Science: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 0036-8075 · ISSN 0193-4511 · American Association for the Advancement of Science · Multidisciplinary
Half of the articles Science accepted in 2021 were accepted within 185 days of submission (n = 396); the middle half took 109–300 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Science take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 396 | 109 | 185 | 300 | 422 | 0.2% | 23% |
| 2020 | 772 | 99 | 166 | 253 | 368 | 0.4% | 22% |
Distribution in 2021
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 3 | 0.8% |
| 30–59 | 17 | 4.3% |
| 60–89 | 48 | 12.1% |
| 90–119 | 44 | 11.1% |
| 120–149 | 42 | 10.6% |
| 150–179 | 35 | 8.8% |
| 180–209 | 40 | 10.1% |
| 210–239 | 27 | 6.8% |
| 240–269 | 24 | 6.1% |
| 270–299 | 16 | 4.0% |
| 300–329 | 25 | 6.3% |
| 330–359 | 14 | 3.5% |
| 360+ | 61 | 15.4% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2021 articles appeared online within 10 days (middle half 6–16 days, n = 115).
From submission to online publication, the median was 135 days (middle half 97–270 days, n = 115).
Read these numbers carefully
- Only 43% of this journal's 2021 articles in PubMed carry both a submission and an acceptance date, so these figures may not represent all of its articles.
- 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). No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.
Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,000 per article (2023–2025, 6 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 | No |
|---|---|
| Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2021 | Yes |
| Retractions | 4 retracted articles among 5,409 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.74 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 0.2% of 2021 articles |
| Publication volume | 1,122 articles added to PubMed in 2021 (-0% vs 2020). |
Topics and scope
- Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies (11% of indexed topics)
- Science, Research, and Medicine (8% of indexed topics)
- Human auditory perception and evaluation (6% of indexed topics)
- Academic Writing and Publishing (5% of indexed topics)
- Earthquake and Disaster Impact Studies (5% of indexed topics)
- Academic Publishing and Open Access (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, 185 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature | 229 (2021, n = 979) | ≈$12,690 | $11,138 (50 payments) | No | Yes |
| Translational research | 110 (2021, n = 104) | ≈$4,690 | — | No | Yes |
| The Permanente Journal | 110 (2021, n = 61) | — | — | No | Yes |
| FASEB BioAdvances | 73 (2021, n = 85) | $3,170 | — | Yes | No |
| Cells Tissues Organs | 101 (2021, n = 59) | — | — | No | Yes |
| Oncology Research and Treatment | 85 (2021, n = 66) | — | — | No | Yes |
| Archives of Medical Research | 189 (2021, n = 81) | ≈$3,360 | — | No | Yes |
| Medical Principles and Practice | 196 (2021, n = 57) | No fee (DOAJ) | — | Yes | Yes |
| The Lancet | 49 (2021, n = 415) | ≈$7,890 | — | No | Yes |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Science take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Science accepted in 2021 were accepted within 185 days of submission (n = 396); the middle half took 109–300 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are Science articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2021 appeared online within 10 days of acceptance (n = 115).
Does Science 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 0036-8075; NLM ID 0404511; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 396 articles accepted in 2021 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.