Sports Medicine - Open: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2198-9761 · ISSN 2199-1170 · Springer Nature · Medicine

Half of the articles Sports Medicine - Open accepted in 2025 were accepted within 273 days of submission (n = 153); the middle half took 175–344 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
273 days median
middle half 175–344 · n = 153
Acceptance → online
29 days median
middle half 19–40 · n = 153
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 219 to 273 days (90% CI +30 to +78 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $4,390

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 Sports Medicine - Open take to accept a paper?

days01202403604802020: middle half 140–219 days1742020n=592021: middle half 120–237 days1852021n=1052022: middle half 127–228 days1782022n=1332023: middle half 154–293 days2192023n=1112024: middle half 146–271 days2092024n=1312025: middle half 175–344 days2732025n=153
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
20251531752733440.0%0%
20241311462092710.0%0%
20231111542192930.0%0%
20221331271782280.0%0%
20211051201852370.0%0%
2020591401742190.0%0%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles86156247310
Reviews67241291367

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 0% (0 articles)3060–89 days: 1% (1 articles)6090–119 days: 8% (12 articles)90120–149 days: 7% (10 articles)120150–179 days: 10% (16 articles)150180–209 days: 7% (10 articles)180210–239 days: 7% (11 articles)210240–269 days: 10% (16 articles)240270–299 days: 12% (19 articles)270300–329 days: 12% (18 articles)300330–359 days: 6% (9 articles)330360+ days: 20% (31 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–5900.0%
60–8910.7%
90–119127.8%
120–149106.5%
150–1791610.5%
180–209106.5%
210–239117.2%
240–2691610.5%
270–2991912.4%
300–3291811.8%
330–35995.9%
360+3120.3%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 29 days (middle half 19–40 days, n = 153).

From submission to online publication, the median was 311 days (middle half 216–377 days, n = 153).

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: $4,390 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $3,561 per article (2023–2025, 12 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 DOAJYes (DOAJ record)
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead)
Retractions0 retracted articles among 633 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 volume156 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+21% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsOrthopedics and Sports 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 Sports Medicine - Open, 273 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation120 (2025, n = 460)$3,090$2,581 (8 payments)YesNo
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports112 (2025, n = 180)≈$4,550NoYes
Sports41 (2025, n = 476)≈$2,200$1,856 (38 payments)YesNo
Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology44 (2025, n = 480)≈$1,956$1,881 (10 payments)YesNo
Journal of science and medicine in sport175 (2025, n = 154)≈$3,720NoYes
European Journal of Sport Science220 (2025, n = 204)$2,950YesYes
Journal of Sports Science and Medicine68 (2025, n = 85)≈$1,800$2,165 (15 payments)NoYes
International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance145 (2025, n = 207)NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Sports Medicine - Open take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Sports Medicine - Open accepted in 2025 were accepted within 273 days of submission (n = 153); the middle half took 175–344 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Sports Medicine - Open articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 29 days of acceptance (n = 153).

Does Sports Medicine - Open charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $4,390 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2198-9761; NLM ID 101662568; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 153 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.