IEEE Access Review Time: Time to First Decision and Publication

IEEE Access is IEEE's open-access mega-journal, covering the full scope of electrical engineering, electronics, computer science, and related disciplines. Launched in 2013, it has grown into one of the highest-volume engineering journals, publishing tens of thousands of articles per year.

With a 2024 JIF of 3.6 (JCR 2024), it sits in Q2 for Electrical Engineering. The journal's value proposition isn't prestige, it's speed, breadth, and open accessibility. Review is built for efficiency.

Timeline at a glance

IEEE Access publishes continuously, so accepted papers appear online without waiting for a print issue. This makes the post-acceptance window very short: most accepted papers are live within 1-2 weeks of final acceptance.

How IEEE Access handles submissions

IEEE Access uses the ScholarOne Manuscripts submission system and an area-based editorial structure. Submissions are routed to area editors by topic, who then make desk decisions and assign reviewers.

Unlike specialty IEEE Transactions journals with tight editorial boards, IEEE Access has a large editor pool, which helps reduce assignment bottlenecks. The journal explicitly prioritizes speed in its editorial guidelines, and most editors are aware of the expectation.

The journal uses single-blind review. Reviewers know who the authors are; authors don't know who reviewed their work. Two reviewers per paper is the standard, though complex or borderline papers sometimes get a third.

What slows review at IEEE Access

Technical quality issues. Despite being a broad-scope journal, IEEE Access reviewers still reject papers that lack novelty, have weak experimental baselines, or make unsubstantiated claims. A revision requested for fundamental technical shortcomings (adding experiments, fixing statistical analysis, clarifying methods) can extend the timeline significantly.

Scope ambiguity. IEEE Access covers a huge range: signal processing, power systems, machine learning, biomedical devices, communications, photonics, robotics, and more. Papers that don't clearly situate themselves within IEEE's scope can be reassigned between area editors, adding 1-2 weeks.

English language problems. Papers with serious grammar or clarity issues are often returned before peer review with a request for professional editing. IEEE has language editing services and sometimes refers authors there, but this adds time.

End-of-year backlogs. Like all IEEE publications, IEEE Access can slow in December and January as editors and reviewers balance end-of-year commitments.

What authors can control

Position your novelty clearly. IEEE Access reviewers are looking for a meaningful technical contribution over the prior art. Your introduction should explicitly state what the state of the art is, what the gap is, and what specific contribution your paper makes. Vague claims of improvement don't survive review.

Include solid baselines. A key complaint in IEEE Access reviews is insufficient comparison. Benchmark your proposed method or system against 3-5 recent competing approaches on relevant datasets or experimental conditions.

Address the APC decision at submission. IEEE Access charges a $1,850 APC. This is due at acceptance, not at submission, but confirm your funding allows it before submitting. Some IEEE members and institutions have waivers or discounts.

Revise quickly. A clean revision that addresses all reviewer comments systematically, with clear tracking of changes, typically gets a fast post-revision decision. IEEE Access editors don't want to send papers back for a third round if the revision is good.

When to worry

IEEE Access is built for speed. If you're past 8 weeks with no first decision:

• Check your ScholarOne status. "Under Review" means reviewers are active.
• If status shows "Awaiting Reviewer Scores" and 6+ weeks have passed, reviewer recruitment may be stalled. An inquiry to the area editor is appropriate.
• After revision submission, wait 4 weeks before following up.

Contact the editorial office or area editor directly via the system messages if needed.

Faster alternatives if speed matters

For pure speed over impact:

• Electronics Letters (IET, JIF 1.7): Very fast for short communications in electronics. Often 4-6 weeks total cycle.
• IEEE Signal Processing Letters (JIF 3.9): Faster than most IEEE Transactions for short-format signal processing work.
• Results in Engineering (Elsevier, JIF 5.5): Open access, fast review, broader scope.

For more impact in specific subfields, consider relevant IEEE Transactions journals, which offer stronger field-specific positioning despite longer review cycles.

For the full journal overview, see the IEEE Access journal page. Our pre-submission review service helps you check scope fit and technical baseline strength before submission.

Impact factor source: Clarivate Journal Citation Reports, JCR 2024.