Patient Education and Counseling: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0738-3991 · ISSN 1873-5134 · Elsevier BV · Health Professions

Half of the articles Patient Education and Counseling accepted in 2025 were accepted within 165 days of submission (n = 320); the middle half took 102–225 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
165 days median
middle half 102–225 · n = 320
Acceptance → online
2 days median
middle half 1–5 · n = 320
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 146 to 165 days (90% CI +3 to +35 days).
Open access · fees
OA status not determined · ≈$3,830

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 Patient Education and Counseling take to accept a paper?

days0751502253002020: middle half 132–233 days1742020n=3802021: middle half 130–255 days1782021n=4242022: middle half 102–186 days1322022n=2212023: middle half 107–215 days1462023n=3342024: middle half 116–227 days1562024n=2982025: middle half 102–225 days1652025n=320
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
20253201021652252921.9%90%
20242981161562272861.7%98%
20233341071462152941.5%98%
20222211021321862450.0%100%
20214241301782553201.4%98%
20203801321742332920.0%100%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles267101160218
Reviews53121182246

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 5% (17 articles)030–59 days: 6% (19 articles)3060–89 days: 8% (25 articles)6090–119 days: 11% (36 articles)90120–149 days: 13% (43 articles)120150–179 days: 13% (42 articles)150180–209 days: 12% (40 articles)180210–239 days: 9% (30 articles)210240–269 days: 8% (26 articles)240270–299 days: 4% (14 articles)270300–329 days: 3% (9 articles)300330–359 days: 2% (8 articles)330360+ days: 3% (11 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–29175.3%
30–59195.9%
60–89257.8%
90–1193611.2%
120–1494313.4%
150–1794213.1%
180–2094012.5%
210–239309.4%
240–269268.1%
270–299144.4%
300–32992.8%
330–35982.5%
360+113.4%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 2 days (middle half 1–5 days, n = 320).

From submission to online publication, the median was 168 days (middle half 106–229 days, n = 320).

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). Listed APC: about $3,830 (as reported by OpenAlex).

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 DOAJNo
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025Yes
Retractions0 retracted articles among 1,623 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission1.9% of 2025 articles
Publication volume325 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+8% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Health Professions journalsMedicine journalsGeneral Health Professions 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 Patient Education and Counseling, 165 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
PEC Innovation196 (2025, n = 74)$2,190YesNo
Health Expectations133 (2025, n = 396)$4,610YesYes
Journal of Cancer Education59 (2025, n = 88)≈$3,790NoYes
Patient Preference and Adherence108 (2025, n = 338)$3,940$3,114 (14 payments)YesNo
Journal of General Internal Medicine169 (2025, n = 496)≈$5,290NoYes
BMC Family Practice170 (2025, n = 454)$2,990$2,538 (19 payments)YesYes
Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes211 (2025, n = 152)$2,090YesYes
Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences268 (2025, n = 178)≈$3,400NoYes
BJGP Open107 (2025, n = 156)≈$1,685$1,355 (10 payments)YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does Patient Education and Counseling take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Patient Education and Counseling accepted in 2025 were accepted within 165 days of submission (n = 320); the middle half took 102–225 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Patient Education and Counseling articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 2 days of acceptance (n = 320).

Does Patient Education and Counseling charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $3,830 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0738-3991; NLM ID 8406280; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 320 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.