Fast publishing
Discover how PeerJ publishes so quickly
Speed comparison
How fast is PeerJ's time to first decision compared to other journals?
The following speed statistics were updated in July 2017, and courtesy of the crowd-sourced journal review website Scirev.
- 2.5x faster than Nature Communications.
- 2x faster than Nature.
- 3x faster than BMJ Open.
- 1.5x faster than eLife.
- 2x faster than Scientific Reports.
- 3x faster than PLOS ONE.
- 8.2x faster than Sage Open.
In 2015 Daniel Himmelstein published a great speed comparison blog post based on his in-depth analysis of a range of journals. The image below shows how PeerJ stacks up against other leading journals:
25 days to first decision
Your first decision is your first sign that you'll be published. Our goal is to deliver it to you as quickly as possible.
- Although speed is important, delivering an in-depth, robust review of your work is our top priority.
- Our custom-build article checking tools are fast, giving you clear actionable changes when needed.
- Key speed statistics are built into our staff interface, helping prioritise our efforts.
- We use a pro-active, data-driven approach to make sure no article is left behind.
- Our time to first decision is displayed on our homepage for full transparency (and motivation!).
Streamlined submission
Our submission system is optimized for speed and ease of use.
- Built with modern web technologies.
- Continuously improved and enhanced with usability and speed improvements.
- Succinct, useful checklists for each section.
- LaTeX submissions encouraged.
- 'One click' submission supported from bioRxiv, Overleaf, and Peerage of Science.
Preview submission interface
Efficient review
PeerJ's reviewing platform makes robust review a straightforward process.
- Reviewers are asked to submit their reviews 10 to 14 days after accepting to review.
- Continuing innovation in reviewer-matching tools for editors.
- Best-practice guidance and support for reviewers.
- Smooth, pain-free review submission interface.
- Helpful, personable email updates keep you, your editor, and your reviewers on track and on time!
- A suite of innovative tools enable our editorial staff to handle articles with more care and focus, whilst delivering tremendous efficiency gains.
Fast author support
We are your publication partner: reliable, helpful, and here when you need us.
- We will respond to your email within a few hours (if within USA west-coast working hours) or at most within 1 working day.
- We use Freshdesk to manage your support emails (used by DHL, Toshiba, Honda etc.). A ticket is created every time you contact us, enabling us to respond quickly and effectively to your query.
Continuous publishing
Your article is published when it's ready, without the delay of waiting for the 'next edition'
- PeerJ publishes 5 days a week.
- Simultaneous publication of your article's webpage, PDF, and submission to online databases (Google Scholar etc.).
- Permanent links (DOIs) active from the moment of publication for your article, figures, tables, supplemental files, and reviews (optional).
24 hour Preprints
Publish your article as a Preprint within 24 hours
- Submit for peer review and publish as a Preprint simultaneously.
- An excellent way to establish precedent, and collect additional reader feedback your editor can use in their review.
- Permanent links (DOIs) active from the moment of publication, for your article and supplemental files.
- Publish multiple versions (example), all displayed in the article history.
Please note that the 24 hour publication time assumes your article passes editorial staff checks first time (most do). If these checks identify changes to be made, this may delay publication of your Preprint.
