Molecular Oncology: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1574-7891 · ISSN 1878-0261 · Elsevier BV · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Half of the articles Molecular Oncology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 153 days of submission (n = 193); the middle half took 103–216 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
153 days median
middle half 103–216 · n = 193
Acceptance → online
19 days median
middle half 12–33 · n = 184
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 146 → 153 days; 90% CI -6 to +20 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $4,730

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

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How long does Molecular Oncology take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 82–172 days1192020n=2472021: middle half 99–184 days1352021n=2442022: middle half 106–193 days1462022n=1612023: middle half 103–195 days1462023n=1852024: middle half 119–210 days1672024n=2052025: middle half 103–216 days1532025n=193
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
20251931031532164.2%88%
20242051191672102754.9%93%
20231851031461954.3%89%
20221611061461930.6%97%
2021244991351842300.4%95%
2020247821191722281.2%96%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 10% (20 articles)030–59 days: 5% (9 articles)3060–89 days: 5% (10 articles)6090–119 days: 12% (24 articles)90120–149 days: 16% (31 articles)120150–179 days: 14% (27 articles)150180–209 days: 10% (20 articles)180210–239 days: 9% (18 articles)210240–269 days: 7% (14 articles)240270–299 days: 4% (7 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (3 articles)300330–359 days: 2% (3 articles)330360+ days: 4% (7 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–292010.4%
30–5994.7%
60–89105.2%
90–1192412.4%
120–1493116.1%
150–1792714.0%
180–2092010.4%
210–239189.3%
240–269147.3%
270–29973.6%
300–32931.6%
330–35931.6%
360+73.6%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 19 days (middle half 12–33 days, n = 184).

From submission to online publication, the median was 178 days (middle half 128–249 days, n = 184).

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: $4,730 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $3,784 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 2025Yes
Retractions1 retracted article among 979 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (1.02 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission4.2% of 2025 articles
Publication volume203 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+11% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology journalsMedicine journalsMolecular Biology journalsCancer Research 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 Molecular Oncology, 153 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Cancer Science120 (2025, n = 276)$2,600YesYes
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Reviews on Cancer131 (2025, n = 262)≈$5,070NoYes
Oncogenesis178 (2025, n = 51)$4,390YesNo
Seminars in Cancer Biology115 (2025, n = 91)≈$6,060NoYes
Journal of Cancer97 (2025, n = 246)≈$2,850$2,407 (5 payments)YesNo
Molecular Carcinogenesis105 (2025, n = 127)≈$4,490NoYes
Molecular Cancer Research195 (2025, n = 71)NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Molecular Oncology take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Molecular Oncology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 153 days of submission (n = 193); the middle half took 103–216 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Molecular Oncology articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 19 days of acceptance (n = 184).

Does Molecular Oncology charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $4,730 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1574-7891; NLM ID 101308230; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 193 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.