Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
AAPG Bulletin
ISSN 0149-1423 · American Association of Petroleum Geologists · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1974
AAPG Bulletin: CAS Zone 3 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.64; hybrid open access; review about 1 month (community reports); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 58 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
AAPG Bulletin is published by American Association of Petroleum Geologists and is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis, Geological formations and processes and Geological Studies and Exploration, together about 38.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
While the 21st-century AAPG Bulletin has undergone some changes since 1917, enlarging to 8 ½ x 11” size to incorporate more material and being published digitally as well as in print, it continues to adhere to the primary purpose of the organization, which is to advance the science of geology especially as it relates to petroleum, natural gas, other subsurface fluids, and mineral resources. Delivered digitally or in print monthly to each AAPG Member as a part of membership dues, the AAPG Bulletin is one of the most respected, peer-reviewed technical journals in existence, with recent issues containing papers focused on such topics as the Middle East, channel detection, China, permeability, subseismic fault prediction, the U.S., and Africa.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysisEngineering17.8%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences11.4%
- Geological Studies and ExplorationEarth and Planetary Sciences9.4%
- Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir AnalysisEngineering6.5%
- Reservoir Engineering and Simulation MethodsEngineering6.5%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences5.7%
- Geological and Geophysical StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences4.9%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences4.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Engineering, Petroleum | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 2.64LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.88LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.3LetPub ·
- h-index
- 115LetPub ·
- h-index
- 241OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,628OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.13OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 9.09%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 57LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 51,255 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 57 | 6 | 27 |
| 2025 | 58 | 11 | 94 |
| 2024 | 87 | 6 | 511 |
| 2023 | 85 | 12 | 762 |
| 2022 | 91 | 8 | 1,234 |
| 2021 | 97 | 7 | 1,475 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- American Association of Petroleum Geologists
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1974
- ISSN
- 0149-1423
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about AAPG Bulletin
What CAS zone is AAPG Bulletin in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, AAPG Bulletin is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Geosciences, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of AAPG Bulletin?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.64; CiteScore 6.6, h-index 241.
How long does peer review take at AAPG Bulletin?
Authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index AAPG Bulletin?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, AAPG Bulletin is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is AAPG Bulletin open access, and what is the APC?
AAPG Bulletin is a hybrid journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-24). Last updated: .