Rapid Peer Review

Rapid Peer Review in Only 4 to 6 Weeks

On average, the IEEE Access peer review process takes 4 weeks from submission to an accept/reject decision notification. Submission to publication time typically takes 4 to 6 weeks, depending on how long it takes the authors to submit final files after they receive the acceptance notification. 

High-Quality, Rigorous Peer Review

To ensure all articles meet the trusted and respected high standards of IEEE publications, they undergo a rigorous peer review process to assess the originality and technical correctness of the article. IEEE Access has an average acceptance rate of 27%, comparable to other top IEEE journals.

All articles are peer reviewed in accordance with the requirements set forth in the IEEE Publication Services and Products Board Operations Manual. Articles are reviewed by a minimum of 2 independent reviewers using a single-anonymized peer review process, where the identities of the reviewers are not known to the authors, but the reviewers know the identities of the authors.

Upon submission, all articles are screened for plagiarism and are evaluated for technical merit before being sent to peer review.  For a full list of items checked upon submission, please refer to the Preparing Your Article page.

IEEE Access is able to expedite the peer review process due to its substantial editorial resources of over 1,100 geographically diverse and experienced Associate Editors.  IEEE Access also has a team of Senior Editors who are IEEE Fellows, exceptionally accomplished in their areas of expertise, who can provide guidance to Associate Editors on the quality, scope, and technical merit of article submissions prior to having reviewers evaluate it.

Learn more about the Stages of Peer Review.

Binary Decision of Accept or Reject

IEEE Access uses a binary decision process which means that authors receive an accept or reject decision with constructive feedback that they can utilize to improve their manuscript.

A binary decision provides authors the benefit of quickly receiving valuable feedback on their research, while putting control back in their hands so that they can choose to either resubmit their article to IEEE Access after addressing all of the Associate Editor and reviewers’ concerns, or submit their research elsewhere, rather than waiting months for a final decision.

For more information on the decision types, please click here.

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