South African Medical Journal: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 0256-9574 · ISSN 2078-5135 · Health and Medical Publishing Group · Medicine
Half of the articles South African Medical Journal accepted in 2024 were accepted within 122 days of submission (n = 73); the middle half took 82–171 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does South African Medical Journal take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 73 | 82 | 122 | 171 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
- 2026: not shown yet — a year is reported once late-indexed articles have arrived (at least 339 days after it ends).
- 2025: not shown yet — a year is reported once late-indexed articles have arrived (at least 471 days after it ends).
- 2022: not shown because many submission dates fall on the 1st of the month, which suggests they were rounded; many acceptance dates fall on the 1st of the month, which suggests they were rounded; an unusually large share of research articles show acceptance on the day of submission, which suggests placeholder dates.
- 2020: not shown because an unusually large share of research articles show acceptance on the day of submission, which suggests placeholder dates.
Distribution in 2024
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 1 | 1.4% |
| 30–59 | 8 | 11.0% |
| 60–89 | 14 | 19.2% |
| 90–119 | 12 | 16.4% |
| 120–149 | 13 | 17.8% |
| 150–179 | 8 | 11.0% |
| 180–209 | 5 | 6.8% |
| 210–239 | 4 | 5.5% |
| 240–269 | 7 | 9.6% |
| 270–299 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 300–329 | 1 | 1.4% |
| 330–359 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 360+ | 0 | 0.0% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2024 articles appeared online within 105 days (middle half 77–128 days, n = 73).
From submission to online publication, the median was 247 days (middle half 189–306 days, n = 73).
Read these numbers carefully
- Only 39% of this journal's 2024 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
Open access (listed in DOAJ). Listed APC: 7,440 ZAR (about $457 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 DOAJ | Yes (DOAJ record) |
|---|---|
| Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2024 | Yes |
| Retractions | 1 retracted article among 732 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (1.37 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 0.0% of 2024 articles |
| Publication volume | 150 articles added to PubMed in 2024 (+43% vs 2023). |
Topics and scope
- HIV/AIDS Impact and Responses (7% of indexed topics)
- HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (7% of indexed topics)
- Primary Care and Health Outcomes (7% of indexed topics)
- Global Maternal and Child Health (6% of indexed topics)
- Child and Adolescent Health (6% of indexed topics)
- Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology (5% of indexed topics)
Similar journals — faster or cheaper, side by side
Journals publishing on the most similar topics (OpenAlex), ordered by similarity. Only 2024 figures are compared with the 2024 median of South African Medical Journal, 122 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine | 108 (2024, n = 102) | ≈$1,026 | — | Yes | Yes |
| South African Family Practice | 59 (2024, n = 89) | ≈$1,356 | — | Yes | Yes |
| Bulletin of the World Health Organization | 177 (2024, n = 102) | No fee (DOAJ) | — | Yes | Yes |
| BMJ Global Health | 168 (2024, n = 325) | ≈$4,827 | $4,286 (54 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Annals of Global Health | 74 (2024, n = 75) | $2,031 | $1,665 (6 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| The Lancet Global Health | 131 (2024, n = 255) | $7,860 | $5,698 (53 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| PLOS Global Public Health | 180 (2024, n = 971) | $2,596 | $2,117 (103 payments) | Yes | No |
| Journal of Public Health in Africa | 135 (2024, n = 77) | ≈$68 | — | Yes | No |
| East African Health Research Journal | 285 (2024, n = 54) | — | — | No | No |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does South African Medical Journal take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles South African Medical Journal accepted in 2024 were accepted within 122 days of submission (n = 73); the middle half took 82–171 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are South African Medical Journal articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2024 appeared online within 105 days of acceptance (n = 73).
Does South African Medical Journal charge an article processing charge (APC)?
Listed APC: 7,440 ZAR (about $457 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 0256-9574; NLM ID 0404520; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 73 articles accepted in 2024 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.