Fastest-accepting neuroscience journals 2026

229 neuroscience journals ranked by the median number of days from submission to acceptance, measured from the dates publishers deposit in PubMed for articles published 2024–2025. The interval includes peer review and revisions.

Journals: 229
Typical median: 119 d
Under 60 days: 9
Over 180 days: 35

Read this before using the ranking

Accepted papers only. Rejected manuscripts never receive an acceptance date, so these figures say nothing about desk-rejection speed, rejection rates or your chance of acceptance.
Not the time to a first decision. The interval runs from the “received” date to the “accepted” date the publisher deposits in PubMed. It includes editorial handling, peer review, every round of revision and the time authors spent revising.
Journals record dates differently. Some reset the received date when a revised manuscript arrives, and manuscripts transferred from another journal may keep or lose their earlier dates. Short medians are therefore not always comparable with long ones.
Past timelines are not a promise. Each figure comes from up to 100 recent articles published 2024–2025. Article types, special issues, editors and workload all change, and your paper may take much longer or much less time.
Fast is not the same as good. Check the journal’s scope, indexing, peer-review policy and editorial board before submitting. An unusually quick acceptance can be a warning sign of light peer review.

Journal Metrics is independent and is not affiliated with any journal or publisher listed. The figures are for information only, may contain errors and change as PubMed records are updated. Confirm current timelines on the journal’s own website. See how to spot predatory journals.

Neuroscience journals by median days from submission to acceptance

Neuroscience journals ranked by median days from submission to acceptance in PubMed
Rank	Journal	Median days	Middle half	Articles	Quartile	2026 score
1	Physics of Life Reviews	1†	0–4	100	Q1	3.7
2	Brain Sciences	30	24–39	100	Q1	3.8
3	BULLETIN OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE	35	19–65	96	Q4	0.5
4	TRENDS IN PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES	50	25–82	100	Q1	10.1
5	Annals of Neurosciences	52	24–123	94	Q2	1.7
6	AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY	55	19–76	100	Q1	1.9
7	JOURNAL OF NEURAL TRANSMISSION	57	42–102	100	Q2	3.1
8	Audiology Research	58	41–79	100	Q1	1.8
8	NeuroSci	58	44–80	100	Q2	2.0
10	NEUROMOLECULAR MEDICINE	62	45–82	100	Q1	3.4
11	Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience	63	42–97	100	Q1	4.8
12	Frontiers in Neuroanatomy	67	50–92	100	Q1	3.2
12	CELL CALCIUM	67	2–107	100	Q1	3.4
14	Clocks & Sleep	68	50–89	100	Q1	2.6
14	Experimental Neurobiology	68	30–104	51	Q3	1.7
16	Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience	70	50–99	100	Q1	5.0
16	Frontiers in Neural Circuits	70	45–108	100	Q2	2.9
18	Bioelectronic Medicine	71	56–88	52	Q1	7.7
19	Epilepsy & Behavior Reports	72	54–102	100	Q2	1.8
19	NEUROPHYSIOLOGIE CLINIQUE-CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY	72	50–105	91	Q2	2.4
21	PEPTIDES	73	51–111	98	Q1	4.0
22	REVIEWS IN THE NEUROSCIENCES	74	58–101	100	Q1	4.2
22	Neuropeptides	74	51–107	100	Q1	3.0
24	Journal of Audiology and Otology	75	42–103	79	Q1	2.1
25	JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE	76	55–116	100	Q2	2.5
26	Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience	77	51–102	23	Q3	1.8
26	Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience	77	53–119	100	Q1	4.1
26	NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE	77	52–126	99	Q1	4.8
29	NEUROGENETICS	78	54–117	99	Q2	1.9
30	Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience	79	51–121	100	Q1	3.4
30	INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY	79	55–122	100	Q3	1.4
32	JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL NEUROANATOMY	80	54–100	44	Q3	2.5
32	PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH	80	60–108	100	Q1	10.8
32	CURRENT NEUROVASCULAR RESEARCH	80	35–372	94	Q3	1.1
35	Molecular Brain	81	55–118	100	Q1	4.0
36	Frontiers in Human Neuroscience	83	63–113	100	Q1	3.3
36	Purinergic Signalling	83	50–150	100	Q2	2.4
38	Neurotherapeutics	84	54–114	100	Q1	5.6
38	NEUROCHEMICAL RESEARCH	84	65–116	100	Q1	3.6
40	CNS & Neurological Disorders-Drug Targets	85	59–111	98	Q2	2.1
40	NEUROCHEMISTRY INTERNATIONAL	85	63–115	100	Q1	5.2
40	Frontiers in Network Physiology	85	61–121	99	Q1	3.0
43	BRAIN AND COGNITION	86	61–120	100	Q2	2.5
44	Frontiers in Neuroscience	87	55–128	100	Q1	4.1
44	Journal of Alzheimers Disease Reports	87	67–132	100	Q2	2.3
46	Journal of Integrative Neuroscience	88	62–105	100	Q1	3.7
46	NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH	88	52–124	100	Q2	2.2
48	LIFE SCIENCES	89	64–117	97	Q1	6.1
48	Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience	89	67–126	73	Q3	1.3
48	EPILEPTIC DISORDERS	89	58–130	100	Q3	1.0
48	Neuroprotection	89	64–132	47	Q1	3.5
48	NEUROIMMUNOMODULATION	89	71–155	42	Q2	1.8
53	EUROPEAN ARCHIVES OF OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGY	91	61–126	100	Q1	2.1
53	EPILEPSY RESEARCH	91	71–138	100	Q2	1.9
53	PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR	91	59–154	100	Q1	2.8
56	TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES	92	19–119	100	Q1	7.6
56	Current Neuropharmacology	92	57–128	97	Q2	2.6
56	Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience	92	64–133	64	Q1	3.4
59	Frontiers in Cognition	93	58–133	99	Q2	1.9
60	Pharmacological Reports	94	64–123	100	Q1	3.9
60	AIMS Neuroscience	94	65–126	64	Q1	3.5
60	NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS	94	61–131	100	Q3	2.0
63	Acta Epileptologica	95	69–133	82	Q1	2.4
63	AURIS NASUS LARYNX	95	67–134	100	Q2	1.8
65	Frontiers in Neuroinformatics	96	68–130	100	Q1	5.0
65	Frontiers in Neuroimaging	96	78–143	69	Q2	1.9
65	Noise & Health	96	71–160	98	Q2	1.3
68	SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS	97	75–144	65	Q3	1.5
68	Otology & Neurotology Open	97	50–144	32	Q3	1.0
70	DRUG DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH	98	69–148	100	Q2	3.4
71	BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN	99	79–144	100	Q1	3.4
71	Journal of Neuroinflammation	99	73–147	100	Q1	9.9
73	ALCOHOL	101	70–132	99	Q3	1.1
73	EPILEPSIA	101	77–133	100	Q1	4.4
73	Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science	101	50–153	99	Q2	2.0
76	Psychoradiology	102	70–134	67	Q1	4.1
76	MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE	102	68–141	90	Q1	4.0
76	PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR	102	69–163	100	Q2	2.3
79	Fluids and Barriers of the CNS	103	70–136	100	Q1	6.6
79	Biomedical Engineering Letters	103	77–141	99	Q1	3.8
79	Alzheimers & Dementia	103	75–141	96	Q2	1.9
79	HEARING RESEARCH	103	71–150	99	Q1	2.3
79	Schizophrenia Research-Cognition	103	67–160	100	Q1	1.5
84	EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY	104	83–135	100	Q1	3.8
84	Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology	104	73–135	92	Q1	2.3
84	Schizophrenia	104	76–139	100	Q1	4.2
84	JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS	104	77–141	100	Q2	2.7
84	JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS	104	72–157	100	Q4	0.9
89	JOURNAL OF PINEAL RESEARCH	105	66–165	100	Q1	5.9
90	EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH	106	78–136	99	Q2	2.1
90	Translational Neuroscience	106	87–143	50	Q3	1.6
90	Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology	106	68–153	100	Q2	2.0
90	CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH	106	79–159	96	Q2	2.8
94	NEUROPHARMACOLOGY	107	79–140	100	Q1	3.8
95	Neuroscience Insights	108	68–160	48	Q1	4.4
95	Brain Structure & Function	108	82–172	100	Q2	2.5
97	Neuroscience Bulletin	109	72–135	98	Q1	3.4
97	Neuropsychopharmacology Reports	109	74–155	100	Q2	2.3
97	Brain Informatics	109	62–174	72	Q1	9.6
100	BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH	110	90–155	99	Q2	2.8

Median days: half of the journal’s accepted articles took less time from submission to acceptance and half took more. Middle half: the 25th to 75th percentile. Articles: how many recent PubMed articles had both dates. Journals with the same rounded median share a rank.

Median under 30 days. Very short intervals usually reflect how a journal records its dates (for example a new received date after revision) or invited and fast-track article types such as reviews and editorials, not unusually quick peer review. Check the journal’s peer-review policy before reading anything into them.

Showing the 100 fastest of 229 neuroscience journals. Every journal’s figure is on its own page and in the acceptance times dataset.

Questions about neuroscience journal acceptance times

Which neuroscience journals accept papers fastest?

Among the 229 neuroscience journals with enough PubMed dates, the shortest median times from submission to acceptance (leaving out medians under 30 days, which usually reflect how dates are recorded) are Brain Sciences (30 days), BULLETIN OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE (35 days), TRENDS IN PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES (50 days), Annals of Neurosciences (52 days), AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY (55 days). These medians include peer review and revisions, and cover accepted papers only.

How long does a neuroscience journal take to accept a paper?

The typical neuroscience journal on this page has a median of 119 days from submission to acceptance. 9 of 229 journals have a median under 60 days and 35 take more than 180 days.

Is this the peer review time?

No. PubMed records when a manuscript was received and when it was accepted, not the individual review stages. The interval includes editorial handling, peer review, revisions and the time authors spent revising, so it is longer than the time to a first decision. For first-decision times, check the journal’s own website.

Does a fast journal mean my paper is more likely to be accepted?

No. Only accepted papers have an acceptance date, so this ranking says nothing about acceptance rates or how quickly a journal rejects papers. A very fast acceptance can also be a sign of light peer review. Check the journal’s scope, indexing and peer-review policy before submitting.

About this data

Source: the received and accepted dates publishers deposit in PubMed, read through the public NCBI E-utilities for articles published 2024-01-01 to 2025-12-31, up to 100 recent articles per journal. Data checked 2026-11-03.
A journal is ranked only when at least 20 articles have both dates and at least half of the articles checked have them. Journals that do not deposit dates in PubMed, including most journals outside the life sciences, cannot be ranked here.
The ranking uses each journal’s median: half of its accepted articles took less time and half took more. The middle-half range shows the 25th to 75th percentile.
Fields come from the OpenAlex classification of each journal’s research topics. A journal joins a field when at least two of its four main topics are in it, so a journal can appear in more than one field and some classifications are imperfect.
Quartile and score are the journal’s best OpenAlex subfield quartile and its Journal Metrics Score, shown for context; they play no part in the order.

The full journal-level dataset is in the journal acceptance times study (with a CSV download). Spot an error or a journal whose dates look wrong? Tell us.

Other fields