Journal profile · Multiple
African Archaeological Review
ISSN 0263-0338 · eISSN 1572-9842 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
African Archaeological Review: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.07; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,390; median 121 days to acceptance (30 articles, last 24 months); 40 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
African Archaeological Review is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 2 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Archaeology and Rock Art Studies, Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology and Archaeology and ancient environmental studies, together about 42.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Anthropology and Archeology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
African Archaeological Review publishes original research articles, review essays, reports, book/media reviews, and forums/commentaries on African archaeology, highlighting the contributions of the African continent to critical global issues in the past and present. Relevant topics include the emergence of modern humans and earliest manifestations of human culture; subsistence, agricultural, and technological innovations; and social complexity, as well as topical issues on heritage. The journal features timely continental and subcontinental studies covering cultural and historical processes; interregional interactions; biocultural evolution; cultural dynamics and ecology; the role of cultural materials in politics, ideology, and religion; different dimensions of economic life; the application of historical, textual, ethnoarchaeological, and archaeometric data in archaeological interpretation; and the intersections of cultural heritage, information technology, and community/public archaeology.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief J. CameronPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 12, United Kingdom 2, Germany 2, Canada 2, Mainland China 1 (23 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Archaeology and Rock Art StudiesSocial Sciences16.7%
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences14.6%
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences11.1%
- Global Maritime and Colonial HistoriesSocial Sciences9.7%
- African history and culture analysisSocial Sciences4.6%
- Ancient Egypt and ArchaeologyArts and Humanities4.5%
- Anthropological Studies and InsightsSocial Sciences4.2%
- Colonialism, slavery, and tradeSocial Sciences3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Anthropology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Archaeology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Anthropology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Archaeology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Anthropology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Archaeology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIEERIH PLUSCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 1.07LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2024
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.74LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- h-index
- 72OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 404OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.09OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 27.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 61.9%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 27LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 279,200Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 915 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 18 | 10 | 6 |
| 2025 | 40 | 25 | 38 |
| 2024 | 32 | 19 | 54 |
| 2023 | 63 | 36 | 156 |
| 2022 | 40 | 19 | 215 |
| 2021 | 51 | 21 | 305 |
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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
121 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 99 days – 181 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 29 days (55 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 162 days
- Sample
- 30 articles with submission and acceptance dates (65 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Submission to first decision
- 18 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,390 / EUR 2,690 / GBP 2,390 | — | — |
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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted4
- book reviewOriginal Article, Review Article, Book review Back to topLength not stated
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout p…Length not stated
- original articleOriginal Article, Review Article, Book review Back to topLength not stated
- review articleOriginal Article, Review Article, Book review Back to topLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in African Archaeological Review, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-blind peer review
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout peer review. It is the responsibility of the author to anonymize the manuscript and any associated materials. Author names, affiliations and any other potentially identifying information should be removed from the manuscript text and any accompanying files (such as …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 0263-0338
- Electronic ISSN
- 1572-9842
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 43, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about African Archaeological Review
What CAS zone is African Archaeological Review in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, African Archaeological Review is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Anthropology / Archaeology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of African Archaeological Review?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.07; CiteScore 2.6, h-index 72.
How long does peer review take at African Archaeological Review?
Based on the dates recorded on 30 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 121 days (interquartile range 99–181 days). 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of African Archaeological Review?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: LaTeX and Word; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of African Archaeological Review based?
Of the 23 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (12), United Kingdom (2) and Germany (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index African Archaeological Review?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, African Archaeological Review is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE, ERIH PLUS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is African Archaeological Review open access, and what is the APC?
African Archaeological Review is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,390.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .