Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
International Journal of Speleology
ISSN 0392-6672 · eISSN 1827-806X · Societa Speleologica Italiana · NETHERLANDS · Quarterly · Founded 1964
International Journal of Speleology: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1; diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 26 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Speleology is published by Societa Speleologica Italiana 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 Karst Systems and Hydrogeology, Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomy and Geology and Paleoclimatology Research, together about 47.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Speleology has the aim to get cave and karst science known to an increasing number of scientists and scholars. The journal therefore offers the opportunity to all scientists working in and on karst to publish their original research articles or their review papers in an open access, high quality peer reviewed scientific journal at no cost. The journal offers the authors online first, open access, a free PDF of their article, and a wide range of abstracting and indexing services. All content for International Journal of Speleology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, wherein the author retains copyright. International Journal of Speleology content is archived in LOCKSS and Portico and backed up in the Bepress Digital Commons system. As a service to the research community, the USF Tampa Library’s commitment to true open-access to scholarly information extends to authors. This means that there are no article or submission charges for International Journal of Speleology.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Editor-in-chief Bogdan P. OnacPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 5%); most named Italy 5, United States 3, France 2, Spain 2, Slovenia 2 (19 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Karst Systems and HydrogeologyEarth and Planetary Sciences20.4%
- Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomyEarth and Planetary Sciences15.7%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences11.6%
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and BehaviorEnvironmental Science5.6%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences4.4%
- Building materials and conservationEarth and Planetary Sciences4.2%
- Geological and Geophysical Studies WorldwideEarth and Planetary Sciences3.8%
- Landslides and related hazardsEnvironmental Science3.8%
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 | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | 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 | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
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 | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceGeoRefCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, EarthScienceWISE (Oxmill Publishing), EBSCO publishing, Geobase, Speleological Abstracts (UIS), BIOSIS, Zoological record, SCImago Journal and Country Rank
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
- 1LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.33LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.71LetPub ·
- h-index
- 28LetPub ·
- h-index
- 54OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 427OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.85OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 19LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,090 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 | 17 | 2 |
| 2025 | 26 | 26 | 20 |
| 2024 | 24 | 24 | 35 |
| 2023 | 17 | 17 | 53 |
| 2022 | 18 | 18 | 72 |
| 2021 | 29 | 29 | 237 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY-NC | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Societa Speleologica Italiana
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1964
- ISSN
- 0392-6672
- Electronic ISSN
- 1827-806X
- Society / sponsor
- Union Internationale de Spéléologie
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 55, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Speleology
What CAS zone is International Journal of Speleology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Speleology is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Geosciences, Multidisciplinary. 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 International Journal of Speleology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1; CiteScore 1.9, h-index 54.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Speleology?
Authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “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.
Where are the editorial board members of International Journal of Speleology based?
Of the 19 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Italy (5), United States (3) and France (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Speleology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Speleology is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, GeoRef and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Journal of Speleology open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Speleology is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .