Journal profile · PALEONTOLOGY
ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES
ISSN 1042-0940 · eISSN 1563-5236 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1990
ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.98; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 49 days (first decision after review, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 25 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. and is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Geological formations and processes, Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology and Evolution and Paleontology Studies, together about 45.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Paleontology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The foremost aim of Ichnos is to promote excellence in ichnologic research. Primary emphases center upon the ethologic and ecologic significance of tracemaking organisms; organism-substrate interrelationships; and the role of biogenic processes in environmental reconstruction, sediment dynamics, sequence or event stratigraphy, biogeochemistry, and sedimentary diagenesis. Each contribution rests upon a firm taxonomic foundation, although papers dealing solely with systematics and nomenclature may have less priority than those dealing with conceptual and interpretive aspects of ichnology. Contributions from biologists and geologists are equally welcome. The format for Ichnos is designed to accommodate several types of manuscripts, including Research Articles (comprehensive articles dealing with original, fundamental research in ichnology), and Short Communications (short, succinct papers treating certain aspects of the history of ichnology, book reviews, news and notes, or invited comments dealing with current or contentious issues). The large page size and two-column format lend flexibility to the design of tables and illustrations. Thorough but timely reviews and rapid publication of manuscripts are integral parts of the process.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PALEONTOLOGY
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences18.7%
- Paleontology and Evolutionary BiologyEarth and Planetary Sciences15.2%
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences12.1%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences11.7%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences11.6%
- Ichthyology and Marine BiologyEnvironmental Science5.8%
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences2.8%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences2.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Paleontology | Zone 4 |
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
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- 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
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: BIOSIS
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
- 1.98LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.58LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.58Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.84Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 34LetPub ·
- h-index
- 60OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 491OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.6OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 15%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 7.35%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 23LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 26,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 948 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28 | 6 | 16 |
| 2025 | 25 | 6 | 43 |
| 2024 | 15 | 4 | 50 |
| 2023 | 26 | 4 | 198 |
| 2022 | 15 | 3 | 80 |
| 2021 | 26 | 3 | 77 |
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
49 daysfirst decision after review · community reports over 12 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 44%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 41 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 49 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 19 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
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 accepted3
- research articleResearch Articles (comprehensive articles dealing with original, fundamental research in ichnology)Length not stated
- research articlesResearch Articles (comprehensive articles dealing with original, fundamental research in ichnology)Length not stated
- short communicationsShort Communications (short, succinct papers treating certain aspects of the history of ichnology, book reviews, news and notes, or invited comments dealing wit…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access (Open Select) available. Model summary
Ichnos 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 readership of yo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Rigorous peer review for every open access article Model summary
Rigorous peer review for every open access article
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
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1990
- ISSN
- 1042-0940
- Electronic ISSN
- 1563-5236
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 33, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES
What CAS zone is ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 4 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 ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.98; CiteScore 3, h-index 60.
How long does peer review take at ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES?
The publisher reports about 49 days (first decision after review); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 44%. 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 ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (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 4 of Earth Sciences.
Which databases index ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES open access, and what is the APC?
ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .