Pilot and Feasibility Studies: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2055-5784 · BioMed Central · Medicine

Half of the articles Pilot and Feasibility Studies accepted in 2025 were accepted within 357 days of submission (n = 161); the middle half took 207–468 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
357 days median
middle half 207–468 · n = 161
Acceptance → online
26 days median
middle half 17–39 · n = 161
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 259 to 357 days (90% CI +61 to +135 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $2,590

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 Pilot and Feasibility Studies take to accept a paper?

days01503004506002020: middle half 168–319 days2352020n=2062021: middle half 158–301 days2032021n=1952022: middle half 161–364 days2422022n=2542023: middle half 182–371 days2592023n=2022024: middle half 213–364 days2792024n=1442025: middle half 207–468 days3572025n=161
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
20251612073574680.0%0%
20241442132793640.0%0%
20232021822593714750.0%0%
20222541612423645170.8%0%
20211951582033010.5%0%
20202061682353194000.0%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 1% (2 articles)3060–89 days: 2% (4 articles)6090–119 days: 2% (3 articles)90120–149 days: 6% (9 articles)120150–179 days: 6% (9 articles)150180–209 days: 9% (14 articles)180210–239 days: 6% (9 articles)210240–269 days: 2% (4 articles)240270–299 days: 6% (10 articles)270300–329 days: 7% (11 articles)300330–359 days: 6% (9 articles)330360+ days: 48% (77 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–5921.2%
60–8942.5%
90–11931.9%
120–14995.6%
150–17995.6%
180–209148.7%
210–23995.6%
240–26942.5%
270–299106.2%
300–329116.8%
330–35995.6%
360+7747.8%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 26 days (middle half 17–39 days, n = 161).

From submission to online publication, the median was 380 days (middle half 249–497 days, n = 161).

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: $2,590 (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)
Retractions0 retracted articles among 976 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2025 articles
Publication volume167 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+14% 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 Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 357 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
JMIR Research Protocols163 (2025, n = 999)$1,900$2,050 (82 payments)YesYes
Translational Behavioral Medicine163 (2025, n = 58)≈$4,253NoYes
Systematic Reviews236 (2025, n = 293)$3,190$2,619 (15 payments)YesYes
Trials212 (2025, n = 676)$2,890$2,398 (39 payments)YesYes
Journal of Aging and Physical Activity260 (2025, n = 94)NoYes
Healthcare45 (2025, n = 3,358)≈$3,258$2,438 (141 payments)NoNo
JMIR mhealth and uhealth302 (2025, n = 243)$3,150$3,721 (25 payments)YesYes
JMIR Formative Research172 (2025, n = 862)$2,500$2,952 (65 payments)YesYes
Implementation Science Communications188 (2025, n = 154)$2,390$2,030 (5 payments)YesNo
Implementation Science143 (2025, n = 62)$3,490YesYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Pilot and Feasibility Studies take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Pilot and Feasibility Studies accepted in 2025 were accepted within 357 days of submission (n = 161); the middle half took 207–468 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Pilot and Feasibility Studies articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 26 days of acceptance (n = 161).

Does Pilot and Feasibility Studies charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $2,590 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2055-5784; NLM ID 101676536; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 161 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.