Journal profile · Evolutionary Biology
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
ISSN 0002-9483 · eISSN 2692-7691 · Wiley-Liss Inc. · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1918
American Journal of Physical Anthropology: impact factor 0; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,200; median 219 days to acceptance (96 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 191 articles a year; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
American Journal of Physical Anthropology is published by Wiley-Liss Inc.. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies, Primate Behavior and Ecology and Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology, together about 41% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The American Journal of Biological Anthropology (AJBA) is the official journal of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists (AABA). The Journal is published monthly in three quarterly volumes, of four issues each. In addition, two supplements appear on an annual basis, the Yearbook of Biological Anthropology, which publishes major review articles, and the Annual Meeting Issue, containing the Scientific Program of the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists and abstracts of posters and podium presentations. The Yearbook of Biological Anthropology has its own editor, appointed by the Association, and is handled independently of the AJBA. As measured by impact factor, the AJBA is among the top journals listed in the anthropology category by the Social Science Citation Index. The reputation of the AJBA as the leading publication in biological anthropology is built on its century-long record of publishing high quality scientific articles in a wide range of topics. The journal welcomes for consideration manuscripts that contribute to an understanding of the adaptations, variability, and evolution of human beings and their living and fossil relatives throughout the order Primates. The AJBA publishes articles within an anthropological or evolutionary context in the areas of bioarchaeology, paleoanthropology, skeletal biology, genetics, human biology, and non-human primate behavior and ecology. The AJBA also seeks submissions in new and developing areas that contribute to the growth of the field. The AJBA publishes original scientific research articles, brief communications, articles on theory and synthesis, commentaries, technical notes, media reviews, and descriptions of available resources, obituaries, and letters to the editor. Authors are encouraged to submit illustrative materials for inclusion on the cover. How to cite: To make sure that references to this journal are correctly recorded and resolved (for example in CrossRef or ISI Web of Science), please use the following abbreviated title in any citations: "Am J Bio Anthropol." Punctuation may vary according to the style of the citing journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Evolutionary Biology
Editor-in-chief Connie MulliganPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 41, Canada 3, United Kingdom 1, Japan 1, Germany 1 (51 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology StudiesArts and Humanities17.4%
- Primate Behavior and EcologyPsychology12.8%
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences10.8%
- Indigenous Studies and EcologyHealth Professions7.6%
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences5.8%
- Forensic and Genetic ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.6%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science3.9%
- Paleopathology and ancient diseasesArts and Humanities3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SSCISCIEWeb of ScienceMEDLINEPubMedEmbaseCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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
- 0LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.08LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.26LetPub ·
- h-index
- 108LetPub ·
- h-index
- 239OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 7,422OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.92%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 191Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 829,137Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 14,410 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 196 | 62 | 2,048 |
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 PubMed · to
219 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 149 days – 308 days
- Acceptance to online
- —
- Submission to online
- —
- Sample
- 96 articles with submission and acceptance dates (390 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
- Average review time (community reports)
- 3–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 51%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 49 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 219 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 16 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
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 4,200 / EUR 3,500 / GBP 2,800 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 3–5
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted1, with length limits
- reviewer arrangements have been made with the Reviews Editors, reviews are limited to 1,000 words and are due within two months of solicitation. Unsolicitedmain text ≤ 1,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Self-archiving, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use AI Policy
Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools — such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs) — cannot be considered capable of initiating an original piece of research without direction by human authors. They also cannot be accountable for a published work or for research design, which is a generally held requirement of authorship (as discussed in the previous section)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
Please refer to the journal’s authorship policy the Editorial Policies and Ethical Considerations section for details on eligibility for author listing.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest Statement
Authors will be asked to provide a conflict of interest statement during the submission process. For details on what to include in this section, see the section ‘Conflict of Interest’ in the Editorial Policies and Ethical Considerations section below. Submitting authors should ensure they liaise with all co-authors to confirm agreement with the final statement.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Note this journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts. Read Wiley'sTop 10 Publishing Ethics Tips for Authors here. Wiley’s Publication Ethics Guidelines can be found here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright For authors signing the copyright transfer agreement
If the Open Access option is not selected the corresponding author will be presented with the copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to sign. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the samples associated with the Copyright FAQs.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access For authors choosing Open Access
If the Online Access option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review and Acceptance
The acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to journal readership. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements. The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to modify language in any review that may be offensive or inappropriate.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Self-Archiving Definitions and Policies
Note that the journal’s standard copyright agreement allows for self-archiving of different versions of the article under specific conditions. Please click here for more detailed information about self-archiving definitions and policies.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The journal requires that clinical trials are prospectively registered in a publicly accessible database and clinical trial registration numbers should be included in all papers that report their results. Authors are asked to include the name of the trial register and the clinical trial registration number at the end of the abstract. If the trial is not registered, or was registered retrospectivel…
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
- Wiley-Liss Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1918
- ISSN
- 0002-9483
- Print ISSN
- 2692-7691
- Electronic ISSN
- 2692-7691
- Society / sponsor
- American Association of Biological Anthropologists
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 191, Issue 1 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about American Journal of Physical Anthropology
What is the impact factor of American Journal of Physical Anthropology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0; CiteScore 4.8, h-index 239.
How long does peer review take at American Journal of Physical Anthropology?
Based on the dates recorded on 96 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 219 days (interquartile range 149–308 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 51% (2025). 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 American Journal of Physical Anthropology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 3–5; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required. 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 American Journal of Physical Anthropology based?
Of the 51 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (41), Canada (3) and United Kingdom (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index American Journal of Physical Anthropology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, American Journal of Physical Anthropology is indexed in Scopus. The journal's website also lists SSCI, SCIE, Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is American Journal of Physical Anthropology open access, and what is the APC?
American Journal of Physical Anthropology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,200.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, 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: .