Frontiers in Immunology: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1664-3224 · Frontiers Media · Immunology and Microbiology

Half of the articles Frontiers in Immunology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 78 days of submission (n = 6,814); the middle half took 54–112 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
78 days median
middle half 54–112 · n = 6,814
Acceptance → online
20 days median
middle half 16–24 · n = 6,814
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 71 → 78 days; 90% CI +5 to +9 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · ≈$3,850

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 Immunology take to accept a paper?

days045901351802020: middle half 61–117 days832020n=3,7182021: middle half 50–103 days702021n=5,7482022: middle half 42–88 days602022n=7,8612023: middle half 51–101 days712023n=5,8632024: middle half 54–113 days772024n=5,1422025: middle half 54–112 days782025n=6,814
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
20256,81454781121540.2%19%
20245,14254771131550.1%0%
20235,86351711011400.1%0%
20227,8614260881250.7%0%
20215,74850701031500.1%0%
20203,71861831171590.1%0%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles4,1395681116
Reviews2,2915073106

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 4% (280 articles)030–59 days: 27% (1,862 articles)3060–89 days: 29% (1,950 articles)6090–119 days: 19% (1,262 articles)90120–149 days: 10% (705 articles)120150–179 days: 5% (356 articles)150180–209 days: 3% (193 articles)180210–239 days: 1% (97 articles)210240–269 days: 1% (54 articles)240270–299 days: 0% (25 articles)270300–329 days: 0% (15 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (4 articles)330360+ days: 0% (11 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–292804.1%
30–591,86227.3%
60–891,95028.6%
90–1191,26218.5%
120–14970510.3%
150–1793565.2%
180–2091932.8%
210–239971.4%
240–269540.8%
270–299250.4%
300–329150.2%
330–35940.1%
360+110.2%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 20 days (middle half 16–24 days, n = 6,814).

From submission to online publication, the median was 100 days (middle half 75–135 days, n = 6,814).

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: 3,150 CHF (about $3,850 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $3,468 per article (2023–2025, 711 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
Retractions14 retracted articles among 31,403 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.45 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.2% of 2025 articles
Publication volume6,612 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+29% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Immunology and Microbiology journalsMedicine journalsImmunology 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 Immunology, 78 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Clinical & Translational Immunology147 (2025, n = 52)$3,380YesNo
Cellular and Molecular Immunology160 (2025, n = 103)≈$5,190NoYes
Journal of Immunology Research156 (2025, n = 74)$3,110YesYes
ImmunoHorizons69 (2025, n = 84)$1,595YesYes
Nature Immunology300 (2025, n = 167)≈$12,690$10,840 (10 payments)NoYes
Immunity255 (2025, n = 216)≈$10,400$8,969 (9 payments)NoYes
Seminars in Immunology82 (2025, n = 51)≈$4,370NoYes
Immunology119 (2025, n = 153)≈$5,330NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Frontiers in Immunology take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Frontiers in Immunology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 78 days of submission (n = 6,814); the middle half took 54–112 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Frontiers in Immunology articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 20 days of acceptance (n = 6,814).

Does Frontiers in Immunology charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: 3,150 CHF (about $3,850 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1664-3224; NLM ID 101560960; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 6,814 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.