Timeline Overview

How Long Does Peer Review Take?

"How long until I hear back?" is the question every author asks after hitting submit. The answer ranges from a few days to several months, depending on the journal and on whether the editor stops at a desk decision or sends the paper to external review.

The table below is the fast overview layer for 144 journals. It focuses on first-decision timing: the initial response from the journal, whether that is a desk rejection, a revise decision, or an invitation deeper into review. If you want the more detailed desk-versus-after-review split, use the full peer review timeline dataset.

A fast first decision is not automatically better. Some journals are fast because they desk reject aggressively. Others are slow because they send more papers into full review. The real question is whether the timeline fits your deadline, your backup plan, and how much iteration time you can afford.

Fastest first answers

Science Advances, JAMA, BMJ

These are among the fastest places to learn whether the submission is moving forward or being turned away early.

What this page is for

Quick journal-speed triage

Use this overview when deciding whether a journal is fast enough for your current submission window before you dig into a deeper journal-by-journal comparison.

Slowest first decisions

Chem. Soc. Rev., BMJ Open, Astron. Astrophys.

These timelines are where a “safer” journal can quietly become the slower strategic choice overall.

JournalTime to First DecisionAcceptance RateImpact Factor
Science Advances1-4 weeks to first editorial decision~10%12.5
JAMA2-3 weeks to first decision<5%55.0
BMJDays to 2 weeks for desk decisions; ~48 days median with peer review~7% overall; ~4% for research articles42.7
Gut~2 weeks for desk decisions; 24 days median with peer review~12%25.8
J. Clin. Investigation2-4 weeks to first decision~8-10%13.6
Lancet Infectious Diseases2-4 weeks to first decision~12%29.5
Lancet Neurology2-4 weeks initial decision~10%22.8
Angewandte Chemie~2-6 weeks~15-25%16.9
Sustainability~2-6 weeks~35-45%3.3
Cell Metabolism3-7 days to desk decision; ~9-10 weeks to first decision after review~5-8%30.9
Immunity3-5 days to desk decision; 3-4 weeks to first decision after review~8-10% overall; ~25% of manuscripts sent for peer review26.3
Molecular Cell3-5 days to desk decision; 3-4 weeks to first decision after review~13%16.6
Nature Biotechnology4 days median to first editorial decision<10%41.7
Neuron4 days to first decision~8%15.0
The EMBO Journal4-6 weeks to first decision~15%10.4
Science Translational Medicine4-8 weeks for initial decision~15%14.6
Cancer Cell~5 days to desk decision; ~8 weeks to first decision after review~8-10%44.5
Nature Immunology5 days median to first editorial decision~5-8%27.6
Cell Reports5 days median to first editorial decision~15-20%6.9
Brain6-8 weeks for first decision~15%10.6
PLOS Medicine6-8 weeks to first decision~15%12.4
Nature7 days median to first decision<8%48.5
Nature Methods7 days median to first editorial decision~8-10%32.1
J. Biol. Chemistry~8-12 weeks~30-35%3.9
Nature Communications~9 days to first editorial decision~20%15.7
Science~14 days to first decision<7%45.8
Cell~14 days to first decision<8%42.5
Lancet Oncology~14 days (very fast)~8%35.9
JACC14-21 days for initial decision~5%21.7
JAMA Cardiology14-21 days to first decision~8%15.6
Circulation17 days median to first decision~7%38.6
European Heart Journal~20 days~10%35.6
Lancet21-28 days to first decision<5%88.5
NEJM21 days median to first decision<5%78.5
Scientific Reports21 days median to first editorial decision~57%3.9
JAMA Oncology~21 days~8%20.1
Circulation Research21-35 days for initial decision~10%16.5
NEJM21 days median to first decision<5%78.5
Adv. Funct. Materials~21 days median to first decision~12-18%19.0
Gastroenterology~25 days~12%25.1
Nature Medicine~30 days to first decision<8%50.0
Nature Genetics~30 days to first decision<10%29.0
eLife~30 days to editorial assessment; reviewed preprints published regardless~15%N/A
J. Clin. Oncology~30 days~15%41.9
Blood~30 days~20%23.1
Hepatology~30 days~15%15.8
BMC Medicine30-45 days to first decision~20%8.8
Cell Host & Microbe30-45 days to first decision~12%18.7
Cell Stem Cell30-45 days~10%19.8
Current Biology30-45 days for initial decision~35%9.2
Developmental Cell30-45 days initial decision~18%11.6
Genome Biology30-45 days to first decision~15%12.0
Nature Chemical Biology30-45 days to first decision~15%13.7
Nature Struct. & Mol. Biol.30-45 days to first decision~12%16.5
Angewandte Chemie~30 days to first decision~8%16.9
Physical Review Letters~30 days to first decision~7%9.0
ACS Appl. Materials~30 days median to first decision~25-30%8.2
IEEE Access~30 days median to first decision~40-45%3.6
ACS Nano31.9 days median to first decision with peer review~8.4%16.0
PLOS ONE40 days median to first decision~31%2.6
Advanced Materials~40 days to first decision~6%26.8
PNAS~45 days to first decision~15%9.1
Nucleic Acids Research~45 days~45%13.1
Journal of Neuroscience45-60 days~25%4.4
Molecular Psychiatry45-60 days to first decision~12%11.0
Nature Neuroscience45-60 days to first decision~9%27.7
JACS~45 days to first decision~8%15.6
IJMS~45 days to first decision~30%4.9
J. Cleaner Production~45 days median to first decision~20-25%10.0
RNA~45-75 days median~25-35%5.0
Chemical Engineering Journal~60 days to first decision~30%13.2
Sci. Total Environment~60 days to first decision~18%8.0
Physical Review B~60 days to first decision~35%3.7
ApJ~60 days median to first peer review decision~70-75%; rejection is primarily editorial/scope-based5.4
Physical Review D~60-90 days median~50-60%5.3
Molecules~60-90 days median~50-60%4.6
RSC Adv.~60-90 days median~60-70%4.6
Sensors~60-80 days median~50-60%3.5
JAMA~60-90 days median~3-5%55.0
Bioinformatics~60-90 days median~40-50%5.4
Appl. Phys. Lett.~60-90 days median~40-50%3.6
BMJ~60-90 days median~5-7%42.7
Nutrients~60-90 days median~50-60%5.0
Appl. Sci.~60-90 days median~50-60%2.5
Remote Sens.~60-90 days median~50-60%4.1
Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol.~60-90 days median~5-10% (highly selective, mostly invited)90.2
Nat. Rev. Cancer~60-90 days median~2-5% (highly selective, mostly invited)66.8
Nat. Med.~60-90 days median~5-10%50.0
Trends Mol. Med.~60-90 days median~10-20% (primarily invited reviews)13.8
AJHG~60-90 days median~20-30%8.1
Genome Res.~60-90 days median~25-35%5.5
JEM~60-90 days median~15-25%10.6
MSB~60-100 days median~15-25%7.7
PLOS Biol.~60-90 days median~15-20%7.2
Materials~70-100 days median~50-60%3.2
Frontiers in Immunology~80 days~40%5.9
Food Chem.~80-120 days median~35-40%9.8
J. Chem. Phys.~80-110 days median~35-40%3.1
Front. Plant Sci.~80-110 days median~50-60%4.8
Genome Biol.~80-110 days median~15-25%9.4
Environ. Sci. Technology~90-120 days median~25-30%11.3
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc.~90-120 days median~50-60%4.8
J. Hazard. Mater.~90-120 days median~30-35%11.3
Int. J. Hydrog. Energy~90-130 days median~40-50%8.3
Int. J. Biol. Macromol.~90-120 days median~45-55%8.5
Bioresour. Technol.~90-120 days median~35-45%9.0
Front. Microbiol.~90-120 days median~40-50%4.5
Chem. Commun.~90-120 days median~20-30%4.2
Nano Lett.~90-120 days median~15-20%9.1
Anal. Chem.~90-120 days median~35-45%6.7
Ceram. Int.~90-120 days median~45-55%5.6
J. Agric. Food Chem.~90-120 days median~40-50%6.2
Carbohydr. Polym.~90-120 days median~45-55%12.5
J. Phys. Chem. C~90-120 days median~45-55%3.2
J. Appl. Phys.~90-120 days median~50-60%2.5
Clin. Infect. Dis.~90-120 days median~25-35%7.3
J. Immunol.~90-120 days median~40-50%3.4
Ann. Oncol.~90-120 days median~10-20%65.4
Struct. Biol.~90-120 days median~25-35%7.9
Cell Host Microbe~90-120 days median~10-15%18.7
Constr. Build. Materials~100-150 days median~30-35%8.0
J. Alloys Compd.~100-130 days median~40-50%6.3
Journal of Materials Chemistry A~100-140 days median~35-40%9.5
Energy~100-140 days median~40-50%9.4
Applied Surface Science~100-140 days median~40-50%6.9
Appl. Catal. B~100-140 days median~30-35%21.1
Appl. Energy~100-140 days median~35-45%11.0
Fuel~100-130 days median~40-50%7.5
Small~100-140 days median~15-25%12.1
Adv. Energy Mater.~100-140 days median~15-25%26.0
Water Res.~100-120 days median~25-35%12.4
J. Power Sources~100-130 days median~30-40%7.9
ACS Catal.~100-130 days median~20-30%13.1
J. Colloid Interface Sci.~100-130 days median~40-50%9.7
Cancer Res.~100-130 days median~15-20%16.6
Clin. Cancer Res.~100-130 days median~20-30%10.2
EMBO J.~100-130 days median~10-15%8.3
Diabetes Care~100-130 days median~30-40%16.6
Neuron~100-130 days median~10-15%15.0
Chemical Reviews~120 days to first decision~5%55.8
Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev.~120-180 days median~30-40%16.3
Astron. Astrophys.~120-150 days median~40-50%5.8
BMJ Open134 days median with review27%2.3
Chem. Soc. Rev.~150-200 days median~15-25%39.0

What these timelines actually measure

Most journals report "time to first decision," but that means different things at different journals. At Nature and Cell, a fast first decision usually means a quick desk reject or an invitation to send the full paper (if you submitted a presubmission inquiry). At PNAS, the first decision comes after full peer review.

Journals with professional editors (Nature family, Cell Press, Science) tend to have faster desk decisions because the editors are full-time and handling manuscripts is their primary job. Journals with academic editors (many society journals) can be slower because the editors are also running labs and teaching.

The full publication timeline

From submission to published paper, most researchers should expect 4-12 months. Here's a rough breakdown:

  • Desk decision: 3 days to 4 weeks
  • Peer review: 3-8 weeks after the desk decision
  • Revision period: 30-90 days (your time to respond)
  • Second review (if needed): 2-4 weeks
  • Production: 1-4 weeks after acceptance

The step most people underestimate is the revision period. Journals give you 60-90 days for major revisions, and you should use enough of that time to do the work properly. Submitting your revision in three days tells the editor you didn't take the comments seriously.

When the timeline matters most

Speed matters when you're in a competitive field and someone else is working on the same question. It matters when you have a job application deadline or a grant report due. It matters less when you have the luxury of time and care more about getting the best possible feedback.

If speed is critical, check whether the journal offers expedited review (some do for time-sensitive findings). Also consider preprints: posting on bioRxiv or medRxiv establishes your priority date while you wait for the journal process to play out.

For more on choosing the right journal for your situation, see our guide on how to choose the right journal.

Before you wait six months to find out

Know if your manuscript is ready before you submit

Review timelines are long because most manuscripts need revision. The faster move is to screen the draft for submission-readiness issues before you enter the queue.

Run the submission-readiness check

Related resources