Journal of Medical Ethics: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 0306-6800 · ISSN 1473-4257 · BMJ · Medicine
Half of the articles Journal of Medical Ethics accepted in 2025 were accepted within 72 days of submission (n = 191); the middle half took 40–141 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Journal of Medical Ethics take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 191 | 40 | 72 | 141 | — | 13.6% | 0% |
| 2024 | 136 | 70 | 121 | 166 | — | 8.1% | 0% |
| 2023 | 139 | 69 | 108 | 162 | — | 2.9% | 0% |
| 2022 | 134 | 51 | 106 | 158 | — | 20.2% | 0% |
| 2021 | 228 | 62 | 107 | 158 | 209 | 14.9% | 42% |
| 2020 | 262 | 51 | 95 | 138 | 202 | 12.6% | 87% |
- 2026: not shown yet — a year is reported once late-indexed articles have arrived (at least 180 days after it ends).
Distribution in 2025
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 39 | 20.4% |
| 30–59 | 38 | 19.9% |
| 60–89 | 32 | 16.8% |
| 90–119 | 19 | 9.9% |
| 120–149 | 18 | 9.4% |
| 150–179 | 10 | 5.2% |
| 180–209 | 9 | 4.7% |
| 210–239 | 5 | 2.6% |
| 240–269 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 270–299 | 2 | 1.0% |
| 300–329 | 3 | 1.6% |
| 330–359 | 5 | 2.6% |
| 360+ | 11 | 5.8% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 162 days (middle half 35–305 days, n = 191).
From submission to online publication, the median was 246 days (middle half 132–447 days, n = 191).
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
Hybrid (subscription journal with an open-access option). No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.
OpenAPC has fewer than 5 reported payments for this journal in 2023–2025, so no typical amount is shown.
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 | No |
|---|---|
| Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025 | Yes |
| Retractions | 1 retracted article among 856 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (1.17 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 13.6% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 198 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+54% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- Ethics in medical practice (20% of indexed topics)
- Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare (14% of indexed topics)
- Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues (8% of indexed topics)
- Ethics in Clinical Research (7% of indexed topics)
- Reproductive Health and Technologies (5% of indexed topics)
- Biomedical Ethics and Regulation (4% of indexed topics)
Medicine journalsHealth Professions journalsGeneral Health Professions journalsPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health 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 Journal of Medical Ethics, 72 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journal of Bioethical Inquiry | 154 (2025, n = 106) | ≈$4,590 | — | No | Yes |
| Bioethics | 270 (2025, n = 109) | ≈$4,550 | — | No | Yes |
| BMC Medical Ethics | 158 (2025, n = 208) | $2,390 | $2,032 (15 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Science and Engineering Ethics | 314 (2025, n = 50) | ≈$3,090 | — | No | Yes |
| Journal of Pain and Symptom Management | 96 (2025, n = 281) | ≈$4,760 | — | No | Yes |
| Palliative Care and Social Practice | 159 (2025, n = 110) | $2,000 | — | Yes | No |
| BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care | 88 (2025, n = 180) | — | $4,782 (7 payments) | No | Yes |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Journal of Medical Ethics take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Journal of Medical Ethics accepted in 2025 were accepted within 72 days of submission (n = 191); the middle half took 40–141 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are Journal of Medical Ethics articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 162 days of acceptance (n = 191).
Does Journal of Medical Ethics charge an article processing charge (APC)?
No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 0306-6800; NLM ID 7513619; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 191 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.