PLoS Medicine: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 1549-1277 · ISSN 1549-1676 · Public Library of Science · Medicine
Half of the articles PLoS Medicine accepted in 2025 were accepted within 197 days of submission (n = 149); the middle half took 167–249 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does PLoS Medicine take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 149 | 167 | 197 | 249 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2024 | 133 | 126 | 166 | 229 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2023 | 130 | 152 | 194 | 235 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2022 | 187 | 137 | 181 | 225 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2021 | 275 | 144 | 196 | 259 | 327 | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2020 | 314 | 142 | 186 | 249 | 310 | 0.0% | 0% |
- 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 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 30–59 | 1 | 0.7% |
| 60–89 | 3 | 2.0% |
| 90–119 | 9 | 6.0% |
| 120–149 | 15 | 10.1% |
| 150–179 | 23 | 15.4% |
| 180–209 | 32 | 21.5% |
| 210–239 | 23 | 15.4% |
| 240–269 | 14 | 9.4% |
| 270–299 | 11 | 7.4% |
| 300–329 | 8 | 5.4% |
| 330–359 | 2 | 1.3% |
| 360+ | 8 | 5.4% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 34 days (middle half 26–48 days, n = 149).
From submission to online publication, the median was 236 days (middle half 196–286 days, n = 149).
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: $6,460 (DOAJ).
Institutions reported paying a median of about $5,350 per article (2023–2025, 27 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 | 0 retracted articles among 996 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 0.0% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 173 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+18% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (10% of indexed topics)
- Global Maternal and Child Health (10% of indexed topics)
- Malaria Research and Control (6% of indexed topics)
- Child Nutrition and Water Access (5% of indexed topics)
- Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life (5% of indexed topics)
- HIV Research and Treatment (5% of indexed topics)
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 PLoS Medicine, 197 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLOS Global Public Health | 179 (2025, n = 997) | $2,596 | $2,117 (103 payments) | Yes | No |
| Tropical Medicine & International Health | 129 (2025, n = 68) | ≈$3,400 | — | No | Yes |
| The Lancet Global Health | 107 (2025, n = 270) | $7,860 | $5,698 (53 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| BMJ Global Health | 200 (2025, n = 634) | ≈$4,827 | $4,286 (54 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| International Health | 130 (2025, n = 156) | ≈$2,973 | — | Yes | Yes |
| Bulletin of the World Health Organization | 195 (2025, n = 101) | No fee (DOAJ) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Journal of Public Health in Africa | 123 (2025, n = 109) | ≈$68 | — | Yes | No |
| The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia | 128 (2025, n = 130) | $2,650 | — | Yes | No |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does PLoS Medicine take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles PLoS Medicine accepted in 2025 were accepted within 197 days of submission (n = 149); the middle half took 167–249 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are PLoS Medicine articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 34 days of acceptance (n = 149).
Does PLoS Medicine charge an article processing charge (APC)?
Listed APC: $6,460 (DOAJ).
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 1549-1277; NLM ID 101231360; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 149 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.