Health Policy and Planning: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0268-1080 · ISSN 1460-2237 · Oxford University Press · Multidisciplinary

Half of the articles Health Policy and Planning accepted in 2024 were accepted within 259 days of submission (n = 113); the middle half took 195–344 days.

Submission → acceptance (2024)
259 days median
middle half 195–344 · n = 113
Change since 2022
Slower than 2022: the median rose from 220 to 259 days (90% CI +16 to +63 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · ≈$3,267

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 Health Policy and Planning take to accept a paper?

days01202403604802021: middle half 148–243 days1972021n=1142022: middle half 159–285 days2202022n=1042023: middle half 189–291 days2382023n=1142024: middle half 195–344 days2592024n=113
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
20241131952593440.9%99%
20231141892382913.5%96%
20221041592202851.0%99%
20211141481972431.8%97%

Distribution in 2024

0–29 days: 1% (1 articles)030–59 days: 1% (1 articles)3060–89 days: 0% (0 articles)6090–119 days: 2% (2 articles)90120–149 days: 7% (8 articles)120150–179 days: 9% (10 articles)150180–209 days: 11% (12 articles)180210–239 days: 14% (16 articles)210240–269 days: 11% (12 articles)240270–299 days: 14% (16 articles)270300–329 days: 5% (6 articles)300330–359 days: 6% (7 articles)330360+ days: 19% (22 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2910.9%
30–5910.9%
60–8900.0%
90–11921.8%
120–14987.1%
150–179108.8%
180–2091210.6%
210–2391614.2%
240–2691210.6%
270–2991614.2%
300–32965.3%
330–35976.2%
360+2219.5%

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: 2,423 GBP (about $3,267 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,749 per article (2023–2025, 6 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 2024Yes
Retractions0 retracted articles among 607 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.9% of 2024 articles
Publication volume135 articles added to PubMed in 2024 (+41% vs 2023).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance journalsPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health journals

Similar journals — faster or cheaper, side by side

Journals publishing on the most similar topics (OpenAlex), ordered by similarity. Only 2024 figures are compared with the 2024 median of Health Policy and Planning, 259 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
The International Journal of Health Planning and Management131 (2024, n = 117)≈$4,030NoYes
International Journal for Equity in Health131 (2024, n = 246)$3,790$3,223 (14 payments)YesYes
BMJ Global Health168 (2024, n = 325)≈$4,827$4,286 (54 payments)YesYes
Global Health Research and Policy162 (2024, n = 58)$1,800YesYes
Global Health Science and Practice194 (2024, n = 103)No fee (DOAJ)YesYes
Bulletin of the World Health Organization177 (2024, n = 102)No fee (DOAJ)YesYes
The Lancet Global Health131 (2024, n = 255)$7,860$5,698 (53 payments)YesYes
The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia131 (2024, n = 144)$2,650YesNo
International Journal of Health Policy and Management267 (2024, n = 107)$1,500YesYes
PLOS Global Public Health180 (2024, n = 971)$2,596$2,117 (103 payments)YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does Health Policy and Planning take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Health Policy and Planning accepted in 2024 were accepted within 259 days of submission (n = 113); the middle half took 195–344 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

Does Health Policy and Planning charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: 2,423 GBP (about $3,267 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0268-1080; NLM ID 8610614; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 113 articles accepted in 2024 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.