Open Life Sciences: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1895-104X · ISSN 1644-3632 · De Gruyter Open · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Half of the articles Open Life Sciences accepted in 2025 were accepted within 134 days of submission (n = 197); the middle half took 96–172 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
134 days median
middle half 96–172 · n = 197
Acceptance → online
65 days median
middle half 51–92 · n = 197
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 97 to 134 days (90% CI +27 to +47 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · ≈$2,423

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 Open Life Sciences take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 64–193 days1132020n=1072021: middle half 88–185 days1312021n=1202022: middle half 102–178 days1402022n=1812023: middle half 73–134 days972023n=2622024: middle half 84–148 days1132024n=2172025: middle half 96–172 days1342025n=197
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
2025197961341720.0%69%
2024217841131482020.0%100%
202326273971341820.0%100%
20221811021401780.0%99%
2021120881311850.0%99%
2020107641131930.9%97%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 2% (3 articles)3060–89 days: 18% (35 articles)6090–119 days: 20% (39 articles)90120–149 days: 22% (43 articles)120150–179 days: 19% (37 articles)150180–209 days: 7% (13 articles)180210–239 days: 7% (13 articles)210240–269 days: 2% (4 articles)240270–299 days: 1% (2 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (3 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (0 articles)330360+ days: 3% (5 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–5931.5%
60–893517.8%
90–1193919.8%
120–1494321.8%
150–1793718.8%
180–209136.6%
210–239136.6%
240–26942.0%
270–29921.0%
300–32931.5%
330–35900.0%
360+52.5%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 65 days (middle half 51–92 days, n = 197).

From submission to online publication, the median was 210 days (middle half 157–273 days, n = 197).

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: 2,100 EUR (about $2,423 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

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 DOAJYes (DOAJ record)
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead)
Retractions3 retracted articles among 1,031 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (2.91 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2025 articles
Publication volume203 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+5% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology journalsAgricultural and Biological Sciences 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 Open Life Sciences, 134 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Current Issues in Molecular Biology34 (2025, n = 1,070)≈$2,689$2,097 (29 payments)YesNo
Non-coding RNA Research112 (2025, n = 93)$1,100YesNo
Molecular Biology Reports77 (2025, n = 1,169)≈$4,290NoYes
Non-Coding RNA62 (2025, n = 77)≈$2,200YesNo
International Journal of Genomics107 (2025, n = 96)$2,620YesNo
Molecular Medicine Reports133 (2025, n = 306)NoYes
BioMed Research International239 (2025, n = 205)≈$2,680NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Open Life Sciences take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Open Life Sciences accepted in 2025 were accepted within 134 days of submission (n = 197); the middle half took 96–172 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Open Life Sciences articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 65 days of acceptance (n = 197).

Does Open Life Sciences charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: 2,100 EUR (about $2,423 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1895-104X; NLM ID 101669614; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 197 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.