Trends in Plant Science: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1360-1385 · ISSN 1878-4372 · Elsevier BV · Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Half of the articles Trends in Plant Science accepted in 2025 were accepted within 82 days of submission (n = 185); the middle half took 48–136 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
82 days median
middle half 48–136 · n = 185
Acceptance → online
24 days median
middle half 17–28 · n = 185
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 84 → 82 days; 90% CI -21 to +18 days).
Open access · fees
Hybrid · ≈$7,030

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 Trends in Plant Science take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 52–128 days902020n=1472021: middle half 50–147 days1102021n=1312022: middle half 103–172 days1352022n=1112023: middle half 40–146 days842023n=1922024: middle half 52–135 days842024n=1682025: middle half 48–136 days822025n=185
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
202518548821362.2%97%
202416852841351.2%98%
202319240841463.1%98%
20221111031351720.0%96%
2021131501101473.0%90%
202014752901286.1%89%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles60274660
Reviews12570111157

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 13% (24 articles)030–59 days: 25% (46 articles)3060–89 days: 15% (28 articles)6090–119 days: 15% (28 articles)90120–149 days: 12% (22 articles)120150–179 days: 6% (12 articles)150180–209 days: 5% (9 articles)180210–239 days: 2% (4 articles)210240–269 days: 3% (5 articles)240270–299 days: 2% (3 articles)270300–329 days: 1% (2 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (0 articles)330360+ days: 1% (2 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–292413.0%
30–594624.9%
60–892815.1%
90–1192815.1%
120–1492211.9%
150–179126.5%
180–20994.9%
210–23942.2%
240–26952.7%
270–29931.6%
300–32921.1%
330–35900.0%
360+21.1%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 24 days (middle half 17–28 days, n = 185).

From submission to online publication, the median was 113 days (middle half 64–168 days, n = 185).

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 $7,030 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $6,434 per article (2023–2025, 5 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 DOAJNo
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025Yes
Retractions0 retracted articles among 795 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission2.2% of 2025 articles
Publication volume191 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+17% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Agricultural and Biological Sciences journalsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology journalsPlant Science journalsMolecular Biology 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 Trends in Plant Science, 82 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Molecular Plant105 (2025, n = 223)≈$5,000NoYes
Current Opinion in Plant Biology84 (2025, n = 105)≈$4,810$2,726 (5 payments)NoYes
Plant Direct158 (2025, n = 89)$3,120YesNo
The Plant Journal139 (2025, n = 640)≈$5,450NoYes
Nature Plants246 (2025, n = 176)≈$12,690NoYes
The Plant Cell37 (2025, n = 285)≈$4,934$4,195 (9 payments)NoYes
Plant Communications153 (2025, n = 260)$3,500$2,619 (8 payments)YesYes
Journal of Integrative Plant Biology97 (2025, n = 264)≈$3,000NoYes
Plant Molecular Biology158 (2025, n = 119)≈$4,590NoYes
Planta102 (2025, n = 302)≈$4,590NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Trends in Plant Science take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Trends in Plant Science accepted in 2025 were accepted within 82 days of submission (n = 185); the middle half took 48–136 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Trends in Plant Science articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 24 days of acceptance (n = 185).

Does Trends in Plant Science charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $7,030 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1360-1385; NLM ID 9890299; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 185 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.