ZooKeys: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 1313-2970 · ISSN 1313-2989 · Pensoft Publishers · Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Half of the articles ZooKeys accepted in 2025 were accepted within 85 days of submission (n = 569); the middle half took 62–128 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does ZooKeys take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 569 | 62 | 85 | 128 | 184 | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2024 | 488 | 53 | 79 | 111 | 164 | 0.2% | 0% |
| 2023 | 458 | 52 | 76 | 112 | 168 | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2022 | 449 | 54 | 80 | 121 | 172 | 0.4% | 0% |
| 2021 | 424 | 50 | 78 | 110 | 179 | 1.2% | 0% |
| 2020 | 560 | 57 | 81 | 123 | 189 | 0.5% | 0% |
- 2026: not shown yet — a year is reported once late-indexed articles have arrived (at least 180 days after it ends).
Distribution in 2025
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 16 | 2.8% |
| 30–59 | 113 | 19.9% |
| 60–89 | 177 | 31.1% |
| 90–119 | 89 | 15.6% |
| 120–149 | 80 | 14.1% |
| 150–179 | 31 | 5.4% |
| 180–209 | 19 | 3.3% |
| 210–239 | 16 | 2.8% |
| 240–269 | 11 | 1.9% |
| 270–299 | 2 | 0.4% |
| 300–329 | 3 | 0.5% |
| 330–359 | 4 | 0.7% |
| 360+ | 8 | 1.4% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 44 days (middle half 32–63 days, n = 569).
From submission to online publication, the median was 141 days (middle half 105–205 days, n = 569).
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: 780 EUR (about $900 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).
Institutions reported paying a median of about $987 per article (2023–2025, 14 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 | Yes (DOAJ record) |
|---|---|
| Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025 | None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead) |
| Retractions | 0 retracted articles among 2,402 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 0.0% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 580 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+13% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy (11% of indexed topics)
- Plant and animal studies (8% of indexed topics)
- Coleoptera Taxonomy and Distribution (8% of indexed topics)
- Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny (6% of indexed topics)
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research (5% of indexed topics)
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control (5% of indexed topics)
Agricultural and Biological Sciences journalsEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics 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 ZooKeys, 85 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biodiversity Data Journal | 56 (2025, n = 305) | ≈$750 | $765 (29 payments) | Yes | No |
| Neotropical Entomology | 151 (2025, n = 111) | ≈$3,090 | — | No | Yes |
| Journal of Insect Science | 129 (2025, n = 107) | $2,067 | — | Yes | Yes |
| Insects | 40 (2025, n = 1,296) | ≈$3,178 | $2,325 (41 payments) | Yes | No |
| Evolution | 169 (2025, n = 258) | ≈$3,214 | $1,781 (5 payments) | No | Yes |
| Current Opinion in Insect Science | 104 (2025, n = 96) | ≈$4,610 | — | No | Yes |
| Insect Science | 96 (2025, n = 239) | ≈$3,400 | — | No | Yes |
| Journal of Chemical Ecology | 94 (2025, n = 108) | ≈$3,890 | — | No | Yes |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does ZooKeys take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles ZooKeys accepted in 2025 were accepted within 85 days of submission (n = 569); the middle half took 62–128 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are ZooKeys articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 44 days of acceptance (n = 569).
Does ZooKeys charge an article processing charge (APC)?
Listed APC: 780 EUR (about $900 at ECB rates of Sep 15, 2026; DOAJ).
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 1313-2970; NLM ID 101497933; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 569 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.