The Science of The Total Environment: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 0048-9697 · ISSN 1879-1026 · Elsevier BV · Environmental Science
Half of the articles The Science of The Total Environment accepted in 2025 were accepted within 107 days of submission (n = 2,791); the middle half took 79–145 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does The Science of The Total Environment take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,791 | 79 | 107 | 145 | 200 | 0.0% | 100% |
| 2024 | 8,287 | 67 | 90 | 122 | 165 | 0.1% | 100% |
| 2023 | 8,324 | 62 | 81 | 109 | 145 | 0.1% | 100% |
| 2022 | 7,763 | 60 | 79 | 107 | 143 | 0.2% | 100% |
| 2021 | 6,810 | 59 | 78 | 105 | 141 | 0.2% | 100% |
| 2020 | 7,793 | 55 | 74 | 101 | 135 | 1.2% | 100% |
- 2026: not shown yet — a year is reported once late-indexed articles have arrived (at least 180 days after it ends).
Research articles vs reviews (2025)
| Type | n | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research articles | 2,482 | 80 | 108 | 146 |
| Reviews | 309 | 73 | 101 | 144 |
Distribution in 2025
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 21 | 0.8% |
| 30–59 | 236 | 8.5% |
| 60–89 | 694 | 24.9% |
| 90–119 | 717 | 25.7% |
| 120–149 | 483 | 17.3% |
| 150–179 | 245 | 8.8% |
| 180–209 | 146 | 5.2% |
| 210–239 | 79 | 2.8% |
| 240–269 | 55 | 2.0% |
| 270–299 | 51 | 1.8% |
| 300–329 | 21 | 0.8% |
| 330–359 | 12 | 0.4% |
| 360+ | 31 | 1.1% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 8 days (middle half 6–11 days, n = 2,791).
From submission to online publication, the median was 117 days (middle half 88–156 days, n = 2,791).
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). Listed APC: about $4,250 (as reported by OpenAlex).
Institutions reported paying a median of about $3,741 per article (2023–2025, 33 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 DOAJ | No |
|---|---|
| Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025 | Yes |
| Retractions | 56 retracted articles among 34,651 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (1.62 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 0.0% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 2,855 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (-66% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- Air Quality and Health Impacts (9% of indexed topics)
- Heavy metals in environment (8% of indexed topics)
- Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact (7% of indexed topics)
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts (7% of indexed topics)
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols (6% of indexed topics)
- Microplastics and Plastic Pollution (6% of indexed topics)
Environmental Science journalsHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis journalsPollution 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 Science of The Total Environment, 107 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Pollution | 95 (2025, n = 1,740) | ≈$4,090 | $2,235 (10 payments) | No | Yes |
| Toxics | 35 (2025, n = 1,078) | ≈$3,178 | $2,176 (36 payments) | Yes | No |
| Eco-Environment & Health | 154 (2025, n = 63) | $2,200 | — | Yes | No |
| Chemosphere | 105 (2025, n = 666) | ≈$4,010 | $3,626 (7 payments) | No | Yes |
| Environment International | 121 (2025, n = 762) | $5,030 | $3,417 (49 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Environmental Research | 79 (2025, n = 2,493) | ≈$3,880 | $2,263 (9 payments) | No | Yes |
| Environmental Monitoring and Assessment | 127 (2025, n = 1,335) | ≈$2,790 | — | No | Yes |
| Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety | 111 (2025, n = 1,955) | $3,630 | $2,672 (28 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Journal of Xenobiotics | 50 (2025, n = 211) | ≈$1,956 | — | Yes | No |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does The Science of The Total Environment take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles The Science of The Total Environment accepted in 2025 were accepted within 107 days of submission (n = 2,791); the middle half took 79–145 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are The Science of The Total Environment articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 8 days of acceptance (n = 2,791).
Does The Science of The Total Environment charge an article processing charge (APC)?
Listed APC: about $4,250 (as reported by OpenAlex).
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 0048-9697; NLM ID 0330500; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 2,791 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.