Journal profile · GEOGRAPHY
Cartography and Geographic Information Science
ISSN 1523-0406 · eISSN 1545-0465 · Taylor & Francis
Cartography and Geographic Information Science: CAS Zone 2 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.68; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 187 days to acceptance (90 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 27% (journal website); 58 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Cartography and Geographic Information Science is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 2 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Geographic Information Systems Studies, Data Management and Algorithms and Spatial Cognition and Navigation, together about 45.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Cartography and Geographic Information Science (CaGIS) is the official publication of the Cartography and Geographic Information Society. The Society supports research, education, and practices that improve the understanding, creation, analysis, and use of maps and geographic information. The CaGIS journal implements the objectives of the Society by publishing authoritative peer-reviewed articles that report on innovative research in cartography and geographic information science. Cartography is an art and a science; geographic information science has practical implementation as well as theoretical aspects. The journal publishes articles with a design perspective alongside mathematical and social science approaches. Therefore, the choice of methods will vary per article. Articles must build on previous research and demonstrate for instance why a ‘good’ new map is a better map than the established practice, basing the evaluation on some form of user testing. Or, how results of a new algorithm to calculate some property are improved in some quantifiable or conclusive manner. Historical papers are considered if original sources are presented and are not just reminiscences or indirect observations. Other articles may apply mathematical analysis for projections and other spatial properties. The mathematics and analysis must be rigorous and logically presented, with attention to reproducibility. In support of reproducibility for all kinds of work, the journal requires that data and software used in the analysis be deposited in a repository that complies with the Open + FAIR policies of the COPDESS consortium. Of course, the most innovative articles may have no precedent, but then they must fully prove their point with careful scholarship about the nature of the innovation. The field of geographic information science is broad. The Journal focuses on the analytical output of a geographic information system, rather than its source material. Therefore, CaGIS does not encourage studies that report on data acquisitions as the primary focus. By contrast, analysis of the gaps in coverage of any data source or demonstration of a new procedure would fit quite well. The Journal takes care to publish graphics of high quality in print and online and now supports interactive, dynamic, and 3D displays. Our Cartographic Review process examines the design and execution of all illustrations. Innovative design is encouraged, and readable results required. Color illustrations are v
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): GEOGRAPHY
Editor-in-chief Angela YaoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 4, United Kingdom 1 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geographic Information Systems StudiesSocial Sciences29%
- Data Management and AlgorithmsComputer Science10.4%
- Spatial Cognition and NavigationEngineering6.5%
- Human Mobility and Location-Based AnalysisSocial Sciences6%
- Data Visualization and AnalyticsComputer Science5.9%
- Historical Geography and CartographySocial Sciences5%
- Data-Driven Disease SurveillanceMedicine4.4%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geography | 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 | Geography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 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
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexWeb of SciencePubMedPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, OCLC, EBSCOhost, Elsevier BV, GEOBASE, Gale, National Library of Medicine, Ovid, Thomson Reuters
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
- 2.68LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.59LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.59Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.5LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 78OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 525OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.49OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 19.87%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 55LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 118,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,064 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40 | 11 | 7 |
| 2025 | 58 | 25 | 115 |
| 2024 | 50 | 13 | 394 |
| 2023 | 56 | 19 | 520 |
| 2022 | 30 | 12 | 337 |
| 2021 | 38 | 12 | 776 |
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
187 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 157 days – 277 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 37 days (90 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 230 days
- Sample
- 90 articles with submission and acceptance dates (109 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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 27%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 71 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 79 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- editorialsThe journal accepts the following article types: original research, editorials, reviews and essays.Length not stated
- essaysThe journal accepts the following article types: original research, editorials, reviews and essays.Length not stated
- original researchThe journal accepts the following article types: original research, editorials, reviews and essays.Length not stated
- reviewsThe journal accepts the following article types: original research, editorials, reviews and essays.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteData availability, Open access, Peer review
- Data availability
Data and software must be deposited in a repository complying with Open + FAIR policies of the COPDESS consortium. Model summary
In support of reproducibility for all kinds of work, the journal requires that data and software used in the analysis be deposited in a repository that complies with the Open + FAIR policies of the COPDESS consortium.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Cartography and Geographic Information Science 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 …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double anonymized peer review; submissions via Scholar One Manuscripts. Model summary
All peer review is double anonymized and submissions can be made via Scholar One Manuscripts.
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
- 1523-0406
- Electronic ISSN
- 1545-0465
- Society / sponsor
- Cartography and Geographic Information Society
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 53, Issue 5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Cartography and Geographic Information Science
What CAS zone is Cartography and Geographic Information Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Cartography and Geographic Information Science is in Zone 2 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Geography. 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 Cartography and Geographic Information Science?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.68; CiteScore 5.7, h-index 78.
How long does peer review take at Cartography and Geographic Information Science?
Based on the dates recorded on 90 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 187 days (interquartile range 157–277 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 27%. 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 JCR quartile is Cartography and Geographic Information Science in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 2 of Earth Sciences.
Where are the editorial board members of Cartography and Geographic Information Science based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (4) and United Kingdom (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Cartography and Geographic Information Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Cartography and Geographic Information Science is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, Web of Science and PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Cartography and Geographic Information Science open access, and what is the APC?
Cartography and Geographic Information Science is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .