Macromolecules: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0024-9297 · ISSN 1520-5835 · American Chemical Society · Materials Science

Half of the articles Macromolecules accepted in 2025 were accepted within 96 days of submission (n = 187); the middle half took 70–128 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
96 days median
middle half 70–128 · n = 187
Acceptance → online
9 days median
middle half 7–13 · n = 187
Open access · fees
Hybrid · ≈$4,500

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 Macromolecules take to accept a paper?

days045901351802024: middle half 62–118 days912024n=882025: middle half 70–128 days962025n=187
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
202518770961280.0%98%
20248862911181.1%97%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 2% (3 articles)030–59 days: 18% (34 articles)3060–89 days: 23% (43 articles)6090–119 days: 23% (43 articles)90120–149 days: 22% (41 articles)120150–179 days: 9% (17 articles)150180–209 days: 1% (1 articles)180210–239 days: 1% (1 articles)210240–269 days: 1% (1 articles)240270–299 days: 1% (2 articles)270300–329 days: 0% (0 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (0 articles)330360+ days: 1% (1 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2931.6%
30–593418.2%
60–894323.0%
90–1194323.0%
120–1494121.9%
150–179179.1%
180–20910.5%
210–23910.5%
240–26910.5%
270–29921.1%
300–32900.0%
330–35900.0%
360+10.5%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 9 days (middle half 7–13 days, n = 187).

From submission to online publication, the median was 106 days (middle half 81–141 days, n = 187).

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). Listed APC: about $4,500 (as reported by OpenAlex).

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 DOAJNo
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead)
Retractions0 retracted articles among 344 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 volume57 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (-39% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Materials Science journalsChemistry journalsOrganic Chemistry 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 Macromolecules, 96 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Macromolecular Rapid Communications61 (2025, n = 148)≈$4,550NoYes
ACS Polymers Au61 (2025, n = 97)$3,500YesNo
Polymer science & technology.63 (2025, n = 79)NoNo
ACS Applied Polymer Materials79 (2025, n = 77)≈$4,500NoNo
Polymers32 (2025, n = 3,310)≈$3,258$2,362 (213 payments)NoNo
The European Physical Journal E97 (2025, n = 78)≈$3,153NoYes
Macromolecular Bioscience98 (2025, n = 70)≈$4,880NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Macromolecules take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Macromolecules accepted in 2025 were accepted within 96 days of submission (n = 187); the middle half took 70–128 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Macromolecules articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 9 days of acceptance (n = 187).

Does Macromolecules charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $4,500 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0024-9297; NLM ID 0365316; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 187 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.