Desk Rejection Rates by Journal: What the Data Shows (2026)
Desk rejection rates range from 15% at PLOS ONE to 90% at NEJM. Here is the data for 30+ major journals, what the numbers mean for your submission, and how to reduce your desk rejection risk.
Associate Professor, Clinical Medicine & Public Health
Author context
Specializes in clinical and epidemiological research publishing, with direct experience preparing manuscripts for NEJM, JAMA, BMJ, and The Lancet.
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Decision cue: Between 30% and 70% of all manuscripts submitted to academic journals are desk rejected without ever reaching peer review. At the most selective journals, the rate exceeds 90%. These numbers are not meant to be discouraging. They are meant to help you calibrate your expectations and preparation. A paper submitted to NEJM without thorough preparation has a 90% chance of being returned within 2 weeks. That same preparation time, invested before submission, can change the outcome.
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Desk rejection rates for major journals
Top general science journals
Journal | Desk rejection rate | Overall acceptance | First decision |
|---|---|---|---|
Nature | ~60% | ~8% | 5 to 7 days (desk) |
Science | ~85% | ~7% | 3 to 7 days (desk) |
Cell | 70 to 80%+ | ~8% | 5 to 10 days (desk) |
Top medical journals
Journal | Desk rejection rate | Overall acceptance | First decision |
|---|---|---|---|
~90% | <5% | ~21 days | |
~80% | 4 to 5% | 21 to 28 days | |
~85% | 5 to 7% | ~14 days | |
~70% | ~5% | ~17 days | |
70 to 80% | <8% | 30 to 45 days | |
Circulation | 60 to 70% | ~7% | ~17 days |
Nature portfolio journals
Journal | Desk rejection rate | Overall acceptance | First decision |
|---|---|---|---|
~50% | ~15% | ~30 days | |
Nature Chemical Biology | ~50% | ~15% | 30 to 45 days |
Nature Neuroscience | 70 to 80% | ~10% | 2 to 4 weeks |
Nature Biotechnology | ~70% | ~10% | 2 to 4 weeks |
Nature Genetics | ~70% | ~10% | 2 to 4 weeks |
Nature Methods | ~60% | ~15% | 2 to 4 weeks |
Chemistry journals
Journal | Desk rejection rate | Overall acceptance | First decision |
|---|---|---|---|
40 to 50% | ~25% | 4 to 8 weeks | |
Moderate (fast decisions) | ~20% | 3 to 7 days | |
ACS Nano | 40 to 50% | ~20% | 4 to 8 weeks |
Advanced Materials | High | ~15% | 4 to 8 weeks |
Broad open-access journals
Journal | Desk rejection rate | Overall acceptance | First decision |
|---|---|---|---|
15 to 20% | ~31% | 35 to 45 days | |
30 to 40% | ~57% | ~120 days | |
80 to 85% (editorial screen) | ~15% | 2 to 4 weeks |
Other notable journals
Journal | Desk rejection rate | Overall acceptance | First decision |
|---|---|---|---|
~50% | ~15% | ~30 days | |
~40% | 23 to 27% | 30 to 50 days | |
~50% | ~15% | 6 to 8 weeks | |
Physical Review Letters | ~35% | ~25% | 4 to 8 weeks |
Physical Review B | ~10 to 15% | ~35% | ~60 days |
What these numbers mean
Higher desk rejection does not mean lower quality
NEJM's 90% desk rejection rate does not mean 90% of submitted papers are bad. It means NEJM receives far more good papers than it can publish. A desk rejection from NEJM is not a quality judgment. It is a selectivity judgment. The same paper might be accepted at BMJ, Lancet, or a specialty journal.
Desk rejection is usually about fit, not quality
The most common desk rejection reasons across journals are:
- Scope mismatch (the paper does not match what the journal publishes)
- Significance insufficient for the journal tier
- Methodology concerns visible from the abstract
- Overclaimed conclusions relative to study design
- Reporting incomplete (missing checklists, ethics, data availability)
Items 1 and 2 are about journal targeting. Items 3 through 5 are about manuscript quality. Both are checkable before submission.
The first 5 minutes determine the outcome
At most selective journals, the desk decision is made in the first read of the abstract and figures. Editors do not read the full methods section before deciding on triage. The abstract must communicate significance immediately. The first figure must show the key result. If the significance is not obvious in 5 minutes, the paper is rejected regardless of the quality of the underlying work.
How to reduce your desk rejection risk
Know the numbers before you submit
If your target journal has a 60%+ desk rejection rate, your preparation needs to be thorough. If the rate is under 20%, a basic check is usually sufficient.
Check readiness before submission
The Manusights free readiness scan evaluates your manuscript against your target journal's specific editorial standards in about 60 seconds. You get a readiness score, desk-reject risk signal, and the top issues with direct quotes from your paper. This catches the issues in categories 3 through 5 above (methodology, overclaiming, incomplete reporting).
For a full assessment, the $29 AI Diagnostic provides verified citations from 500M+ live papers, figure-level feedback, and a prioritized revision checklist. Every citation is verified against CrossRef and PubMed. This catches problems that a manual check would take hours to identify.
Match the preparation to the stakes
Target journal desk rejection rate | Recommended preparation |
|---|---|
Under 20% (PLOS ONE, some specialty journals) | |
20 to 50% (PNAS, field flagships) | |
50 to 80% (Nature Communications, Lancet, Nature Medicine) | $29 diagnostic + colleague review |
80%+ (NEJM, Science, Cell) | $29 diagnostic + Expert Review for career-critical submissions |
Data limitations
These desk rejection rates are compiled from published sources, editorial commentary, and researcher reporting. Exact rates vary by year and are not always publicly reported by journals. The figures should be treated as approximate ranges rather than exact percentages. Where possible, we have linked to the source or the journal-specific page with more context.
Sources
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