Science Advances: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 2375-2548 · American Association for the Advancement of Science · Multidisciplinary
Half of the articles Science Advances accepted in 2021 were accepted within 156 days of submission (n = 1,022); the middle half took 115–208 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Science Advances take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,022 | 115 | 156 | 208 | 265 | 0.3% | 0% |
| 2020 | 1,999 | 118 | 157 | 207 | 272 | 0.1% | 0% |
Distribution in 2021
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 5 | 0.5% |
| 30–59 | 20 | 2.0% |
| 60–89 | 90 | 8.8% |
| 90–119 | 174 | 17.0% |
| 120–149 | 183 | 17.9% |
| 150–179 | 173 | 16.9% |
| 180–209 | 126 | 12.3% |
| 210–239 | 83 | 8.1% |
| 240–269 | 75 | 7.3% |
| 270–299 | 28 | 2.7% |
| 300–329 | 28 | 2.7% |
| 330–359 | 8 | 0.8% |
| 360+ | 29 | 2.8% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2021 articles appeared online within 47 days (middle half 44–49 days, n = 1,023).
From submission to online publication, the median was 204 days (middle half 161–255 days, n = 1,022).
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: $5,450 (DOAJ).
Institutions reported paying a median of about $4,506 per article (2023–2025, 420 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 2021 | Yes |
| Retractions | 2 retracted articles among 11,639 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.17 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 0.3% of 2021 articles |
| Publication volume | 1,997 articles added to PubMed in 2021 (-7% vs 2020). |
Topics and scope
- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials (7% of indexed topics)
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (6% of indexed topics)
- RNA Research and Splicing (5% of indexed topics)
- Neural dynamics and brain function (4% of indexed topics)
- RNA modifications and cancer (4% of indexed topics)
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation (4% of indexed topics)
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 2021 figures are compared with the 2021 median of Science Advances, 156 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature Communications | 217 (2021, n = 6,604) | $7,350 | $6,220 (1,489 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Cell Reports | 237 (2021, n = 1,340) | $5,790 | $5,172 (140 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| eLife | 164 (2021, n = 1,979) | $3,750 | $2,405 (422 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| National Science Review | 117 (2021, n = 177) | $1,904 | — | Yes | No |
| Communications Biology | 208 (2021, n = 1,208) | $4,390 | $3,670 (197 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Molecular Cell | 180 (2021, n = 298) | ≈$10,400 | — | No | Yes |
| Nature Structural & Molecular Biology | 156 (2021, n = 82) | ≈$12,690 | $11,260 (11 payments) | No | Yes |
| Life Science Alliance | 144 (2021, n = 203) | $3,500 | $3,867 (92 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Cell | 189 (2021, n = 366) | ≈$11,400 | $10,148 (13 payments) | No | Yes |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Science Advances take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Science Advances accepted in 2021 were accepted within 156 days of submission (n = 1,022); the middle half took 115–208 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are Science Advances articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2021 appeared online within 47 days of acceptance (n = 1,023).
Does Science Advances charge an article processing charge (APC)?
Listed APC: $5,450 (DOAJ).
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 2375-2548; NLM ID 101653440; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 1,022 articles accepted in 2021 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: same day non research 1.
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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.