Journal profile · PALEONTOLOGY
Historical Biology
ISSN 0891-2963 · eISSN 1029-2381 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · ENGLAND · Founded 1988
Historical Biology: CAS Zone 3 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.35; subscription journal; APC charged, amount not published; median 101 days to acceptance (91 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 201 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Historical Biology is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. 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 Evolution and Paleontology Studies, Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology and Ichthyology and Marine Biology, together about 45.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Paleontology and Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Historical Biology is an international peer reviewed journal publishing papers covering evolutionary and systematic biology through time. The Journal is not limited by taxonomic group, publishing papers from human origins to the palaeobiology of the gigantic shark megalodon, to the latest developments in palaeobotany. The Journal accepts manuscripts on novel, theoretical, philosophical, and/or controversial topics, but also accepts so-called ‘negative results’ – as it is as important for the international community to know what does not work as what does. The range of subjects the Journal covers includes: • descriptive and comparative anatomy, • taxonomy, systematics, and nomenclature, • philosophy of biology (and topics related to deep time perspectives), • descriptions of new datasets and methods, • phylogenetic, comparative, and multivariate statistical analyses, • palaeobiology (including biomechanics, histology, system biology CT reconstructions), • palaeobiogeography, • evolutionary patterns and processes, • molecular palaeontology, • taphonomy. The Journal is dedicated to principles of Open and FAIR Science. Currently, we mandate that all data and/or code must be publicly available in an online repository that mints a DOI at submission. Please contact our Data Editor if you have any queries. The Journal uses the following criteria to assess publications: 1) is the research within the Journal’s aims and scope 2) is the research ethical 3) is the research scientifically justifiable (i.e. stemming from theory or mathematics, with an existing evidence base, and the topic should be defined such that it is answerable through quantitative or qualitative research) 4) if the research is based on data and/or code, it must be publicly available (in an online repository that mints a DOI) Perceived novelty and/or ‘timeliness’ are not part of the Journal’s assessment. This ensures that all research of interest to the biological sciences is publishable, including those with ‘negative results’. All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by anonymous expert referees. Submission is online via the Submission Portal.Given the ethical concerns on Myanmar (Burmese) amber, Historical Biology currently has a moratorium on publishing papers on this research topic. For further information on this please read the letter from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Why Publish with
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PALEONTOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Mark T. YoungPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 10%); most named United States 8, Argentina 8, United Kingdom 6, Mainland China 5, Spain 4 (52 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences20.3%
- Paleontology and Evolutionary BiologyEarth and Planetary Sciences16.5%
- Ichthyology and Marine BiologyEnvironmental Science8.8%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences8.4%
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences5.4%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences4.9%
- Fossil Insects in AmberAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.1%
- Bat Biology and Ecology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.2%
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 | 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 | Paleontology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Paleontology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- 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
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
AGORA, OAREPublisher website
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
- 1.35LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.57LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.55Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.89Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 32LetPub ·
- h-index
- 66OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 998OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.43OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 4.7%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 193LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 170,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,806 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 138 | 29 | 32 |
| 2025 | 201 | 61 | 217 |
| 2024 | 199 | 39 | 523 |
| 2023 | 221 | 48 | 800 |
| 2022 | 276 | 66 | 1,546 |
| 2021 | 207 | 46 | 1,550 |
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
101 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 61 days – 156 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 22 days (91 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 130 days
- Sample
- 91 articles with submission and acceptance dates (392 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 74%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 40 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 41 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 40 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Colour charges
- No colour charges
- Page charges
- No page charges
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
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- Myanmar (Burmese) amber
Article types accepted4
- description of datasetsA range of article types is accepted, ranging from short articles, monograph-length articles, opinion pieces, to description of datasets.Length not stated
- monograph-length articlesA range of article types is accepted, ranging from short articles, monograph-length articles, opinion pieces, to description of datasets.Length not stated
- opinion piecesA range of article types is accepted, ranging from short articles, monograph-length articles, opinion pieces, to description of datasets.Length not stated
- short articlesA range of article types is accepted, ranging from short articles, monograph-length articles, opinion pieces, to description of datasets.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteData availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review
- Data availability
Data availability policy Model summary
Currently, we mandate that all data and/or code must be publicly available in an online repository that mints a DOI at submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Myanmar amber moratorium Model summary
Given the ethical concerns on Myanmar (Burmese) amber, Historical Biology currently has a moratorium on publishing papers on this research topic.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Historical Biology 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 read…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Statement
Peer review process Model summary
All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editors, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous, expert referees. All peer review is single anonymized and submission is online via the Submission Portal. Historical Biology requests that all peer reviewers read and abide by the Editors' guidance for giving feedback on English lang…
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 and Francis Ltd.
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 1988
- ISSN
- 0891-2963
- Electronic ISSN
- 1029-2381
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 38, Issue 10 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Historical Biology
What CAS zone is Historical Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Historical Biology is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 3 of the minor category 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 Historical Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.35; CiteScore 1.3, h-index 66.
How long does peer review take at Historical Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 91 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 101 days (interquartile range 61–156 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 74%. 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 Historical Biology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: 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 Historical Biology based?
Of the 52 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 10%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (8), Argentina (8) and United Kingdom (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Historical Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Historical Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Historical Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Historical Biology is a subscription journal. 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .