Genome biology: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1465-6906 · ISSN 1465-6914 · BioMed Central · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Half of the articles Genome biology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 288 days of submission (n = 434); the middle half took 211–384 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
288 days median
middle half 211–384 · n = 434
Acceptance → online
18 days median
middle half 12–28 · n = 434
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 276 → 288 days; 90% CI -4 to +30 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $5,690

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 Genome biology take to accept a paper?

days01202403604802020: middle half 138–242 days1752020n=2972021: middle half 144–259 days1962021n=3052022: middle half 165–273 days2182022n=2332023: middle half 217–362 days2762023n=3002024: middle half 205–360 days2722024n=2862025: middle half 211–384 days2882025n=434
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
20254342112883844850.2%0%
20242862052723604570.0%0%
20233002172763624550.0%0%
20222331652182733690.0%0%
20213051441962593490.3%0%
20202971381752423140.0%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (2 articles)030–59 days: 0% (0 articles)3060–89 days: 1% (3 articles)6090–119 days: 0% (2 articles)90120–149 days: 6% (28 articles)120150–179 days: 7% (31 articles)150180–209 days: 9% (37 articles)180210–239 days: 11% (49 articles)210240–269 days: 9% (39 articles)240270–299 days: 9% (41 articles)270300–329 days: 8% (35 articles)300330–359 days: 6% (26 articles)330360+ days: 32% (141 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2920.5%
30–5900.0%
60–8930.7%
90–11920.5%
120–149286.5%
150–179317.1%
180–209378.5%
210–2394911.3%
240–269399.0%
270–299419.4%
300–329358.1%
330–359266.0%
360+14132.5%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 18 days (middle half 12–28 days, n = 434).

From submission to online publication, the median was 309 days (middle half 230–407 days, n = 434).

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: $5,690 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $4,388 per article (2023–2025, 53 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 1,575 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.2% of 2025 articles
Publication volume422 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+41% 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 Genome biology, 288 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics156 (2025, n = 217)$2,633$2,670 (32 payments)YesYes
Genome Research234 (2025, n = 207)$4,989 (16 payments)NoYes
Genomics Proteomics & Bioinformatics350 (2025, n = 142)$3,650YesYes
Cell Genomics196 (2025, n = 177)$8,900$4,308 (6 payments)YesYes
Nature Genetics390 (2025, n = 260)≈$12,690$10,542 (5 payments)NoYes
Genomics141 (2025, n = 206)$3,460$2,086 (6 payments)YesYes
Trends in Genetics59 (2025, n = 102)≈$7,030NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Genome biology take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Genome biology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 288 days of submission (n = 434); the middle half took 211–384 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Genome biology articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 18 days of acceptance (n = 434).

Does Genome biology charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $5,690 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1465-6906; NLM ID 100960660; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 434 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.