Updates in Surgery: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2038-131X · ISSN 2038-3312 · Springer Science+Business Media · Medicine

Half of the articles Updates in Surgery accepted in 2025 were accepted within 111 days of submission (n = 407); the middle half took 74–170 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
111 days median
middle half 74–170 · n = 407
Acceptance → online
19 days median
middle half 13–33 · n = 407
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 104 → 111 days; 90% CI -5 to +19 days).
Open access · fees
OA status not determined · ≈$3,790

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 Updates in Surgery take to accept a paper?

days0601201802402020: middle half 60–145 days952020n=2282021: middle half 54–128 days822021n=2182022: middle half 77–141 days1052022n=1812023: middle half 63–169 days1042023n=2672024: middle half 69–162 days1022024n=2742025: middle half 74–170 days1112025n=407
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
2025407741111702451.5%0%
2024274691021622481.1%0%
2023267631041692324.5%0%
2022181771051412.2%0%
202121854821281861.8%0%
202022860951451912.6%0%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles33479112169
Reviews616496201

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 3% (13 articles)030–59 days: 12% (50 articles)3060–89 days: 21% (87 articles)6090–119 days: 16% (67 articles)90120–149 days: 14% (58 articles)120150–179 days: 9% (38 articles)150180–209 days: 6% (26 articles)180210–239 days: 5% (19 articles)210240–269 days: 4% (16 articles)240270–299 days: 2% (9 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (7 articles)300330–359 days: 1% (3 articles)330360+ days: 3% (14 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–29133.2%
30–595012.3%
60–898721.4%
90–1196716.5%
120–1495814.3%
150–179389.3%
180–209266.4%
210–239194.7%
240–269163.9%
270–29992.2%
300–32971.7%
330–35930.7%
360+143.4%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 19 days (middle half 13–33 days, n = 407).

From submission to online publication, the median was 138 days (middle half 95–204 days, n = 407).

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

Subscription or hybrid (not determined). Listed APC: about $3,790 (as reported by OpenAlex).

No institutional payments for this journal are recorded in OpenAPC.

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
Retractions1 retracted article among 1,335 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.75 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission1.5% of 2025 articles
Publication volume357 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+20% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsSurgery 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 Updates in Surgery, 111 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
BJS Open114 (2025, n = 178)≈$2,805$2,498 (18 payments)YesYes
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery77 (2025, n = 492)NoNo
Cirugía Española (English Edition)57 (2025, n = 129)≈$2,540NoYes
Annals of Surgical Treatment and Research62 (2025, n = 105)NoNo
International Journal of Surgery58 (2025, n = 2,468)≈$3,450$4,162 (23 payments)NoYes
Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery64 (2025, n = 280)≈$3,950NoYes
Annals of Gastroenterological Surgery92 (2025, n = 163)$2,421YesNo
BMC Surgery130 (2025, n = 699)$3,190YesYes
Annals of Surgery96 (2025, n = 175)$4,634 (9 payments)NoYes
British journal of surgery81 (2025, n = 251)≈$5,007NoYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Updates in Surgery take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Updates in Surgery accepted in 2025 were accepted within 111 days of submission (n = 407); the middle half took 74–170 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Updates in Surgery articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 19 days of acceptance (n = 407).

Does Updates in Surgery charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $3,790 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2038-131X; NLM ID 101539818; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 407 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.