Human Resources for Health: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1478-4491 · BioMed Central · Health Professions

Half of the articles Human Resources for Health accepted in 2025 were accepted within 289 days of submission (n = 70); the middle half took 168–373 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
289 days median
middle half 168–373 · n = 70
Acceptance → online
23 days median
middle half 14–38 · n = 70
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 182 to 289 days (90% CI +56 to +157 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $3,390

Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026

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How long does Human Resources for Health take to accept a paper?

days01202403604802020: middle half 100–211 days1502020n=1002021: middle half 68–194 days1182021n=1402022: middle half 95–206 days1382022n=782023: middle half 134–249 days1822023n=912024: middle half 142–301 days2032024n=752025: middle half 168–373 days2892025n=70
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
2025701682893730.0%0%
2024751422033010.0%0%
2023911341822490.0%0%
202278951382060.0%0%
20211406811819412.9%0%
20201001001502110.0%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 0% (0 articles)3060–89 days: 0% (0 articles)6090–119 days: 9% (6 articles)90120–149 days: 10% (7 articles)120150–179 days: 7% (5 articles)150180–209 days: 9% (6 articles)180210–239 days: 6% (4 articles)210240–269 days: 9% (6 articles)240270–299 days: 6% (4 articles)270300–329 days: 10% (7 articles)300330–359 days: 9% (6 articles)330360+ days: 27% (19 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–5900.0%
60–8900.0%
90–11968.6%
120–149710.0%
150–17957.1%
180–20968.6%
210–23945.7%
240–26968.6%
270–29945.7%
300–329710.0%
330–35968.6%
360+1927.1%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 23 days (middle half 14–38 days, n = 70).

From submission to online publication, the median was 310 days (middle half 199–428 days, n = 70).

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: $3,390 (DOAJ).

No institutional payments for this journal are recorded in OpenAPC.

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 464 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2025 articles
Publication volume75 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+0% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Health Professions journalsMedicine 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 Human Resources for Health, 289 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Australian Journal of Rural Health178 (2025, n = 124)≈$3,570NoYes
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine98 (2025, n = 122)≈$1,026YesYes
BMJ Global Health200 (2025, n = 634)≈$4,827$4,286 (54 payments)YesYes
Global Health Research and Policy138 (2025, n = 58)$1,800YesYes
The Journal of Rural Health164 (2025, n = 110)≈$4,480NoYes
Annals of Global Health93 (2025, n = 85)$2,031$1,665 (6 payments)YesYes
The Lancet Global Health107 (2025, n = 270)$7,860$5,698 (53 payments)YesYes
International Journal for Equity in Health141 (2025, n = 363)$3,790$3,223 (14 payments)YesYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Human Resources for Health take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Human Resources for Health accepted in 2025 were accepted within 289 days of submission (n = 70); the middle half took 168–373 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Human Resources for Health articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 23 days of acceptance (n = 70).

Does Human Resources for Health charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $3,390 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1478-4491; NLM ID 101170535; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 70 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.