Journal profile · Earth and Planetary Sciences-General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Geoscience Frontiers
ISSN 1674-9871 · eISSN 2588-9192 · China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University · China
Geoscience Frontiers: CAS Zone 1 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 12.73; fully open access; APC about USD 3,000; review about 160 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 172 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Geoscience Frontiers is published by China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University and is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Geological and Geochemical Analysis, earthquake and tectonic studies and High-pressure geophysics and materials, together about 52% of its articles. Its main subfields are Geophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Geoscience Frontiers (GSF) is the Journal of China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University that publishes peer reviewed research articles and reviews in interdisciplinary fields of Earth and Planetary Sciences.GSF bridges innovative, provocative and challenging concepts and models related to various fields of research including petrology and geochemistry in understanding lithospheric architecture and mantle dynamics, global tectonics, economic geology and fuel exploration, geophysics, stratigraphy and paleontology with insights on correlations and evolution, environmental and engineering geology, astrogeology, nexus of resources-energy-emissions-climate under Sustainable Development Goals, among other themes.The article categories in GSF include Focus papers of high-profile overviews published together with author vitae and photographs, Research Papers, Letters, and Discussions.This journal welcomes contributions that support and advance the UN's sustainable development goals.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Earth and Planetary Sciences-General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Editor-in-chief Xuanxue MoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 22%); most named Mainland China 6, India 3, Italy 3, United States 2, United Kingdom 2 (27 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geological and Geochemical AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences24.3%
- earthquake and tectonic studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences14.9%
- High-pressure geophysics and materialsEarth and Planetary Sciences12.8%
- Geochemistry and Geologic MappingComputer Science11%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences3.9%
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysisEngineering3.9%
- Geochemistry and Elemental AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences3.9%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 12.73LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 12.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 19.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 19.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.07LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.56LetPub ·
- h-index
- 41LetPub ·
- h-index
- 128OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,403OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.66OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 93.59%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 160LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,065 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 174 | 173 | 96 |
| 2025 | 172 | 171 | 1,059 |
| 2024 | 148 | 146 | 2,630 |
| 2023 | 168 | 168 | 8,392 |
| 2022 | 121 | 121 | 3,809 |
| 2021 | 156 | 156 | 6,435 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
160 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 16 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 16 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 59 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 160 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Anonymous peer reviewLetPub
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
Fully open accessLetPub
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,000 / EUR 2,810 / GBP 2,400 / JPY 372,090 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 3,000 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
Article types accepted4
- discussionsThe article categories in GSF include Focus papers of high-profile overviews published together with author vitae and photographs, Research Papers, Letters, and…Length not stated
- focus papersThe article categories in GSF include Focus papers of high-profile overviews published together with author vitae and photographs, Research Papers, Letters, and…Length not stated
- lettersThe article categories in GSF include Focus papers of high-profile overviews published together with author vitae and photographs, Research Papers, Letters, and…Length not stated
- research papersThe article categories in GSF include Focus papers of high-profile overviews published together with author vitae and photographs, Research Papers, Letters, and…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
For open access publishing, this journal uses an exclusive licensing agreement. Authors will transfer copyright to the China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University, but will have the right to share their article in the same way permitted to third parties under the relevant user license, as well as certain scholarly usage rights.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University
- Country or region
- China
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1674-9871
- Electronic ISSN
- 2588-9192
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Geoscience Frontiers
What CAS zone is Geoscience Frontiers in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Geoscience Frontiers is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Geosciences, Multidisciplinary; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Geoscience Frontiers?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 12.73; CiteScore 19.1, h-index 128.
How long does peer review take at Geoscience Frontiers?
The publisher reports about 160 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 16 weeks. 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 Geoscience Frontiers based?
Of the 27 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 22%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (6), India (3) and Italy (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Geoscience Frontiers?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Geoscience Frontiers is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Geoscience Frontiers open access, and what is the APC?
Geoscience Frontiers is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,000.
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: .