Reference Data
Journal Acceptance Rates (2026)
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 26 top scientific and medical journals. All data comes from our detailed journal guides, where you can find full submission advice for each one. Acceptance rates are approximate and based on the most recent publicly available data from each journal or publisher.
| Journal | Impact Factor | Acceptance Rate | Time to First Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMJ | 93.6 | ~7% overall; ~4% for research articles | Days to 2 weeks for desk decisions; ~48 days median with peer review |
| BMJ | 93.6 | ~5-7% | ~60-90 days median |
| Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. | 90.2 | ~5-10% (highly selective, mostly invited) | ~60-90 days median |
| Lancet | 88.5 | <5% | 21-28 days to first decision |
| NEJM | 78.5 | <5% | 21 days median to first decision |
| NEJM | 78.5 | <5% | 21 days median to first decision |
| Nat. Rev. Cancer | 66.8 | ~2-5% (highly selective, mostly invited) | ~60-90 days median |
| Ann. Oncol. | 65.4 | ~10-20% | ~90-120 days median |
| Chemical Reviews | 55.8 | ~5% | ~120 days to first decision |
| JAMA | 55.0 | <5% | 2-3 weeks to first decision |
| JAMA | 55.0 | ~3-5% | ~60-90 days median |
| Nature Medicine | 50.0 | <8% | ~30 days to first decision |
| Nat. Med. | 50.0 | ~5-10% | ~60-90 days median |
| Nature | 48.5 | <8% | 7 days median to first decision |
| Science | 45.8 | <7% | ~14 days to first decision |
| Cancer Cell | 44.5 | ~8-10% | ~5 days to desk decision; ~8 weeks to first decision after review |
| Cell | 42.5 | <8% | ~14 days to first decision |
| J. Clin. Oncology | 41.9 | ~15% | ~30 days |
| Nature Biotechnology | 41.7 | <10% | 4 days median to first editorial decision |
| Chem. Soc. Rev. | 39.0 | ~15-25% | ~150-200 days median |
| Circulation | 38.6 | ~7% | 17 days median to first decision |
| Lancet Oncology | 35.9 | ~8% | ~14 days (very fast) |
| European Heart Journal | 35.6 | ~10% | ~20 days |
| Nature Methods | 32.1 | ~8-10% | 7 days median to first editorial decision |
| Cell Metabolism | 30.9 | ~5-8% | 3-7 days to desk decision; ~9-10 weeks to first decision after review |
| Lancet Infectious Diseases | 29.5 | ~12% | 2-4 weeks to first decision |
| Nature Genetics | 29.0 | <10% | ~30 days to first decision |
| Nature Neuroscience | 27.7 | ~9% | 45-60 days to first decision |
| Nature Immunology | 27.6 | ~5-8% | 5 days median to first editorial decision |
| Advanced Materials | 26.8 | ~6% | ~40 days to first decision |
| Immunity | 26.3 | ~8-10% overall; ~25% of manuscripts sent for peer review | 3-5 days to desk decision; 3-4 weeks to first decision after review |
| Adv. Energy Mater. | 26.0 | ~15-25% | ~100-140 days median |
| Gut | 25.8 | ~12% | ~2 weeks for desk decisions; 24 days median with peer review |
| Gastroenterology | 25.1 | ~12% | ~25 days |
| Blood | 23.1 | ~20% | ~30 days |
| Lancet Neurology | 22.8 | ~10% | 2-4 weeks initial decision |
| JACC | 21.7 | ~5% | 14-21 days for initial decision |
| Appl. Catal. B | 21.1 | ~30-35% | ~100-140 days median |
| JAMA Oncology | 20.1 | ~8% | ~21 days |
| Cell Stem Cell | 19.8 | ~10% | 30-45 days |
| Adv. Funct. Materials | 19.0 | ~12-18% | ~21 days median to first decision |
| Cell Host & Microbe | 18.7 | ~12% | 30-45 days to first decision |
| Cell Host Microbe | 18.7 | ~10-15% | ~90-120 days median |
| Angewandte Chemie | 16.9 | ~8% | ~30 days to first decision |
| Angewandte Chemie | 16.9 | ~15-25% | ~2-6 weeks |
| Molecular Cell | 16.6 | ~13% | 3-5 days to desk decision; 3-4 weeks to first decision after review |
| Cancer Res. | 16.6 | ~15-20% | ~100-130 days median |
| Diabetes Care | 16.6 | ~30-40% | ~100-130 days median |
| Circulation Research | 16.5 | ~10% | 21-35 days for initial decision |
| Nature Struct. & Mol. Biol. | 16.5 | ~12% | 30-45 days to first decision |
| Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. | 16.3 | ~30-40% | ~120-180 days median |
| ACS Nano | 16.0 | ~15-20% | ~90-120 days median |
| Hepatology | 15.8 | ~15% | ~30 days |
| Nature Communications | 15.7 | ~20% | ~9 days to first editorial decision |
| JAMA Cardiology | 15.6 | ~8% | 14-21 days to first decision |
| JACS | 15.6 | ~8% | ~45 days to first decision |
| Neuron | 15.0 | ~8% | 3-5 days to desk decision; 4-5 weeks to first decision after review |
| Neuron | 15.0 | ~10-15% | ~100-130 days median |
| Science Translational Medicine | 14.6 | ~15% | 4-8 weeks for initial decision |
| Trends Mol. Med. | 13.8 | ~10-20% (primarily invited reviews) | ~60-90 days median |
| J. Clin. Investigation | 13.6 | ~8-10% | 2-4 weeks to first decision |
| Chemical Engineering Journal | 13.2 | ~30% | ~60 days to first decision |
| Nucleic Acids Research | 13.1 | ~45% | ~45 days |
| ACS Catal. | 13.1 | ~20-30% | ~100-130 days median |
| Nature Chemical Biology | 12.9 | ~15% | 30-45 days to first decision |
| Science Advances | 12.5 | ~10% | 1-4 weeks to first editorial decision |
| Carbohydr. Polym. | 12.5 | ~45-55% | ~90-120 days median |
| PLOS Medicine | 12.4 | ~15% | 6-8 weeks to first decision |
| Water Res. | 12.4 | ~25-35% | ~100-120 days median |
| Small | 12.1 | ~15-25% | ~100-140 days median |
| Genome Biology | 12.0 | ~15% | 30-45 days to first decision |
| Developmental Cell | 11.6 | ~18% | 30-45 days initial decision |
| Environ. Sci. Technology | 11.3 | ~25-30% | ~90-120 days median |
| J. Hazard. Mater. | 11.3 | ~30-35% | ~90-120 days median |
| Molecular Psychiatry | 11.0 | ~12% | 45-60 days to first decision |
| Appl. Energy | 11.0 | ~35-45% | ~100-140 days median |
| Brain | 10.6 | ~15% | 6-8 weeks for first decision |
| The EMBO Journal | 10.4 | ~15% | 4-6 weeks to first decision |
| Clin. Cancer Res. | 10.2 | ~20-30% | ~100-130 days median |
| J. Cleaner Production | 10.0 | ~20-25% | ~45 days median to first decision |
| Food Chem. | 9.8 | ~35-40% | ~80-120 days median |
| J. Colloid Interface Sci. | 9.7 | ~40-50% | ~100-130 days median |
| Journal of Materials Chemistry A | 9.5 | ~35-40% | ~100-140 days median |
| Energy | 9.4 | ~40-50% | ~100-140 days median |
| Genome Biol. | 9.4 | ~15-25% | ~80-110 days median |
| Current Biology | 9.2 | ~35% | 30-45 days for initial decision |
| PNAS | 9.1 | ~15% | ~45 days to first decision |
| Nano Lett. | 9.1 | ~15-20% | ~90-120 days median |
| Physical Review Letters | 9.0 | ~7% | ~30 days to first decision |
| Bioresour. Technol. | 9.0 | ~35-45% | ~90-120 days median |
| BMC Medicine | 8.8 | ~20% | 30-45 days to first decision |
| Int. J. Biol. Macromol. | 8.5 | ~45-55% | ~90-120 days median |
| Int. J. Hydrog. Energy | 8.3 | ~40-50% | ~90-130 days median |
| EMBO J. | 8.3 | ~10-15% | ~100-130 days median |
| ACS Appl. Materials | 8.2 | ~25-30% | ~30 days median to first decision |
| Sci. Total Environment | 8.0 | ~18% | ~60 days to first decision |
| Constr. Build. Materials | 8.0 | ~30-35% | ~100-150 days median |
| J. Power Sources | 7.9 | ~30-40% | ~100-130 days median |
| Struct. Biol. | 7.9 | ~25-35% | ~90-120 days median |
| Fuel | 7.5 | ~40-50% | ~100-130 days median |
| Clin. Infect. Dis. | 7.3 | ~25-35% | ~90-120 days median |
| Cell Reports | 6.9 | ~15-20% | 5 days median to first editorial decision |
| Applied Surface Science | 6.9 | ~40-50% | ~100-140 days median |
| Anal. Chem. | 6.7 | ~35-45% | ~90-120 days median |
| J. Alloys Compd. | 6.3 | ~40-50% | ~100-130 days median |
| J. Agric. Food Chem. | 6.2 | ~40-50% | ~90-120 days median |
| Frontiers in Immunology | 5.9 | ~40% | ~80 days |
| Astron. Astrophys. | 5.8 | ~40-50% | ~120-150 days median |
| Ceram. Int. | 5.6 | ~45-55% | ~90-120 days median |
| ApJ | 5.4 | ~70-75%; rejection is primarily editorial/scope-based | ~60 days median to first peer review decision |
| Bioinformatics | 5.4 | ~40-50% | ~60-90 days median |
| Physical Review D | 5.3 | ~50-60% | ~60-90 days median |
| Nutrients | 5.0 | ~50-60% | ~60-90 days median |
| IJMS | 4.9 | ~30% | ~45 days to first decision |
| Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. | 4.8 | ~50-60% | ~90-120 days median |
| Front. Plant Sci. | 4.8 | ~50-60% | ~80-110 days median |
| Molecules | 4.6 | ~50-60% | ~60-90 days median |
| RSC Adv. | 4.6 | ~60-70% | ~60-90 days median |
| Front. Microbiol. | 4.5 | ~40-50% | ~90-120 days median |
| Journal of Neuroscience | 4.4 | ~25% | 45-60 days |
| Chem. Commun. | 4.2 | ~20-30% | ~90-120 days median |
| Remote Sens. | 4.1 | ~50-60% | ~60-90 days median |
| Scientific Reports | 3.9 | ~57% | ~120 days |
| J. Biol. Chemistry | 3.9 | ~30-35% | ~8-12 weeks |
| Physical Review B | 3.7 | ~35% | ~60 days to first decision |
| IEEE Access | 3.6 | ~40-45% | ~30 days median to first decision |
| Appl. Phys. Lett. | 3.6 | ~40-50% | ~60-90 days median |
| Sensors | 3.5 | ~50-60% | ~60-80 days median |
| J. Immunol. | 3.4 | ~40-50% | ~90-120 days median |
| Sustainability | 3.3 | ~35-45% | ~2-6 weeks |
| Materials | 3.2 | ~50-60% | ~70-100 days median |
| J. Phys. Chem. C | 3.2 | ~45-55% | ~90-120 days median |
| J. Chem. Phys. | 3.1 | ~35-40% | ~80-110 days median |
| PLOS ONE | 2.6 | ~31% | 40 days median to first decision |
| Appl. Sci. | 2.5 | ~50-60% | ~60-90 days median |
| J. Appl. Phys. | 2.5 | ~50-60% | ~90-120 days median |
| BMJ Open | 2.3 | 27% | 134 days median with review |
| eLife | N/A | ~15% | ~30 days to editorial assessment; reviewed preprints published regardless |
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.
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 diagnosticRelated resources
- All Journal Publishing Guides - detailed submission advice for each journal
- How to Choose the Right Journal for Your Paper - a practical, step-by-step guide
- Desk Rejected? Here's Why - the 7 most common reasons and how to fix them
- Journal Comparisons - side-by-side comparisons of similar journals