RSC Chemical Biology: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2633-0679 · Royal Society of Chemistry · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Half of the articles RSC Chemical Biology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 80 days of submission (n = 167); the middle half took 53–110 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
80 days median
middle half 53–110 · n = 167
Acceptance → online
3 days median
middle half 1–7 · n = 167
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 77 → 80 days; 90% CI -8 to +15 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · ≈$2,831

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 RSC Chemical Biology take to accept a paper?

days03060901202020: middle half 43–82 days612020n=512021: middle half 46–96 days592021n=1012022: middle half 49–101 days652022n=1072023: middle half 57–110 days772023n=982024: middle half 47–98 days702024n=1112025: middle half 53–110 days802025n=167
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
202516753801103.6%0%
20241114770983.6%0%
20239857771102.0%0%
202210749651011.9%0%
20211014659962.0%0%
2020514361823.9%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 7% (12 articles)030–59 days: 25% (42 articles)3060–89 days: 27% (45 articles)6090–119 days: 18% (30 articles)90120–149 days: 11% (19 articles)120150–179 days: 5% (9 articles)150180–209 days: 2% (3 articles)180210–239 days: 2% (3 articles)210240–269 days: 1% (1 articles)240270–299 days: 2% (3 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
0–29127.2%
30–594225.1%
60–894526.9%
90–1193018.0%
120–1491911.4%
150–17995.4%
180–20931.8%
210–23931.8%
240–26910.6%
270–29931.8%
300–32900.0%
330–35900.0%
360+00.0%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 3 days (middle half 1–7 days, n = 167).

From submission to online publication, the median was 83 days (middle half 58–120 days, n = 167).

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: 2,100 GBP (about $2,831 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,295 per article (2023–2025, 15 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 DOAJYes (DOAJ record)
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead)
Retractions0 retracted articles among 645 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission3.6% of 2025 articles
Publication volume172 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+41% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology journalsMolecular Biology 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 RSC Chemical Biology, 80 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Nature Chemical Biology322 (2025, n = 173)≈$12,690NoYes
ACS Bio & Med Chem Au87 (2025, n = 64)$3,500$3,618 (6 payments)YesNo
Journal of Peptide Science66 (2025, n = 73)≈$4,030NoYes
Cell chemical biology179 (2025, n = 109)≈$9,350NoYes
Biopolymers95 (2025, n = 81)≈$4,150NoYes
Biochimie102 (2025, n = 170)≈$3,110$1,682 (6 payments)NoYes
Methods81 (2025, n = 157)≈$3,600NoYes
ACS Central Science79 (2025, n = 189)No fee (DOAJ)YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does RSC Chemical Biology take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles RSC Chemical Biology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 80 days of submission (n = 167); the middle half took 53–110 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are RSC Chemical Biology articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 3 days of acceptance (n = 167).

Does RSC Chemical Biology charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: 2,100 GBP (about $2,831 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2633-0679; NLM ID 101768727; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 167 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.