Science Robotics: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 2470-9476 · American Association for the Advancement of Science · Engineering
Half of the articles Science Robotics accepted in 2021 were accepted within 224 days of submission (n = 65); the middle half took 136–269 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Science Robotics take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 65 | 136 | 224 | 269 | — | 15.4% | 0% |
| 2020 | 77 | 15 | 140 | 192 | — | 23.4% | 6% |
Distribution in 2021
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 12 | 18.5% |
| 30–59 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 60–89 | 1 | 1.5% |
| 90–119 | 1 | 1.5% |
| 120–149 | 5 | 7.7% |
| 150–179 | 5 | 7.7% |
| 180–209 | 4 | 6.2% |
| 210–239 | 8 | 12.3% |
| 240–269 | 13 | 20.0% |
| 270–299 | 12 | 18.5% |
| 300–329 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 330–359 | 3 | 4.6% |
| 360+ | 1 | 1.5% |
From acceptance to online publication
Not enough articles with both an acceptance date and an online publication date to measure the time to online publication.
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). No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.
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 2021 | Yes |
| Retractions | 0 retracted articles among 507 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 15.4% of 2021 articles |
| Publication volume | 94 articles added to PubMed in 2021 (-1% vs 2020). |
Topics and scope
- Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence (13% of indexed topics)
- Micro and Nano Robotics (11% of indexed topics)
- Soft Robotics and Applications (10% of indexed topics)
- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials (7% of indexed topics)
- Robot Manipulation and Learning (6% of indexed topics)
- Robotic Locomotion and Control (5% of indexed topics)
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 Robotics, 224 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontiers in Robotics and AI | 102 (2021, n = 413) | ≈$2,383 | $2,218 (56 payments) | Yes | No |
| Bioinspiration & Biomimetics | 146 (2021, n = 133) | ≈$3,325 | — | No | Yes |
| Biomimetics | 37 (2021, n = 73) | ≈$2,689 | $2,174 (13 payments) | Yes | No |
| Frontiers in Neurorobotics | 76 (2021, n = 185) | ≈$3,850 | $3,015 (12 payments) | Yes | No |
| Applied Bionics and Biomechanics | 71 (2021, n = 117) | $2,020 | — | Yes | No |
| Research | 75 (2021, n = 119) | $2,000 | — | Yes | No |
| International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery | 99 (2021, n = 131) | ≈$4,430 | — | No | Yes |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Science Robotics take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Science Robotics accepted in 2021 were accepted within 224 days of submission (n = 65); the middle half took 136–269 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
Does Science Robotics charge an article processing charge (APC)?
No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 2470-9476; NLM ID 101733136; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 65 articles accepted in 2021 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: none.
Spotted a problem with this journal's data, or are you the publisher? Report a correction or email rafiq@gradsummit.com. Verified errors are corrected within five business days.
Get the free Journal Submission Go/No-Go Checklist
The pre-submission checks from Write and Publish a Scientific Paper: journal fit, formatting, cover letter and reviewer suggestions. We’ll email you the download link.
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.