Journal profile · ARCHAEOLOGY
California Archaeology
ISSN 1947-461X · eISSN 1947-4628 · Taylor & Francis
California Archaeology: CAS Zone 4 · History (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.4 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 212 days to acceptance (10 articles, last 24 months); 23 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
California Archaeology is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of History in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Archaeology and ancient environmental studies, Archaeology and Natural History and Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies, together about 46.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Anthropology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
California Archaeology publishes original papers on the archaeology of Alta California, Baja California, and adjoining regions (southern Oregon, western Nevada and Arizona). The journal is dedicated to advancing knowledge of California’s past and it will consider manuscripts that treat theory, method, and/or empirical findings from either the prehistoric or historic (text-aided) era. Ethnohistoric or ethnographic studies will be considered only if they make explicit connections to or have clear implications for the material record. Paleoenvironmental studies will be considered with the same caveat. The journal publishes four types of papers: articles that advance theoretical, methodological, and/or empirical knowledge of a major issue in the prehistory or history of California or an adjoining region; reports that present descriptive information on important and/or unusual discoveries; letters, that briefly comment on recently published research (commonly followed by a response); reviews, that briefly evaluate recently published books, DVDs, museum exhibits, or other materials with significant archaeological content. The journal also publishes in each issue a News and Notes column, which includes information on recent field work, legal developments, and/or other events or activities related to the practice of archaeology in California and adjoining regions.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ARCHAEOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Kathleen L. HullPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 3 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences23.7%
- Archaeology and Natural HistorySocial Sciences12.3%
- Historical and Cultural Archaeology StudiesSocial Sciences10.2%
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences7.5%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences5.6%
- Isotope Analysis in EcologyEnvironmental Science4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.7%
- American Environmental and Regional HistoryEnvironmental Science3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)History Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Archaeology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)History Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Archaeology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
Other: Abstracts in Anthropology, Anthropological Literature, European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH) PLUS
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 (publisher) 2025
- 0.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 0.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.19LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.19Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.4Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 18OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 48OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.21OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 25%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 5.56%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 3LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 9,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 449 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 23 | 3 | 2 |
| 2024 | 29 | 2 | 10 |
| 2023 | 29 | 2 | 16 |
| 2022 | 20 | 0 | 39 |
| 2021 | 26 | 0 | 49 |
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
212 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 172 days – 313 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 48 days (10 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 259 days
- Sample
- 10 articles with submission and acceptance dates (23 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
- 194 daysPublisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted4
- articlesarticles that advance theoretical, methodological, and/or empirical knowledge of a major issue in the prehistory or history of California or an adjoining regionLength not stated
- lettersletters, that briefly comment on recently published research (commonly followed by a response)Length not stated
- reportsreports that present descriptive information on important and/or unusual discoveriesLength not stated
- reviewsreviews, that briefly evaluate recently published books, DVDs, museum exhibits, or other materials with significant archaeological contentLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
California Archaeology is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Ethnohistoric/ethnographic and paleoenvironmental studies considered only if they make explicit connections to or have clear implications for the material record. Model summary
Ethnohistoric or ethnographic studies will be considered only if they make explicit connections to or have clear implications for the material record. Paleoenvironmental studies will be considered with the same caveat.
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 1947-461X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1947-4628
- Society / sponsor
- Society for California Archaeology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 17, Issue 2 (2025)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about California Archaeology
What CAS zone is California Archaeology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, California Archaeology is in Zone 4 of History, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Archaeology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of History. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of California Archaeology?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.4 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 0.7, h-index 18.
How long does peer review take at California Archaeology?
Based on the dates recorded on 10 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 212 days (interquartile range 172–313 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.
Where are the editorial board members of California Archaeology based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index California Archaeology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, California Archaeology is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is California Archaeology open access, and what is the APC?
California Archaeology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .