Pathology: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0031-3025 · ISSN 1465-3931 · Elsevier BV · Medicine

Half of the articles Pathology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 124 days of submission (n = 83); the middle half took 89–182 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
124 days median
middle half 89–182 · n = 83
Acceptance → online
66 days median
middle half 48–75 · n = 83
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 138 → 124 days; 90% CI -37 to +9 days).
Open access · fees
Hybrid · ≈$3,600

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 Pathology take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 50–132 days872020n=1072021: middle half 60–130 days872021n=872022: middle half 78–157 days1082022n=892023: middle half 90–183 days1382023n=912024: middle half 105–187 days1392024n=1022025: middle half 89–182 days1242025n=83
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
202583891241821.2%100%
20241021051391871.0%98%
202391901381831.1%98%
202289781081574.5%94%
20218760871304.6%93%
202010750871326.5%86%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 6% (5 articles)030–59 days: 7% (6 articles)3060–89 days: 12% (10 articles)6090–119 days: 23% (19 articles)90120–149 days: 11% (9 articles)120150–179 days: 14% (12 articles)150180–209 days: 14% (12 articles)180210–239 days: 4% (3 articles)210240–269 days: 4% (3 articles)240270–299 days: 5% (4 articles)270300–329 days: 0% (0 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (0 articles)330360+ days: 0% (0 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2956.0%
30–5967.2%
60–891012.0%
90–1191922.9%
120–149910.8%
150–1791214.5%
180–2091214.5%
210–23933.6%
240–26933.6%
270–29944.8%
300–32900.0%
330–35900.0%
360+00.0%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 66 days (middle half 48–75 days, n = 83).

From submission to online publication, the median was 196 days (middle half 153–253 days, n = 83).

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 $3,600 (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 449 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission1.2% of 2025 articles
Publication volume85 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (-17% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine 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 Pathology, 124 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Pathology International92 (2025, n = 60)≈$3,610NoYes
Histopathology90 (2025, n = 161)≈$4,840NoYes
Indian Journal of Pathology and Microbiology218 (2025, n = 101)$200YesYes
Modern Pathology119 (2025, n = 207)≈$4,480NoYes
American Journal of Clinical Pathology90 (2025, n = 145)≈$4,660NoYes
Journal of Clinical Pathology99 (2025, n = 61)NoYes
Human Pathology53 (2025, n = 168)≈$3,550NoYes
Pathologica77 (2025, n = 52)NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Pathology take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Pathology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 124 days of submission (n = 83); the middle half took 89–182 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Pathology articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 66 days of acceptance (n = 83).

Does Pathology charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $3,600 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0031-3025; NLM ID 0175411; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 83 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.