IEEE Access: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 2169-3536 · Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers · Engineering
Half of the articles IEEE Access accepted in 2021 were accepted within 16 days of submission (n = 61); the middle half took 10–23 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does IEEE Access take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 61 | 10 | 16 | 23 | — | 42.6% | 0% |
| 2020 | 107 | 4 | 10 | 16 | — | 71.0% | 0% |
- 2026: not shown yet — a year is reported once late-indexed articles have arrived (at least 313 days after it ends).
Distribution in 2021
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 52 | 85.2% |
| 30–59 | 8 | 13.1% |
| 60–89 | 1 | 1.6% |
| 90–119 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 120–149 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 150–179 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 180–209 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 210–239 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 240–269 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 270–299 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 300–329 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 330–359 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 360+ | 0 | 0.0% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2021 articles appeared online within 6 days (middle half 4–10 days, n = 61).
From submission to online publication, the median was 21 days (middle half 15–31 days, n = 61).
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: $2,160 (DOAJ).
Institutions reported paying a median of about $1,990 per article (2023–2025, 441 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 DOAJ | Yes (DOAJ record) |
|---|---|
| Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2021 | None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead) |
| Retractions | 0 retracted articles among 261 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 42.6% of 2021 articles |
| Publication volume | 143 articles added to PubMed in 2021 (+17% vs 2020). |
Topics and scope
- Advanced MIMO Systems Optimization (6% of indexed topics)
- Microgrid Control and Optimization (6% of indexed topics)
- IoT and Edge/Fog Computing (6% of indexed topics)
- Advanced Neural Network Applications (6% of indexed topics)
- Network Security and Intrusion Detection (5% of indexed topics)
- Anomaly Detection Techniques and Applications (5% of indexed topics)
Engineering journalsComputer Science journalsElectrical and Electronic Engineering journals
Similar journals — faster or cheaper, side by side
Journals publishing on the most similar topics (OpenAlex), ordered by similarity. Only 2021 figures are compared with the 2021 median of IEEE Access, 16 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SN Computer Science | 146 (2021, n = 84) | ≈$3,190 | — | No | No |
| PeerJ Computer Science | 113 (2021, n = 482) | $1,395 | $1,689 (12 payments) | Yes | No |
| Sensors | 36 (2021, n = 8,505) | ≈$3,178 | $2,667 (328 payments) | Yes | Yes |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does IEEE Access take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles IEEE Access accepted in 2021 were accepted within 16 days of submission (n = 61); the middle half took 10–23 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are IEEE Access articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2021 appeared online within 6 days of acceptance (n = 61).
Does IEEE Access charge an article processing charge (APC)?
Listed APC: $2,160 (DOAJ).
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 2169-3536; NLM ID 101639462; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 61 articles accepted in 2021 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.