days median
middle half 16–30 · n = 547
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 96 to 111 days (90% CI +2 to +28 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · ≈$3,117

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 Frontiers in Digital Health take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 76–137 days982020n=622021: middle half 51–120 days792021n=1962022: middle half 58–125 days852022n=2632023: middle half 67–153 days962023n=2142024: middle half 81–175 days1142024n=2072025: middle half 67–161 days1112025n=547
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
2025547671111612270.4%21%
2024207811141752160.0%0%
202321467961532030.0%0%
202226358851251850.4%0%
202119651791200.0%0%
20206276981370.0%0%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles42771112162
Reviews12061108153

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 3% (14 articles)030–59 days: 17% (93 articles)3060–89 days: 17% (92 articles)6090–119 days: 19% (104 articles)90120–149 days: 16% (85 articles)120150–179 days: 10% (52 articles)150180–209 days: 6% (33 articles)180210–239 days: 5% (25 articles)210240–269 days: 3% (15 articles)240270–299 days: 2% (10 articles)270300–329 days: 1% (6 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (1 articles)330360+ days: 3% (17 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–29142.6%
30–599317.0%
60–899216.8%
90–11910419.0%
120–1498515.5%
150–179529.5%
180–209336.0%
210–239254.6%
240–269152.7%
270–299101.8%
300–32961.1%
330–35910.2%
360+173.1%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 21 days (middle half 16–30 days, n = 547).

From submission to online publication, the median was 135 days (middle half 92–186 days, n = 547).

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: 2,550 CHF (about $3,117 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,258 per article (2023–2025, 40 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 1,390 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.4% of 2025 articles
Publication volume479 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+137% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsHealth Professions 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 Frontiers in Digital Health, 111 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Digital Health133 (2025, n = 867)$2,000$1,507 (49 payments)YesNo
PLOS Digital Health190 (2025, n = 262)$3,165$2,884 (25 payments)YesNo
JMIR Formative Research172 (2025, n = 862)$2,500$2,952 (65 payments)YesYes
JMIR Human Factors191 (2025, n = 240)$1,985$2,167 (43 payments)YesYes
Journal of Medical Internet Research147 (2025, n = 1,461)$3,350$3,668 (134 payments)YesYes
JMIR Research Protocols163 (2025, n = 999)$1,900$2,050 (82 payments)YesYes
npj Digital Medicine147 (2025, n = 846)$4,290$3,256 (26 payments)YesNo
JMIR mhealth and uhealth302 (2025, n = 243)$3,150$3,721 (25 payments)YesYes
Interactive Journal of Medical Research209 (2025, n = 78)$1,985$2,320 (11 payments)YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does Frontiers in Digital Health take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Frontiers in Digital Health accepted in 2025 were accepted within 111 days of submission (n = 547); the middle half took 67–161 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Frontiers in Digital Health articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 21 days of acceptance (n = 547).

Does Frontiers in Digital Health charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: 2,550 CHF (about $3,117 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2673-253X; NLM ID 101771889; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 547 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.