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Journal Acceptance Rates (2026)

Updated September 26, 2026171 journalsEvery figure tagged by its source

Acceptance rates are one of the most searched-for numbers in academic publishing, and one of the most misunderstood.

A low acceptance rate tells you the journal is selective. It doesn't tell you whether your paper fits. A paper that's a strong match for a journal with a 20% acceptance rate has better odds than a paper that's a marginal fit at a journal with a 5% rate. Fit matters more than selectivity.

That said, the numbers are useful for calibrating expectations. If you're submitting to a journal that accepts fewer than 8% of manuscripts, you should know that going in. It changes how you prepare your cover letter, how you frame your significance, and how many backup options you line up.

The table below covers 171 top scientific and medical journals. All data comes from our detailed journal guides, where you can find full submission advice for each one. Each figure is labeled: publisher-reported figures are published by the journal or its publisher, reported figures are exact numbers from a public source that this table has not re-checked, and estimates are approximate. Journals with a figure are listed first. For the 68 journals in our PubMed dataset, the last column adds the measured median time from submission to acceptance for research articles published in 2024-2025, which includes revision time and is not an acceptance rate.

Impact factors are the Clarivate Journal Citation Reports values recorded in each journal guide. They are not re-checked for this table, and the JCR year can differ from one journal to the next, so confirm the current figure in JCR before you quote it.

JournalImpact FactorAcceptance RateTime to First DecisionSubmission to acceptance (measured)
Advanced Materials29.115% Publisher-reported14 days median submission to first decision Publisher-reported
ACS Nano17.3~8.4% Publisher-reported31.9 days median to first decision with peer review Publisher-reported
J. Clin. Investigation14.39.5% Publisher-reportedJune 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026. Manuscripts accepted in the year divided by manuscripts submitted in the same year; not the same cohort. First submissions. 23.1% were sent for review. Source: The Journal of Clinical Investigation: journal metrics5.4 days without review; 35 days with review (means) Publisher-reportedJune 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026. Means, not medians. Source: The Journal of Clinical Investigation: journal metrics243 days Measured
JAMA Network Open11.712% Publisher-reported2 days without review; 49 days with review Publisher-reported
PLOS Biol.6.911% Publisher-reported2025 calendar year. PLOS describes the acceptance rate as an average percentage. Denominator not specified on the metrics page. Source: PLOS: publication metrics (2025)48 days (median) Publisher-reported2025 calendar year. PLOS first-decision dataset; review-path inclusion not specified. Source: PLOS: publication metrics (2025)211 days Measured
PLOS Pathogens4.922% Publisher-reported2025 calendar year. PLOS describes the acceptance rate as an average percentage. Denominator not specified on the metrics page. Source: PLOS: publication metrics (2025)22 days (median) Publisher-reported2025 calendar year. PLOS first-decision dataset; review-path inclusion not specified. Source: PLOS: publication metrics (2025)
BMJ Open2.527% Publisher-reported134 days median with review Publisher-reported
Applied Surface Science6.619% Reported9 days to first decision Reported
Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol.118~5-10% (highly selective, mostly invited) Estimate~60-90 days median Estimate
Lancet109<5% Estimate21-28 days to first decision Estimate
NEJM84.5<5% Estimate21 days median to first decision Reported
Ann. Oncol.80.4~10-20% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
JAMA65.4<5% Estimate2-3 weeks to first decision Estimate
Chemical Reviews64.2~5% Estimate~120 days to first decision Estimate
Cancer Cell56.1~8-10% Estimate~5 days to desk decision; ~8 weeks to first decision after review Estimate227 days Measured
Nature56.1<8% Estimate8 days median to first editorial decision Publisher-reported300.5 days Measured
BMJ55.1~7% overall; ~4% for research articles EstimateDays to 2 weeks for desk decisions; ~48 days median with peer review Estimate
Nature Medicine52.5<8% Estimate~30 days to first decision Estimate
Chem. Soc. Rev.48.3~15-25% Estimate~150-200 days median Estimate
Science47.3<7% Estimate~14 days to first decision Estimate
Cell45.1<8% Estimate~14 days to first decision Estimate257.5 days Measured
J. Clin. Oncology44.7~15% Estimate~30 days Estimate
Nature Biotechnology44.5<10% Estimate4 days median to first editorial decision Reported
Circulation41.3~7% Estimate17 days median to first decision Reported
Cell Metabolism37~5-8% Estimate3-7 days to desk decision; ~9-10 weeks to first decision after review Estimate238 days Measured
Lancet Oncology33.7~8% Estimate~14 days (very fast) Estimate
Immunity30.6~8-10% overall; ~25% of manuscripts sent for peer review Estimate3-5 days to desk decision; 3-4 weeks to first decision after review Estimate283 days Measured
Gastroenterology29.7~12% Estimate~25 days Estimate
Lancet Infectious Diseases29.5~12% Estimate2-4 weeks to first decision Estimate
Nature Methods28.3~8-10% Estimate7 days median to first editorial decision Reported311 days Measured
Nature Immunology26.5~5-8% Estimate5 days median to first editorial decision Reported
Adv. Energy Mater.25.5~15-25% Estimate~100-140 days median Estimate
Nature Genetics25.5<10% Estimate~30 days to first decision Estimate371.5 days Measured
Gut24.6~12% Estimate~2 weeks for desk decisions; 24 days median with peer review Estimate108 days Measured
Blood23.9~20% Estimate~30 days Estimate
JAMA Oncology23.9~8% Estimate~21 days Estimate
Lancet Neurology22.8~10% Estimate2-4 weeks initial decision Estimate
Diabetes Care22.6~30-40% EstimateNot publicly verified96 days Measured
JACC21.7~5% Estimate14-21 days for initial decision Estimate
Nature Neuroscience20.3~9% Estimate45-60 days to first decision Estimate428 days Measured
Adv. Funct. Materials19.9~12-18% Estimate~21 days median to first decision Estimate
Cell Stem Cell19.8~10% Estimate30-45 days Estimate266 days Measured
Appl. Catal. B19.7~30-35% Estimate5 days to first decision Reported
Cell Host & Microbe18.7~12% Estimate30-45 days to first decision Estimate
Trends Mol. Med.18.1~10-20% (primarily invited reviews) EstimateNot publicly verified36 days Measured
Hepatology18~15% Estimate~30 days Estimate104 days Measured
Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev.18~30-40% Estimate~120-180 days median Estimate
Angewandte Chemie17.6~8% Estimate~30 days to first decision Estimate
JACS16.6~8% Estimate~45 days to first decision Estimate
Circulation Research16.5~10% Estimate21-35 days for initial decision Estimate
Nature Struct. & Mol. Biol.16.5~12% Estimate30-45 days to first decision Estimate
Molecular Cell16~13% Estimate3-5 days to desk decision; 3-4 weeks to first decision after review Estimate252 days Measured
JAMA Cardiology15.6~8% Estimate5 days without external review; 37 days with review (medians) Reported
Nucleic Acids Research15~45% Estimate~45 days Estimate146.5 days Measured
Science Advances13.9~10% Estimate1-4 weeks to first editorial decision Estimate
ACS Catal.13.6~20-30% Estimate~100-130 days median Estimate
Carbohydr. Polym.13.2~45-55% EstimateNot publicly verified83 days Measured
Water Res.12.8~25-35% EstimateNot publicly verified91 days Measured
Brain12.6~15% Estimate6-8 weeks for first decision Estimate147 days Measured
Chemical Engineering Journal12.5~20-30% Estimate10 days to first decision Reported
Appl. Energy12.2~35-45% Estimate1 day to first decision Reported
Environ. Sci. Technology12.2~25-30% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
Genome Biology12.0~15% Estimate30-45 days to first decision Estimate271 days Measured
Small11.8~15-25% Estimate~100-140 days median Estimate
JEM11.6~15-25% Estimate~60-90 days median Estimate196 days Measured
Phytomedicine11.3~20-25% Estimate~4-8 weeks Estimate124.5 days Measured
Molecular Psychiatry11.0~12% Estimate45-60 days to first decision Estimate261 days Measured
Clin. Cancer Res.10.9~20-30% Estimate~100-130 days median Estimate127.5 days Measured
Acta Materialia10.7~20-30% Estimate~3-5 months to first decision Estimate
J. Cleaner Production10.7~20-25% Estimate~45 days median to first decision Estimate
J. Hazard. Mater.10.6~30-35% EstimateNot publicly verified87 days Measured
Diabetologia10.4~15-20% Estimate~3-6 weeks Estimate98 days Measured
Food Chem.10.4~35-40% Estimate~80-120 days median Estimate118 days Measured
Energy10.1~40-50% Estimate~100-140 days median Estimate
Struct. Biol.10.1~25-35% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
PLOS Medicine9.9~15% Estimate6-8 weeks to first decision Estimate183 days Measured
J. Colloid Interface Sci.9.6~40-50% EstimateNot publicly verified72.5 days Measured
PNAS9.5~15% Estimate~45 days to first decision Estimate
Physical Review Letters9.4~7% Estimate~30 days to first decision Estimate183 days Measured
Current Biology9.2~35% Estimate30-45 days for initial decision Estimate147 days Measured
Developmental Cell9.2~18% Estimate30-45 days initial decision Estimate284 days Measured
Int. J. Hydrog. Energy9.2~40-50% Estimate~90-130 days median Estimate
Journal of Materials Chemistry A9.2~35-40% Estimate~100-140 days median Estimate
Nano Lett.9.1~15-20% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
Constr. Build. Materials8.9~30-35% Estimate~100-150 days median Estimate
BMC Medicine8.7~20% Estimate3 days median to first editorial decision Reported162.5 days Measured
Int. J. Biol. Macromol.8.7~45-55% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate108.5 days Measured
J. Power Sources8.4~30-40% Estimate~100-130 days median Estimate
The EMBO Journal8.4~10-15% Estimate4-day median first decision Reported196 days Measured
Clin. Infect. Dis.8.3~25-35% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
Bioresour. Technol.8.2~35-45% EstimateNot publicly verified74 days Measured
Environmental Research8.2~15-25% Estimate2 days submission to first decision on ScienceDirect Reported78 days Measured
Sci. Total Environment8.0~18% Estimate~60 days to first decision Estimate87 days Measured
ACS Appl. Materials7.8~25-30% Estimate~30 days median to first decision Estimate
Fuel7.8~40-50% Estimate~100-130 days median Estimate
AJHG7.7~20-30% Estimate~60-90 days median Estimate150.5 days Measured
Cell Reports7.7~15-20% Estimate5 days median to first editorial decision Reported209 days Measured
Anal. Chem.7.3~35-45% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
Frontiers in Immunology7~40% EstimateNot publicly verified77 days Measured
AMP6.9~10-20% Estimate~6-12 weeks Estimate
J. Agric. Food Chem.6.7~40-50% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
J. Alloys Compd.6.7~40-50% Estimate~100-130 days median Estimate
MSB6.7~15-25% Estimate~60-100 days median Estimate166 days Measured
Genome Res.6.3~25-35% Estimate~60-90 days median Estimate218 days Measured
Astron. Astrophys.6.1~40-50% Estimate~120-150 days median Estimate
RSC Adv.6.1~60-70% EstimateNot publicly verified60 days Measured
Ceram. Int.6~45-55% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
Front. Plant Sci.5.9~50-60% EstimateNot publicly verified72.5 days Measured
Front. Microbiol.5.8~40-50% EstimateNot publicly verified70 days Measured
Nutrients5.8~50-60% EstimateNot publicly verified29 days Measured
ApJ5.7~70-75%; rejection is primarily editorial/scope-based Estimate~60 days median to first peer review decision Estimate
IJMS5.6~30% EstimateNot publicly verified35 days Measured
Bioinformatics5.5~20-25% Estimate~23 days median first decision Estimate156.5 days Measured
Physical Review D5.3~50-60% Estimate~60-90 days median Estimate
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc.5.2~50-60% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
Molecules5.1~50-60% EstimateNot publicly verified33 days Measured
Scientific Reports4.9~57% Estimate21 days median to first editorial decision Publisher-reported139 days Measured
Journal of Neuroscience4.4~25% Estimate45-60 days Estimate176.5 days Measured
Chem. Commun.4.3~20-30% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
Remote Sens.4.3~50-60% Estimate~60-90 days median Estimate
RNA4.3~25-35% Estimate~45-75 days median Estimate92 days Measured
IEEE Access4.2~40-45% Estimate~30 days median to first decision Estimate
J. Biol. Chemistry4.1~30-35% Estimate~8-12 weeks Estimate
Sustainability4.1~35-45% Estimate~2-6 weeks Estimate
J. Immunol.4~40-50% Estimate35 days (mean) Publisher-reported2025 calendar year. A mean, not a median. Submissions to The Journal of Immunology; review-path inclusion not specified. Source: AAI News: Inside the Publishing Process at the AAI Journals160 days Measured
Sensors4~50-60% EstimateNot publicly verified37 days Measured
Physical Review B3.9~35% Estimate~60 days to first decision Estimate
Appl. Phys. Lett.3.8~40-50% Estimate24 days to first decision Reported
J. Chem. Phys.3.7~35-40% EstimateNot publicly verified74 days Measured
Materials3.7~50-60% EstimateNot publicly verified34 days Measured
J. Phys. Chem. C3.4~45-55% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
Appl. Sci.2.9~50-60% Estimate~60-90 days median Estimate
J. Appl. Phys.2.7~50-60% Estimate~90-120 days median Estimate
Nat. Rev. Cancer60.7Not publicly reported6 days median to first editorial decision Publisher-reported
RMP48.9Highly selective and proposal-ledProposal and editorial encouragement first
European Heart Journal45.3Not established by checked official sourcesNo verified current duration
Nature Cancer28.0 (2025 JIF)Not publicly disclosed8 days median to first editorial decision Publisher-reported
EnergyChem23.8 (publisher-displayed)Not publicly disclosedNot publicly verified
Cancer Res.22.6Not publicly reportedVaries by manuscript214 days Measured
IEEE TPAMI20.4Highly selectiveEditorial screening first
Nature Communications18.1Not publicly reported9 days to first editorial decision Publisher-reported250.5 days Measured
Neuron16.9Not disclosed4 days to first decision Publisher-reported230.5 days Measured
Science Immunology16.4Highly selectiveFast editorial triage for poor-fit submissions
Nature Chemical Biology15.8Not publicly disclosed11 days median to first editorial decision Reported286 days Measured
Science Translational Medicine15.6Not publicly disclosedNot publicly disclosed
Drugs14.7Proposal and invitation ledPresubmission inquiry before invited Review development
Tourism Management14.5Highly selective Elsevier tourism journalEditorial screening first; peer review after theory and method fit
Cell Death and Differentiation13.6Selective Springer Nature cell-death journalEditorial screening first; peer review after editor fit212 days Measured
JCR12.4Highly selective Elsevier drug-delivery journalEditorial screening first; peer review after delivery-mechanism fit106 days Measured
PRX Quantum12.3Not publicly reported5 days before review; 58 days after review (2025 APS aggregates) Reported
Cell Death & Disease12.2Selective Springer Nature open-access journalEditorial screening first; peer review after editor fit179.5 days Measured
The Plant Cell11.6Selective ASPB and OUP plant-science journalThe journal reports fast first-decision timing for reviewed manuscripts
Journal of Energy Storage10.7Selective Elsevier energy-storage journalElsevier insights report first decision and review timelines at journal level
ESWA9.4Selective5 days to first decision Reported
Journal of CO2 Utilization8.6Selective Elsevier CO2 utilization journalEditorial screening first; peer review after editor fit
Building and Environment8.4Selective Elsevier built-environment journalEditorial screening first; peer review after editor fit
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy7.5Selective Elsevier pharmacotherapy journalEditorial screening first; peer review after editor fit79 days Measured
Journal of Hydrology7.3Selective environmental science journalEditorial screening first
JCAP6.4Selective specialist journalEditorial screening first
JCB6.1Selective RUP cell-biology journalPresubmission replies often within about two days; peer-review timing depends on editor fit207 days Measured
Colloids and Surfaces A5.4Not publicly stated7 days to first decision Publisher-reported
Front. Pharmacol.5.4Not officially publishedVaries by specialty section and review path
Microchem. J.5.1Not publicly disclosed3 days to first decision; 29 days after review Publisher-reported
Appl. Catal. A4.8Not publicly reportedCheck current publisher guidance
PLOS ONE2.6Selective; rate not emphasized publicly40 days median to first decision Reported140.5 days Measured
Carbohydr. Res.2.5Not publicly disclosed4 days to first decision Publisher-reported
Chemical Physics2.4 (publisher-displayed)Not publicly disclosed5 days submission to first decision (publisher display) Publisher-reported
Ann Surg OncolNot verified as a current 2025 JCR valueNot publicly disclosedNot publicly verified
Cells & DevelopmentNot verified as a current 2025 JCR valueNot publicly disclosedNot publicly verified
Current Research in Translational MedicineVerify current JCRNot disclosedNot disclosed
eLifeN/ANot reported35% sent for review Publisher-reported 2025 calendar year. eLife reports 1,013 of 2,853 submissions sent for review and states the proportion as 35%; the two counts give 35.5%. eLife publishes every reviewed submission as a Reviewed Preprint, so it reports no acceptance rate. Source: eLife: The eLife Model, three-year update8 days without review (median) Publisher-reported2025 calendar year. Submissions not selected for peer review. Source: eLife: The eLife Model, three-year update

How to read these numbers

Acceptance rates measure the percentage of submitted manuscripts that eventually get published. But the number you see isn't always calculated the same way across journals.

Some journals count only papers that make it past the desk and into peer review. Others count every submission, including the ones desk rejected in the first week. A journal that desk rejects 70% of submissions and then accepts 40% of what goes to review might report either number. That's why you'll sometimes see different acceptance rates for the same journal depending on the source.

The rates in this table are the overall rates (including desk rejections) where available, since that's the number that matters to you as a submitting author. If a journal desk rejects most papers, that's part of the reality you're facing.

What acceptance rates don't tell you

They don't tell you whether your specific paper will be accepted. A 20% acceptance rate doesn't mean you have a 1-in-5 chance. If your paper is a strong fit, your odds are much better. If it's a marginal fit, your odds are much worse. The aggregate number washes out the thing that matters most: how well your paper matches what the journal actually publishes.

They also don't tell you about the quality of feedback you'll receive. Some journals with high acceptance rates provide excellent, detailed reviews. Some with low rates send form rejections with no useful information. The review experience varies more between journals than acceptance rates suggest.

Using this data to pick a journal

Don't pick a journal by acceptance rate. Pick it by fit, audience, and scope. Then use the acceptance rate to calibrate your expectations and your backup plan.

If you're targeting a journal that accepts fewer than 10% of submissions, have your second and third choices ready before you submit. Read our guide on how to choose the right journal for a step-by-step process.

For a worked example of checking the source and denominator, use the European Heart Journal acceptance-rate evidence and denominator worksheet.

If you're not sure whether your paper is competitive for your target journal, that's what pre-submission review is for. An experienced reviewer can tell you in a few days whether you're in the right ballpark.

Not sure if you're competitive?

Find out before you submit

Acceptance rates tell you the odds. The free pre-submission diagnostic tells you where your specific manuscript stands, with section-by-section feedback, live citations, and a journal fit score calibrated to your target journal's current criteria.

Get the quick diagnostic

Use this data

The measured acceptance times in the last column and our publisher-reported figures are open data, with CSV and JSON downloads, a codebook, the method and a changelog on the journal data home. Estimates are not in the downloads. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

Related resources

Keep going

Compare acceptance times, or reuse the full dataset.

The publisher-reported rates here are part of one open dataset with the measured acceptance times, with downloads, a codebook and a method page. Estimates are not in the download.