Spine: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 0362-2436 · ISSN 1528-1159 · Lippincott Williams & Wilkins · Medicine
Half of the articles Spine accepted in 2025 were accepted within 66 days of submission (n = 365); the middle half took 53–82 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Spine take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 365 | 53 | 66 | 82 | 110 | 9.0% | 0% |
| 2024 | 337 | 41 | 55 | 75 | 99 | 9.5% | 0% |
| 2023 | 269 | 46 | 68 | 98 | 136 | 3.7% | 0% |
| 2022 | 250 | 52 | 75 | 104 | 155 | 4.4% | 0% |
- 2026: not shown yet — a year is reported once late-indexed articles have arrived (at least 180 days after it ends).
Distribution in 2025
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 42 | 11.5% |
| 30–59 | 72 | 19.7% |
| 60–89 | 177 | 48.5% |
| 90–119 | 46 | 12.6% |
| 120–149 | 16 | 4.4% |
| 150–179 | 2 | 0.5% |
| 180–209 | 5 | 1.4% |
| 210–239 | 2 | 0.5% |
| 240–269 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 270–299 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 300–329 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 330–359 | 2 | 0.5% |
| 360+ | 1 | 0.3% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 18 days (middle half 10–43 days, n = 365).
From submission to online publication, the median was 89 days (middle half 71–125 days, n = 365).
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
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.
OpenAPC has fewer than 5 reported payments for this journal in 2023–2025, so no typical amount is shown.
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 1,624 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 9.0% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 368 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+20% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology (26% of indexed topics)
- Cervical and Thoracic Myelopathy (14% of indexed topics)
- Spinal Fractures and Fixation Techniques (14% of indexed topics)
- Scoliosis diagnosis and treatment (13% of indexed topics)
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation (9% of indexed topics)
- Medical Imaging and Analysis (3% of indexed topics)
Medicine journalsSurgery journalsPathology and Forensic Medicine 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 Spine, 66 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Spine Journal | 127 (2025, n = 838) | ≈$2,790 | — | No | Yes |
| Asian Spine Journal | 71 (2025, n = 161) | No fee (DOAJ) | — | Yes | No |
| North American Spine Society Journal (NASSJ) | 60 (2025, n = 119) | $2,240 | — | Yes | No |
| Journal of Spine Surgery | 92 (2025, n = 122) | — | — | No | No |
| Neurospine | 72 (2025, n = 69) | $400 | — | Yes | No |
| Clinical Spine Surgery A Spine Publication | 210 (2025, n = 258) | — | — | No | Yes |
| The Spine Journal | 141 (2025, n = 230) | ≈$4,980 | — | No | Yes |
| Journal of Neurosurgery Spine | 135 (2025, n = 205) | — | — | No | Yes |
| Journal of Craniovertebral Junction and Spine | 34 (2025, n = 77) | No fee (DOAJ) | — | Yes | No |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Spine take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Spine accepted in 2025 were accepted within 66 days of submission (n = 365); the middle half took 53–82 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are Spine articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 18 days of acceptance (n = 365).
Does Spine 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 0362-2436; NLM ID 7610646; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 365 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.