Frontiers in Public Health: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2296-2565 · Frontiers Media · Multidisciplinary

Half of the articles Frontiers in Public Health accepted in 2025 were accepted within 90 days of submission (n = 5,410); the middle half took 61–134 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
90 days median
middle half 61–134 · n = 5,410
Acceptance → online
20 days median
middle half 15–27 · n = 5,410
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 95 → 90 days; 90% CI -7 to -3 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 Public Health take to accept a paper?

days045901351802020: middle half 64–153 days982020n=1,0602021: middle half 55–138 days852021n=2,3612022: middle half 48–108 days722022n=5,2492023: middle half 65–139 days952023n=4,2382024: middle half 77–157 days1112024n=3,8822025: middle half 61–134 days902025n=5,410
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
20255,41061901341960.3%18%
20243,882771111572110.0%0%
20234,23865951391910.1%0%
20225,24948721081560.8%0%
20212,36155851382191.4%0%
20201,06064981532270.9%0%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles4,7816190135
Reviews6235983128

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 3% (148 articles)030–59 days: 21% (1,128 articles)3060–89 days: 26% (1,428 articles)6090–119 days: 19% (1,024 articles)90120–149 days: 11% (606 articles)120150–179 days: 7% (370 articles)150180–209 days: 4% (237 articles)180210–239 days: 3% (164 articles)210240–269 days: 2% (101 articles)240270–299 days: 1% (74 articles)270300–329 days: 1% (49 articles)300330–359 days: 1% (37 articles)330360+ days: 1% (44 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–291482.7%
30–591,12820.9%
60–891,42826.4%
90–1191,02418.9%
120–14960611.2%
150–1793706.8%
180–2092374.4%
210–2391643.0%
240–2691011.9%
270–299741.4%
300–329490.9%
330–359370.7%
360+440.8%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 20 days (middle half 15–27 days, n = 5,410).

From submission to online publication, the median was 112 days (middle half 82–159 days, n = 5,410).

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 $3,286 per article (2023–2025, 279 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
Retractions21 retracted articles among 20,682 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (1.02 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.3% of 2025 articles
Publication volume5,179 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+31% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine 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 Public Health, 90 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Journal of Public Health Research271 (2025, n = 165)$1,500YesNo
Public Health in Practice199 (2025, n = 122)$2,270YesNo
AIMS Public Health93 (2025, n = 60)≈$300NoNo
International Journal of Public Health168 (2025, n = 144)≈$2,811$2,786 (42 payments)YesYes
Archives of Public Health143 (2025, n = 318)$3,090$2,661 (17 payments)YesNo
The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific107 (2025, n = 280)$5,010$3,597 (5 payments)YesNo
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy113 (2025, n = 301)$3,940YesNo
BMC Public Health169 (2025, n = 4,766)$3,450$2,980 (136 payments)YesYes

Frequently asked questions

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

Half of the articles Frontiers in Public Health accepted in 2025 were accepted within 90 days of submission (n = 5,410); the middle half took 61–134 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

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

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 20 days of acceptance (n = 5,410).

Does Frontiers in Public Health 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 2296-2565; NLM ID 101616579; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 5,410 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.