Nature Metabolism: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2522-5812 · Nature Portfolio · Medicine

Half of the articles Nature Metabolism accepted in 2025 were accepted within 276 days of submission (n = 141); the middle half took 218–376 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
276 days median
middle half 218–376 · n = 141
Acceptance → online
42 days median
middle half 34–50 · n = 142
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 255 → 276 days; 90% CI -14 to +56 days).
Open access · fees
Hybrid · ≈$12,690

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 Nature Metabolism take to accept a paper?

days01202403604802020: middle half 118–256 days1942020n=962021: middle half 150–320 days2122021n=1072022: middle half 167–335 days2342022n=1212023: middle half 190–394 days2552023n=1312024: middle half 214–411 days3202024n=1402025: middle half 218–376 days2762025n=141
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
20251412182763760.0%0%
20241402143204110.0%0%
20231311902553940.0%0%
20221211672343350.0%1%
20211071502123200.0%0%
2020961181942560.0%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 1% (1 articles)3060–89 days: 3% (4 articles)6090–119 days: 3% (4 articles)90120–149 days: 4% (5 articles)120150–179 days: 7% (10 articles)150180–209 days: 6% (9 articles)180210–239 days: 9% (13 articles)210240–269 days: 13% (18 articles)240270–299 days: 11% (15 articles)270300–329 days: 6% (9 articles)300330–359 days: 9% (12 articles)330360+ days: 29% (41 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–5910.7%
60–8942.8%
90–11942.8%
120–14953.5%
150–179107.1%
180–20996.4%
210–239139.2%
240–2691812.8%
270–2991510.6%
300–32996.4%
330–359128.5%
360+4129.1%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 42 days (middle half 34–50 days, n = 142).

From submission to online publication, the median was 323 days (middle half 259–421 days, n = 141).

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 $12,690 (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 2025Yes
Retractions0 retracted articles among 882 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 volume221 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+11% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology journalsPhysiology 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 Nature Metabolism, 276 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Cell Metabolism223 (2025, n = 163)≈$10,400NoYes
Molecular Metabolism71 (2025, n = 200)$4,560$3,579 (17 payments)YesYes
Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry166 (2025, n = 77)≈$4,490NoYes
Metabolism114 (2025, n = 155)≈$5,340NoYes
Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism72 (2025, n = 93)≈$7,030NoYes
Nutrition & Metabolism133 (2025, n = 169)$3,690YesNo
Diabetes155 (2025, n = 205)NoYes
Cell Biochemistry and Function153 (2025, n = 106)≈$4,220NoYes
Nutrition and Diabetes272 (2025, n = 53)$4,090YesYes
Metabolism Open40 (2025, n = 87)$2,230YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does Nature Metabolism take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Nature Metabolism accepted in 2025 were accepted within 276 days of submission (n = 141); the middle half took 218–376 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Nature Metabolism articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 42 days of acceptance (n = 142).

Does Nature Metabolism charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $12,690 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2522-5812; NLM ID 101736592; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 141 articles accepted in 2025 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: over 4 years 1.

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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.