South African Journal of Psychiatry: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1608-9685 · ISSN 2078-6786 · AOSIS · Psychology

Half of the articles South African Journal of Psychiatry accepted in 2025 were accepted within 157 days of submission (n = 51); the middle half took 116–210 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
157 days median
middle half 116–210 · n = 51
Acceptance → online
66 days median
middle half 51–86 · n = 51
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · ≈$850

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 South African Journal of Psychiatry take to accept a paper?

days0751502253002021: middle half 132–260 days2082021n=612024: middle half 101–177 days1262024n=682025: middle half 116–210 days1572025n=51
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
2025511161572100.0%0%
2024681011261774.4%0%
2021611322082600.0%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 2% (1 articles)030–59 days: 6% (3 articles)3060–89 days: 8% (4 articles)6090–119 days: 10% (5 articles)90120–149 days: 20% (10 articles)120150–179 days: 22% (11 articles)150180–209 days: 6% (3 articles)180210–239 days: 14% (7 articles)210240–269 days: 8% (4 articles)240270–299 days: 2% (1 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (1 articles)300330–359 days: 2% (1 articles)330360+ days: 0% (0 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2912.0%
30–5935.9%
60–8947.8%
90–11959.8%
120–1491019.6%
150–1791121.6%
180–20935.9%
210–239713.7%
240–26947.8%
270–29912.0%
300–32912.0%
330–35912.0%
360+00.0%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 66 days (middle half 51–86 days, n = 51).

From submission to online publication, the median was 217 days (middle half 184–290 days, n = 51).

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: 13,837 ZAR (about $850 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

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 DOAJYes (DOAJ record)
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead)
Retractions0 retracted articles among 263 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2025 articles
Publication volume47 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (-27% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Psychology journalsMedicine journalsClinical Psychology 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 South African Journal of Psychiatry, 157 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Indian Journal of Psychiatry151 (2025, n = 150)No fee (DOAJ)YesNo
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology227 (2025, n = 228)≈$4,390NoYes
The Lancet Psychiatry51 (2025, n = 139)≈$7,280NoYes
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing175 (2025, n = 125)≈$3,600NoYes
Asian Journal of Psychiatry69 (2025, n = 202)≈$3,820NoYes
General Hospital Psychiatry113 (2025, n = 132)≈$3,720NoYes
Community Mental Health Journal163 (2025, n = 133)≈$4,390NoYes
Early Intervention in Psychiatry199 (2025, n = 118)≈$4,060NoYes
BMC Psychiatry158 (2025, n = 1,271)$3,390$2,722 (26 payments)YesYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does South African Journal of Psychiatry take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles South African Journal of Psychiatry accepted in 2025 were accepted within 157 days of submission (n = 51); the middle half took 116–210 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are South African Journal of Psychiatry articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 66 days of acceptance (n = 51).

Does South African Journal of Psychiatry charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: 13,837 ZAR (about $850 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1608-9685; NLM ID 100958626; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 51 articles accepted in 2025 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.

One email with your download, then occasional research tips. One-click unsubscribe, anytime. We never sell your data.

Get Write and Publish a Scientific Paper

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.