Zoological studies: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 1021-5506 · ISSN 1810-522X · Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica · Environmental Science

Half of the articles Zoological studies accepted in 2024 were accepted within 193 days of submission (n = 51); the middle half took 147–353 days.

Submission → acceptance (2024)
193 days median
middle half 147–353 · n = 51
Acceptance → online
118 days median
middle half 98–140 · n = 50
Change since 2022
No clear change since 2022 (median 163 → 193 days; 90% CI -29 to +89 days).
Open access · fees
OA status not determined · no listed APC found

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 Zoological studies take to accept a paper?

days01202403604802020: middle half 64–159 days1062020n=722021: middle half 101–243 days1522021n=762022: middle half 113–246 days1632022n=902023: middle half 168–285 days2062023n=552024: middle half 147–353 days1932024n=51
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
2024511471933530.0%0%
2023551682062851.8%0%
2022901131632461.1%0%
2021761011522432.6%0%
202072641061594.2%0%

Distribution in 2024

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 0% (0 articles)3060–89 days: 8% (4 articles)6090–119 days: 12% (6 articles)90120–149 days: 10% (5 articles)120150–179 days: 12% (6 articles)150180–209 days: 14% (7 articles)180210–239 days: 2% (1 articles)210240–269 days: 0% (0 articles)240270–299 days: 10% (5 articles)270300–329 days: 2% (1 articles)300330–359 days: 8% (4 articles)330360+ days: 24% (12 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–5900.0%
60–8947.8%
90–119611.8%
120–14959.8%
150–179611.8%
180–209713.7%
210–23912.0%
240–26900.0%
270–29959.8%
300–32912.0%
330–35947.8%
360+1223.5%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2024 articles appeared online within 118 days (middle half 98–140 days, n = 50).

From submission to online publication, the median was 329 days (middle half 268–472 days, n = 50).

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). No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.

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 2024None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead)
Retractions0 retracted articles among 341 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2024 articles
Publication volume32 articles added to PubMed in 2024 (-60% vs 2023).

Topics and scope

Environmental Science journals

Similar journals — faster or cheaper, side by side

Journals publishing on the most similar topics (OpenAlex), ordered by similarity. Only 2024 figures are compared with the 2024 median of Zoological studies, 193 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Journal of Fish Biology132 (2024, n = 372)≈$4,480NoYes
PeerJ127 (2024, n = 2,014)$1,995$1,721 (87 payments)YesYes
Integrative and Comparative Biology82 (2024, n = 134)≈$4,243NoYes
Ecology and Evolution133 (2024, n = 1,605)$2,700$2,015 (82 payments)YesNo
Brazilian Journal of Biology134 (2024, n = 386)$680YesYes
Conservation Physiology189 (2024, n = 88)≈$2,587YesNo
ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCE117 (2024, n = 65)NoYes
Evolutionary Applications189 (2024, n = 177)$4,320$2,811 (13 payments)YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does Zoological studies take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Zoological studies accepted in 2024 were accepted within 193 days of submission (n = 51); the middle half took 147–353 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Zoological studies articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2024 appeared online within 118 days of acceptance (n = 50).

Does Zoological studies charge an article processing charge (APC)?

No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 1021-5506; NLM ID 9889708; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 51 articles accepted in 2024 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: online date out of range 1.

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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.