Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Island Arc
ISSN 1038-4871 · eISSN 1440-1738 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · AUSTRALIA · Quarterly
Island Arc: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.79; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,240; median 197 days to acceptance (54 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 35 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Island Arc is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing 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 and Geochemical Analysis, earthquake and tectonic studies and High-pressure geophysics and materials, together about 57% of its articles. Its main subfields are Geophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Island Arc is the official journal of the Geological Society of Japan. This journal focuses on the structure, dynamics and evolution of convergent plate boundaries, including trenches, volcanic arcs, subducting plates, and both accretionary and collisional orogens in modern and ancient settings. The Journal also opens to other key geological processes and features of broad interest such as oceanic basins, mid-ocean ridges, hot spots, continental cratons, and their surfaces and roots. Papers that discuss the interaction between solid earth, atmosphere, and bodies of water are also welcome. Articles of immediate importance to other researchers, either by virtue of their new data, results or ideas are given priority publication. Island Arc publishes peer-reviewed articles and reviews. Original scientific articles, of a maximum length of 15 printed pages, are published promptly with a standard publication time from submission of 3 months. All articles are peer reviewed by at least two research experts in the field of the submitted paper.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
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 Sciences21.3%
- High-pressure geophysics and materialsEarth and Planetary Sciences11.4%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences8.8%
- Geochemistry and Geologic MappingComputer Science4.6%
- Geological and Geophysical StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences4.3%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences4.2%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences2.5%
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 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| 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
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
- 0.79LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.47LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 53LetPub ·
- h-index
- 79OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 795OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.19OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 30.93%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 32LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,622 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22 | 9 | 4 |
| 2025 | 35 | 27 | 44 |
| 2024 | 38 | 17 | 65 |
| 2023 | 35 | 16 | 120 |
| 2022 | 37 | 9 | 214 |
| 2021 | 51 | 18 | 301 |
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
197 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 138 days – 236 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (54 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 215 days
- Sample
- 54 articles with submission and acceptance dates (57 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)
- EasyLetPub ·
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 3,240 / EUR 2,740 / GBP 2,160 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- AUSTRALIA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- ISSN
- 1038-4871
- Electronic ISSN
- 1440-1738
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Island Arc
What CAS zone is Island Arc in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Island Arc 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 4 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Island Arc?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.79; CiteScore 2.2, h-index 79.
How long does peer review take at Island Arc?
Based on the dates recorded on 54 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 197 days (interquartile range 138–236 days); 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.
Which databases index Island Arc?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Island Arc is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Island Arc open access, and what is the APC?
Island Arc is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,240.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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: .