Virology: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0042-6822 · ISSN 1089-862X · Elsevier BV · Multidisciplinary

Half of the articles Virology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 89 days of submission (n = 277); the middle half took 70–118 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
89 days median
middle half 70–118 · n = 277
Acceptance → online
1 days median
middle half 1–3 · n = 277
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 84 → 89 days; 90% CI -2 to +12 days).
Open access · fees
Hybrid · ≈$3,160

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 Virology take to accept a paper?

days045901351802020: middle half 56–121 days852020n=1702021: middle half 62–130 days902021n=1622022: middle half 50–120 days832022n=1492023: middle half 61–112 days842023n=2032024: middle half 60–119 days842024n=3032025: middle half 70–118 days892025n=277
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
202527770891181470.0%100%
202430360841191580.3%98%
202320361841121461.0%96%
202214950831200.7%95%
202116262901300.0%98%
202017056851211.2%98%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles1986988118
Reviews797192120

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 14% (38 articles)3060–89 days: 37% (102 articles)6090–119 days: 26% (71 articles)90120–149 days: 15% (41 articles)120150–179 days: 5% (15 articles)150180–209 days: 1% (4 articles)180210–239 days: 1% (4 articles)210240–269 days: 1% (2 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
0–2900.0%
30–593813.7%
60–8910236.8%
90–1197125.6%
120–1494114.8%
150–179155.4%
180–20941.4%
210–23941.4%
240–26920.7%
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 1 day (middle half 1–3 days, n = 277).

From submission to online publication, the median was 93 days (middle half 72–121 days, n = 277).

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 $3,160 (as reported by OpenAlex).

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 DOAJNo
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025Yes
Retractions0 retracted articles among 1,114 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 volume292 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+1% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

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 Virology, 89 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Virus Research76 (2025, n = 118)$3,070$2,620 (6 payments)YesYes
Archives of Virology95 (2025, n = 251)≈$4,790NoYes
Journal of Virological Methods101 (2025, n = 162)≈$3,210NoYes
Virus Genes121 (2025, n = 75)≈$3,890NoYes
Virologica Sinica133 (2025, n = 80)≈$1,500NoYes
Viruses38 (2025, n = 1,587)≈$3,178$2,637 (179 payments)YesYes
Virus Evolution154 (2025, n = 99)$3,147$3,082 (22 payments)YesNo
Virology Journal87 (2025, n = 417)$3,390$2,912 (8 payments)YesYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does Virology take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Virology accepted in 2025 were accepted within 89 days of submission (n = 277); the middle half took 70–118 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Virology articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 1 day of acceptance (n = 277).

Does Virology charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $3,160 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0042-6822; NLM ID 0110674; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 277 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.