Science China Life Sciences: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 1674-7305 · ISSN 1869-1889 · Springer Science+Business Media · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Half of the articles Science China Life Sciences accepted in 2025 were accepted within 93 days of submission (n = 306); the middle half took 55–136 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Science China Life Sciences take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 306 | 55 | 93 | 136 | 186 | 4.2% | 0% |
| 2024 | 259 | 39 | 61 | 105 | 145 | 4.6% | 1% |
| 2023 | 211 | 31 | 53 | 87 | 126 | 10.0% | 0% |
| 2022 | 162 | 37 | 63 | 97 | — | 6.8% | 1% |
| 2021 | 153 | 32 | 63 | 90 | — | 8.5% | 0% |
| 2020 | 208 | 31 | 52 | 73 | 97 | 6.7% | 0% |
- 2026: not shown yet — a year is reported once late-indexed articles have arrived (at least 180 days after it ends).
Research articles vs reviews (2025)
| Type | n | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research articles | 252 | 52 | 88 | 138 |
| Reviews | 54 | 89 | 99 | 130 |
Distribution in 2025
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 38 | 12.4% |
| 30–59 | 44 | 14.4% |
| 60–89 | 63 | 20.6% |
| 90–119 | 59 | 19.3% |
| 120–149 | 39 | 12.7% |
| 150–179 | 30 | 9.8% |
| 180–209 | 13 | 4.2% |
| 210–239 | 6 | 2.0% |
| 240–269 | 7 | 2.3% |
| 270–299 | 7 | 2.3% |
| 300–329 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 330–359 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 360+ | 0 | 0.0% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 81 days (middle half 46–115 days, n = 306).
From submission to online publication, the median was 184 days (middle half 122–242 days, n = 306).
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
Subscription or hybrid (not determined). Listed APC: about $3,790 (as reported by OpenAlex).
No institutional payments for this journal are recorded in OpenAPC.
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 | No |
|---|---|
| Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025 | Yes |
| Retractions | 0 retracted articles among 1,048 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 4.2% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 308 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+30% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering (9% of indexed topics)
- RNA modifications and cancer (8% of indexed topics)
- Plant Molecular Biology Research (6% of indexed topics)
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms (5% of indexed topics)
- Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research (5% of indexed topics)
- RNA Research and Splicing (5% 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 2025 figures are compared with the 2025 median of Science China Life Sciences, 93 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journal of genetics and genomics/Journal of Genetics and Genomics | 96 (2025, n = 126) | ≈$3,140 | — | No | Yes |
| Protein & Cell | 76 (2025, n = 68) | $2,570 | — | Yes | Yes |
| Cell Research | 162 (2025, n = 59) | ≈$5,190 | — | No | Yes |
| Molecules and Cells | 79 (2025, n = 63) | $2,500 | — | Yes | Yes |
| Genes | 29 (2025, n = 1,505) | ≈$3,137 | $2,358 (85 payments) | No | Yes |
| Trends in Genetics | 59 (2025, n = 102) | ≈$7,030 | — | No | Yes |
| Functional & Integrative Genomics | 84 (2025, n = 280) | ≈$2,690 | — | No | Yes |
| Cell Discovery | 177 (2025, n = 67) | $3,690 | — | Yes | No |
| Genomics | 141 (2025, n = 206) | $3,460 | $2,086 (6 payments) | Yes | Yes |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Science China Life Sciences take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Science China Life Sciences accepted in 2025 were accepted within 93 days of submission (n = 306); the middle half took 55–136 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are Science China Life Sciences articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 81 days of acceptance (n = 306).
Does Science China Life Sciences charge an article processing charge (APC)?
Listed APC: about $3,790 (as reported by OpenAlex).
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 1674-7305; NLM ID 101529880; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 306 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.