Average (in weeks) Within one month (in %) Within three months (in %) Within six months (in %)
All scientific fields 17 11 53 81
General 17 7 54 83
Natural sciences 14 13 63 87
Engineering (incl technology) 17 11 54 81
Mathematics and computer sciences 22 4 36 72
Medicine 12 16 71 92
Public health (incl health professions) 13 14 67 91
Psychology 20 7 46 76
Economics, business and law 25 7 37 67
Social sciences 23 3 33 68
Humanities 22 4 36 71

Total review duration refers to the time a manuscript is under responsibility of the journal. Besides by the duration of the first review round, total review duration is also determined by the number and duration of subsequent review rounds. Total review duration does not include the time taken by authors to revise and resubmit their manuscript.

More information: Huisman & Smits, 2017. ‘Duration and quality of the peer review process: the author’s perspective’, Scientometrics, 113(1), pp. 633-650.