Nature Protocols: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 1750-2799 · ISSN 1754-2189 · Nature Portfolio · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Half of the articles Nature Protocols accepted in 2025 were accepted within 232 days of submission (n = 171); the middle half took 192–309 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Nature Protocols take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 171 | 192 | 232 | 309 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2024 | 153 | 197 | 245 | 323 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2023 | 147 | 168 | 200 | 262 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2022 | 121 | 171 | 233 | 282 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2021 | 181 | 156 | 205 | 267 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2020 | 187 | 136 | 176 | 220 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
- 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 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 30–59 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 60–89 | 2 | 1.2% |
| 90–119 | 3 | 1.8% |
| 120–149 | 8 | 4.7% |
| 150–179 | 18 | 10.5% |
| 180–209 | 32 | 18.7% |
| 210–239 | 31 | 18.1% |
| 240–269 | 17 | 9.9% |
| 270–299 | 14 | 8.2% |
| 300–329 | 11 | 6.4% |
| 330–359 | 5 | 2.9% |
| 360+ | 30 | 17.5% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 73 days (middle half 62–90 days, n = 171).
From submission to online publication, the median was 309 days (middle half 267–392 days, n = 171).
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
Subscription or hybrid (not determined). No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.
No institutional payments for this journal are recorded in OpenAPC.
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 | 0 retracted articles among 794 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 0.0% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 179 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+19% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering (9% of indexed topics)
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms (8% of indexed topics)
- Pluripotent Stem Cells Research (6% of indexed topics)
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques (6% of indexed topics)
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics (5% of indexed topics)
- Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques (5% of indexed topics)
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology journalsMolecular Biology 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 Protocols, 232 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature Methods | 338 (2025, n = 209) | ≈$12,690 | $12,315 (5 payments) | No | Yes |
| Methods and Protocols | 51 (2025, n = 157) | ≈$2,200 | $1,870 (13 payments) | Yes | No |
| STAR Protocols | 94 (2025, n = 720) | $1,920 | $1,022 (56 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Cell Reports Methods | 210 (2025, n = 178) | $4,970 | $5,028 (17 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Methods | 81 (2025, n = 157) | ≈$3,600 | — | No | Yes |
| Biology Methods and Protocols | 79 (2025, n = 90) | $1,067 | $1,241 (7 payments) | Yes | No |
| Protein & Cell | 76 (2025, n = 68) | $2,570 | — | Yes | Yes |
| Nucleic Acids Research | 152 (2025, n = 1,496) | $4,192 | $3,862 (247 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Molecular Biotechnology | 128 (2025, n = 171) | ≈$3,790 | — | No | Yes |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Nature Protocols take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Nature Protocols accepted in 2025 were accepted within 232 days of submission (n = 171); the middle half took 192–309 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are Nature Protocols articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 73 days of acceptance (n = 171).
Does Nature Protocols 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 1750-2799; NLM ID 101284307; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 171 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.