Public Health: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0033-3506 · ISSN 1476-5616 · Elsevier BV · Multidisciplinary

Half of the articles Public Health accepted in 2025 were accepted within 161 days of submission (n = 437); the middle half took 126–205 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
161 days median
middle half 126–205 · n = 437
Acceptance → online
16 days median
middle half 11–22 · n = 437
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 133 to 161 days (90% CI +19 to +37 days).
Open access · fees
Hybrid · ≈$3,130

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 Public Health take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 74–193 days1232020n=2852021: middle half 85–182 days1292021n=3072022: middle half 94–178 days1322022n=2422023: middle half 99–172 days1332023n=3722024: middle half 110–183 days1442024n=4082025: middle half 126–205 days1612025n=437
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
20254371261612052800.5%99%
20244081101441832270.0%100%
2023372991331722140.0%98%
2022242941321782231.2%95%
2021307851291822371.0%92%
2020285741231932602.5%94%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles369126160205
Reviews68129171205

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 1% (3 articles)030–59 days: 3% (13 articles)3060–89 days: 6% (27 articles)6090–119 days: 12% (54 articles)90120–149 days: 20% (86 articles)120150–179 days: 19% (84 articles)150180–209 days: 15% (67 articles)180210–239 days: 8% (34 articles)210240–269 days: 5% (21 articles)240270–299 days: 3% (15 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (10 articles)300330–359 days: 2% (8 articles)330360+ days: 3% (15 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2930.7%
30–59133.0%
60–89276.2%
90–1195412.4%
120–1498619.7%
150–1798419.2%
180–2096715.3%
210–239347.8%
240–269214.8%
270–299153.4%
300–329102.3%
330–35981.8%
360+153.4%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 16 days (middle half 11–22 days, n = 437).

From submission to online publication, the median was 180 days (middle half 141–228 days, n = 437).

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 $3,130 (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 1,787 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.5% of 2025 articles
Publication volume463 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+12% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Health Professions 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 Public Health, 161 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Milbank Quarterly136 (2025, n = 54)≈$4,430NoYes
The Lancet34 (2025, n = 500)≈$7,890NoYes
Journal of General and Family Medicine91 (2025, n = 78)$2,600YesNo
Journal of Pediatric Health Care91 (2025, n = 139)≈$2,930NoYes
Annals of Epidemiology162 (2025, n = 179)≈$3,820NoYes
FASEB BioAdvances96 (2025, n = 78)$3,170YesNo
Oncology Research and Treatment122 (2025, n = 66)NoYes
Public health reviews213 (2025, n = 55)≈$2,420$2,604 (7 payments)YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does Public Health take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Public Health accepted in 2025 were accepted within 161 days of submission (n = 437); the middle half took 126–205 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Public Health articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 16 days of acceptance (n = 437).

Does Public Health charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $3,130 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0033-3506; NLM ID 0376507; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 437 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.