Nucleic Acids Research: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 0305-1048 · ISSN 1362-4954 · Oxford University Press · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Half of the articles Nucleic Acids Research accepted in 2025 were accepted within 152 days of submission (n = 1,496); the middle half took 79–240 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Nucleic Acids Research take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,496 | 79 | 152 | 240 | 314 | 0.5% | 97% |
| 2024 | 1,244 | 73 | 140 | 227 | 296 | 0.1% | 98% |
| 2023 | 1,189 | 67 | 126 | 223 | 305 | 0.2% | 97% |
| 2022 | 1,212 | 58 | 109 | 197 | 270 | 0.2% | 97% |
| 2021 | 1,248 | 55 | 99 | 175 | 259 | 0.3% | 98% |
| 2020 | 1,251 | 54 | 94 | 166 | 237 | 0.3% | 98% |
- 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 | 63 | 4.2% |
| 30–59 | 202 | 13.5% |
| 60–89 | 171 | 11.4% |
| 90–119 | 163 | 10.9% |
| 120–149 | 134 | 9.0% |
| 150–179 | 143 | 9.6% |
| 180–209 | 132 | 8.8% |
| 210–239 | 109 | 7.3% |
| 240–269 | 123 | 8.2% |
| 270–299 | 79 | 5.3% |
| 300–329 | 45 | 3.0% |
| 330–359 | 37 | 2.5% |
| 360+ | 95 | 6.4% |
From acceptance to online publication
Not enough articles with both an acceptance date and an online publication date to measure the time to online publication.
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: $4,192 (DOAJ).
Institutions reported paying a median of about $3,862 per article (2023–2025, 247 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 DOAJ | Yes (DOAJ record) |
|---|---|
| Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025 | Yes |
| Retractions | 2 retracted articles among 6,284 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.32 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 0.5% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 1,382 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+12% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms (16% of indexed topics)
- RNA modifications and cancer (8% of indexed topics)
- DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry (8% of indexed topics)
- RNA Research and Splicing (8% of indexed topics)
- DNA Repair Mechanisms (6% of indexed topics)
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies (6% 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 Nucleic Acids Research, 152 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature Structural & Molecular Biology | 243 (2025, n = 163) | ≈$12,690 | $11,260 (11 payments) | No | Yes |
| RNA | 94 (2025, n = 118) | — | $3,004 (7 payments) | No | Yes |
| Biochimie | 102 (2025, n = 170) | ≈$3,110 | $1,682 (6 payments) | No | Yes |
| Gene | 97 (2025, n = 475) | ≈$3,300 | — | No | Yes |
| Methods | 81 (2025, n = 157) | ≈$3,600 | — | No | Yes |
| Journal of Molecular Biology | 87 (2025, n = 409) | ≈$4,730 | $2,857 (6 payments) | No | Yes |
| The EMBO Journal | 196 (2025, n = 319) | $8,270 | $8,015 (43 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Cell | 287 (2025, n = 478) | ≈$11,400 | $10,148 (13 payments) | No | Yes |
| Molecular Cell | 224 (2025, n = 331) | ≈$10,400 | — | No | Yes |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Nucleic Acids Research take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Nucleic Acids Research accepted in 2025 were accepted within 152 days of submission (n = 1,496); the middle half took 79–240 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
Does Nucleic Acids Research charge an article processing charge (APC)?
Listed APC: $4,192 (DOAJ).
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 0305-1048; NLM ID 0411011; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 1,496 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.