Acceptance rates of scholarly peer-reviewed journals: A literature survey

Abstract

The acceptance rate of scholarly journals is an important selection criterion for authors choosing where to submit their manuscripts. Unfortunately, information about the acceptance (or rejection rates) of individual journals is seldom avai- lable. This article surveys available systematic information and studies of acceptance rates. The overall global average is around 35-40%. There are significant differences between fields of science, with biomedicine having higher acceptance rates compared to for instance the social sciences. Open access journals usually have higher acceptance rates than subs- cription journals, and this is particularly true for so-called OA mega-journals, which have peer review criteria focusing on sound science only.