PNAS reports 13% acceptance and 10 days to first decision.
This guide uses the official PNAS author center and keeps process stages separate from portal status labels, because the public pages do not publish a complete status glossary.
Key numbers before you submit to PNAS
A scientific figure should be planned with the article type, page limit, and disclosure checklist before upload.
| Check | Official figure |
|---|---|
| Impact Factor (2025 JIF, 2026 JCR release) | 9.5 |
| Acceptance rate | 13% |
| Time to first decision | 10 days |
| Time to first post-review decision | 45 days |
| Submission to online publication | 6.5 months |
| Research Report | preferred 6 pages, maximum 12 pages |
| Brief Report | 3 pages, about 1,600 words, 15 references |
| Standard Research Report example | about 4,000 words, 50 references, 4 medium-size graphical elements |
| Delayed open access APC | $3,025 |
| Immediate open access APC | $5,575 with a current-year site license, compared with $6,075 regular |
| Brief Report APC | $2,600 |
For volume 123 and later, PNAS lists the current APC and license structure above. All PNAS articles are free within six months of publication, while immediate open access makes an article freely available on publication.
How to submit to PNAS, step by step
- Choose the route and article type. Most PNAS articles are Direct Submissions. Contributed submissions are available to NAS members under the stated conditions. Choose Research Report, Brief Report, Letter, Perspective, or another supported type before you format the manuscript.
- Prepare the manuscript components. Include the title page, abstract, significance statement for Direct and Contributed Submissions, main text, references, figures or tables with legends, SI if needed, contact and competing-interest information, data-sharing plans, funding information, and license choice.
- Prepare reviewer and editor suggestions. The initial package asks for at least three appropriate Editorial Board members, NAS members, and qualified reviewers who are experts in the paper's area.
- Upload the files. For LaTeX, use the PNAS class and support files; upload each figure source separately and keep tables in the main manuscript. For other workflows, follow the current submission system's file types.
- Check integrity and disclosures. Add the AI disclosure, competing interests, funding, data availability, and any required ethics documentation before confirmation.
- Submit and retain the record. Save the submitted PDF, source files, figure files, reviewer list, and license choice so a revision can reproduce the same package.
PNAS does not consider presubmission inquiries according to the public submission page. If the paper needs a fit decision, use the article-type and scope guidance rather than assuming an informal precheck is available.
If PNAS invites a revision, the revised paper should be submitted within two months of the revision decision unless you notify the journal that more time is needed.
What happens after you upload: the timeline
PNAS publishes these 2025 medians:
| Stage | Median |
|---|---|
| Submission to first decision | 10 days |
| Submission to first post-review decision | 45 days |
| Submission to online publication | 6.5 months |
The page also says that, after acceptance, prompt proof return can allow publication within four to five weeks. That is a post-acceptance production window, not a replacement for the 6.5 months submission-to-online median.
What does each submission status actually mean?
The public PNAS pages describe a three-tier editorial path rather than a complete portal-status dictionary:
- The Editorial Board conducts an initial assessment and may decline a paper without further review.
- A member editor or guest editor assesses suitability and manages the review.
- At least two independent experts review research papers that are sent out, after which the editor recommends a decision and the Editorial Board member makes the final accept or reject decision.
Map the portal message to these three stages: an initial decline is the initial assessment stage; an editor assignment is the editorial assessment stage; reviewer invitations or reports indicate the expert review stage. A revision, accept, or reject message is the next decision in that same map. These are practical stage meanings rather than a promise that every portal label uses the same wording, so use the 10-day first-decision and 45-day post-review medians above to tell normal waiting from a requested action. Do not import labels from another submission system.
Acceptance rate and desk rejection at PNAS
PNAS's dedicated metrics page lists a 13% acceptance rate. The editorial policy page says more than 50% of submissions are declined at initial evaluation, before the full review path. The two statements use different descriptions of the funnel, so neither is a substitute for the other.
The policy page also contains an older prose sentence that says the acceptance rate is 14%, while the dedicated current metrics page and its 2025 table say 13%. This guide uses the dedicated metrics page's 13%; treat 14% as an older page statement rather than the current metrics value.
APC, open access, and waivers
For articles published in volume 123 and later, PNAS lists:
- delayed open access: $3,025 with a CC BY-NC-ND license;
- immediate open access: $5,575 for corresponding authors at institutions with current-year site licenses, compared with the $6,075 regular fee, with CC BY-NC-ND or CC BY available;
- Brief Reports: $2,600, immediately open access.
PNAS says all articles are free to read within six months of publication. It also grants waivers for authors without funding, including examples such as mathematics, astronomy, and lower-income countries. Confirm eligibility and the current license wording on the publication-charges page before budgeting.
Pre-submission checklist
- Is the paper's scope broad enough for PNAS and the chosen article type correct?
- Is the title under 135 characters?
- Is the abstract no more than 250 words and the significance statement no more than 120 words where required?
- Does a Research Report fit the preferred 6 pages or the maximum 12 pages?
- Are figures, tables, and legends complete and within the intended article length?
- Are the figure source files prepared at final size and in the correct resolution and color mode?
- Does every scientific figure remain legible after reduction and match its legend in the compiled PDF?
- Are contact, competing-interest, funding, and data-sharing statements complete?
- Have you supplied at least three suitable Editorial Board members, NAS members, and qualified reviewers?
- Have you selected the open-access license and checked the $3,025, $5,575, $6,075, or $2,600 charge that applies to the article type and institution?
- If AI was used during research, have you named the tool and model or version in Materials and Methods or Acknowledgments?
The detailed artwork checks are in the companion PNAS formatting requirements. The metric definitions and quartile boundary are in PNAS Impact Factor. If you already have figure elements to preserve, edit them in Vector Canvas; see the AI figure section below for the policy boundary and other editing paths.
Make the article type drive the checklist
PNAS page, figure, APC, and disclosure rules change with the article type. Choose it before final formatting.
Explore the ToolWhat the official pages don't answer
The public pages leave four practical questions open, so close them with the guides and sections on this site:
- Quartile: the PNAS Impact Factor guide gives the current supporting Q1 record and category rank.
- Portal status: the status section above explains the public meanings of the common submission labels and how to read the stage you see.
- Figure count: the PNAS formatting requirements maps figure planning to the article type instead of pretending one cap applies to every submission.
- Acceptance rate: the 13% value is a journal snapshot, not a personal probability; use the desk-rejection discussion and checklist above to assess fit and package readiness.
For AI figure decisions, the next section gives the policy answer and the SciFig editing paths for submission preparation, grants, posters, defenses, theses, and lab pages.
Does PNAS allow AI-generated figures?
PNAS does not permit AI-generated images or graphics in a standard submission. Its policy says AI tools for creating images or graphics may not be used unless the software is the subject of the work under consideration. PNAS also does not permit AI-generated content in cover art submissions. If AI or generative AI was used during the research process, disclose the tool name and model or version in Materials and Methods or Acknowledgments.
If your figure already exists:
- Raster figure that needs an editable SVG: use Vector Canvas to turn it into editable vector figure, with labels, elements, and layers ready for further editing.
- Existing figure that needs a quality boost: use Figure Enhancer to clean up, upscale, and export it up to 8K.
- Other uses: These editing workflows support grant figures, posters, defense slides, theses, and lab pages. For grant, conference, institutional, or other tasks where AI-generated visuals are allowed, you can also explore Text-to-Figure to create a new draft.
For the full figure workflow, see the formatting guide.
Frequently asked questions / Sources
- PNAS — Submitting Your Manuscript — article types, manuscript components, review route, and figure handling
- PNAS — Editorial and Journal Policies — initial evaluation, review, AI disclosure, and image policy
- PNAS — Article and Journal Metrics — 2025 acceptance, turnaround, publication, and Impact Factor metrics
- Clarivate — Journal Citation Reports 2026 — release naming and the statement that the 2026 release reflects 2025 data
- PNAS — Publication Charges — current volume 123+ APC and license structure
- PNAS — Digital Art Guidelines — final-size art, resolution, fonts, widths, and line weights
See our editorial standards for how these guides are researched and corrected.
