Abstract
Objective Timely publication of research is an ethical obligation. The interval between manuscript submission and acceptance affects timely publication, particularly as few manuscripts are accepted without revision. The objectives of this study were to calculate the median time between manuscript submission and acceptance for a large sample of articles from international, high-ranking, peer-reviewed medical journals and to identify factors affecting this time interval. Design The time interval from the date of manuscript submission to acceptance was calculated for 1000 original research articles. This sample comprised 100 consecutive articles published up to January 2005 from each of 10 high-ranking (based on impact factor), international, peer-reviewed medical journals from different therapeutic areas. Analyses of variance were performed to determine the effect of various factors on time to acceptance. Results The median time from manuscript submission to acceptance was 122 days (interquartile range, 76-195 days). The journal selected had a significant influence on this time interval (P < .001). A nephrology journal had the shortest time interval (75 days) and a general medicine journal had the longest time interval (210.5 days). Pharmaceutical industry sponsorship (10% of articles surveyed) was significantly associated with a longer time interval between submission and acceptance (geometric mean [days]: sponsored, 128.3; nonsponsored, 106.6; P < .05). No statistically significant association was detected between the time from submission to acceptance and the manuscript's primary outcome (positive vs negative finding), the type of research (clinical vs nonclinical), the author's country of origin (English as first language vs other), or the declared use of medical writing assistance. Conclusions In this 1000-article sample, the median time between manuscript submission and acceptance was 122 days, although a wide range was evident across therapeutic areas. The journal selected and pharmaceutical industry sponsorship significantly affected the time interval from manuscript submission to acceptance.