The Journal of Headache and Pain: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1129-2369 · ISSN 1129-2377 · Springer Nature · Medicine

Half of the articles The Journal of Headache and Pain accepted in 2025 were accepted within 51 days of submission (n = 294); the middle half took 32–70 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
51 days median
middle half 32–70 · n = 294
Acceptance → online
22 days median
middle half 13–33 · n = 294
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 44 → 51 days; 90% CI +2 to +12 days).
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $4,190

Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026

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How long does The Journal of Headache and Pain take to accept a paper?

days03060901202020: middle half 43–78 days612020n=1322021: middle half 45–90 days582021n=1552022: middle half 35–73 days502022n=1412023: middle half 28–60 days442023n=1592024: middle half 31–70 days462024n=2202025: middle half 32–70 days512025n=294
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
2025294325170981.4%0%
20242203146701041.4%0%
20231592844600.6%0%
20221413550732.8%1%
20211554558903.2%0%
20201324361783.0%0%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles232335375
Reviews62293854

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 21% (62 articles)030–59 days: 43% (126 articles)3060–89 days: 21% (63 articles)6090–119 days: 9% (26 articles)90120–149 days: 2% (7 articles)120150–179 days: 2% (7 articles)150180–209 days: 1% (3 articles)180210–239 days: 0% (0 articles)210240–269 days: 0% (0 articles)240270–299 days: 0% (0 articles)270300–329 days: 0% (0 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (0 articles)330360+ days: 0% (0 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–296221.1%
30–5912642.9%
60–896321.4%
90–119268.8%
120–14972.4%
150–17972.4%
180–20931.0%
210–23900.0%
240–26900.0%
270–29900.0%
300–32900.0%
330–35900.0%
360+00.0%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 22 days (middle half 13–33 days, n = 294).

From submission to online publication, the median was 76 days (middle half 55–103 days, n = 294).

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: $4,190 (DOAJ).

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 DOAJYes (DOAJ record)
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025Yes
Retractions0 retracted articles among 970 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission1.4% of 2025 articles
Publication volume301 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+40% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsPsychiatry and Mental health 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 The Journal of Headache and Pain, 51 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Headache The Journal of Head and Face Pain128 (2025, n = 187)≈$4,150NoYes
Neurological Sciences99 (2025, n = 586)≈$4,090NoYes
Pain and Therapy51 (2025, n = 102)$7,675YesNo
Acta Neurologica Belgica94 (2025, n = 181)≈$4,090NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does The Journal of Headache and Pain take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles The Journal of Headache and Pain accepted in 2025 were accepted within 51 days of submission (n = 294); the middle half took 32–70 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are The Journal of Headache and Pain articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 22 days of acceptance (n = 294).

Does The Journal of Headache and Pain charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $4,190 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1129-2369; NLM ID 100940562; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 294 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.