Journal profile · Geology
Facies
ISSN 0172-9179 · eISSN 1612-4820 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Irregular · Founded 1979
Facies: CAS Zone 3 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.89; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,490; median 154 days to acceptance (58 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 24 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Facies is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils, Geology and Paleoclimatology Research and Geological formations and processes, together about 53.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal is open to papers dealing with the interpretation of ancient and modern carbonate depositional environments by means of facies analysis in its broadest sense. Facies analysis more and more integrates modern and ancient biogeological processes of a changing earth. Special emphasis is laid on paleobiology and -ecology, basin evolution, sedimentology including diagenesis and geochemistry, as well as studies emphasising the impact of life on earth history. The main part of the target group will be people in academia.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Geology
Editor-in-chief Wolfgang KiesslingPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 4%); most named Germany 5, United Kingdom 4, United States 3, Italy 2, Spain 2 (26 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences25.8%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences16.1%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences12%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences5.8%
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems StudiesEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysisEngineering3.6%
- Geological Formations and Processes ExplorationEarth and Planetary Sciences3.4%
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences3.3%
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 | Geology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Paleontology | 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 | Geology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Paleontology | 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 | Geology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Paleontology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
GeoRefCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 1.89LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.51LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.82LetPub ·
- h-index
- 48LetPub ·
- h-index
- 80OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 950OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.53OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 52.54%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 23LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 184,300Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,372 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 13 | 12 |
| 2025 | 24 | 14 | 29 |
| 2024 | 16 | 12 | 66 |
| 2023 | 19 | 12 | 118 |
| 2022 | 17 | 10 | 134 |
| 2021 | 27 | 11 | 270 |
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
154 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 88 days – 236 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 26 days (58 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 175 days
- Sample
- 58 articles with submission and acceptance dates (55 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 12 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 2,490 / EUR 3,790 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted6, with length limits
- editorialManuscript Length Regular Articles Manuscripts should be less than 7000 words of text excluding the abstract, the references and captions to figures. Please aim…Length not stated
- regular articleManuscript Length Regular Articles Manuscripts should be less than 7000 words of text excluding the abstract, the references and captions to figures. Please aim…main text ≤ 7,000 words
- regular articlesRegular Articles Manuscripts should be less than 7000 words of text excluding the abstract, the references and captions to figures.Length not stated
- reviewManuscript Length Regular Articles Manuscripts should be less than 7000 words of text excluding the abstract, the references and captions to figures. Please aim…Length not stated
- short communicationManuscript Length Regular Articles Manuscripts should be less than 7000 words of text excluding the abstract, the references and captions to figures. Please aim…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- short communicationsShort Communications should present new and important scientific results that are timely and lend themselves to speedy editorial handling. Short communications …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs such as ChatGPT do not satisfy authorship criteria; use of an LLM must be documented in the Methods section (or suitable alternative), while AI-assisted copy editing of human-generated text does not need to be declared, provided there is human accountability for the final text. Model summary
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
Authors are required to disclose financial or non-financial interests directly or indirectly related to the submitted work under the Competing Interests declaration. Model summary
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 explaining how to access supporting data, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets; if data cannot be shared publicly, the statement should describe how data can be accessed and any conditions for reuse. Model summary
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 ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
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
Open Choice articles retain copyright with the author and are published under a Creative Commons license. Model summary
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Facies, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Authors may suggest suitable reviewers and/or request exclusion of certain individuals at submission; suggested reviewers should be independent, and the Corresponding Author must provide an institutional email address or other identity verification for each suggested reviewer. Model summary
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their 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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Irregular
- Founded
- 1979
- ISSN
- 0172-9179
- Electronic ISSN
- 1612-4820
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Facies
What CAS zone is Facies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Facies is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Geology / Paleontology. 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 Facies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.89; CiteScore 3.4, h-index 80.
How long does peer review take at Facies?
Based on the dates recorded on 58 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 154 days (interquartile range 88–236 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Facies?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; 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 Facies based?
Of the 26 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (5), United Kingdom (4) and United States (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Facies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Facies is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists GeoRef and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Facies open access, and what is the APC?
Facies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,490.
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: .