Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Journal of African Earth Sciences
ISSN 1464-343X · eISSN 1879-1956 · Elsevier Ltd · ENGLAND · Bimonthly
Journal of African Earth Sciences: CAS Zone 3 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.42; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,370; review about 120 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 369 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of African Earth Sciences is published by Elsevier 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 Geological and Geochemical Analysis, Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping and earthquake and tectonic studies, together about 35.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Geophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of African Earth Sciences sees itself as the prime international interdisciplinary geological journal for all aspects of the Earth Sciences about the African plate. Papers dealing with peripheral areas are welcome if they demonstrate a tight link with Africa.The Journal publishes high quality, peer-reviewed scientific papers. It is devoted primarily to research papers but short communications relating to new developments of broad interest, reviews and book reviews will also be considered. Papers must have international appeal and should present work of more regional than local significance and dealing with well identified and justified scientific questions. Specialised technical papers, analytical or exploration reports must be avoided. Papers on applied geology should preferably be linked to such core disciplines and must be addressed to a more general geoscientific audience.The journal is closely affiliated with the Geological Society of AfricaThis journal welcomes contributions that support and advance the UN's sustainable development goals, in particular SDG 13 (Climate Action)
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Editor-in-chief Damien DelvauxPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United States 8, Germany 6, Egypt 5, France 3, Türkiye 2 (36 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 Sciences15.8%
- Geochemistry and Geologic MappingComputer Science10.6%
- earthquake and tectonic studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences9.3%
- Geological and Geophysical Studies WorldwideEarth and Planetary Sciences7.7%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences7.3%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences7.1%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences5.5%
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysisEngineering4.8%
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 | 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 3 |
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
- 2.42LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.95LetPub ·
- h-index
- 64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 126OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,444OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.31OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 20%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 12.8%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 343LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,823 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 307 | 47 | 119 |
| 2025 | 369 | 60 | 704 |
| 2024 | 264 | 71 | 1,344 |
| 2023 | 249 | 55 | 1,833 |
| 2022 | 288 | 48 | 2,929 |
| 2021 | 259 | 34 | 3,525 |
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
120 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports 6–12 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 44 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 120 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,370 / EUR 3,150 / GBP 2,700 / JPY 417,980 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,260 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, 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
Authorship contribution requirements. Model summary
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 ·- Data availability Data Availability
Data statement requirement. Model summary
Authors are encouraged to include a 'Data Availability' section in their manuscript which is visible in ALL reading formats and may refer to data hosted in ANY repository. It should be placed before the references to provide readers with information about where they can obtain the research data required to reproduce the work reported in the manuscript, and typically consists of a simple sentence g…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethics in publishing policy. Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
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
Peer review type: 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 ·- Plagiarism Plagiarism
We will not consider a manuscript if a substantial portion of the work has been previously published or is under consideration for publication elsewhere. Plagiarism of any kind is not acceptable. The research and the text in the paper must be the original work of the authors, and the hypotheses, data, and interpretations of others must be properly cited. Please be aware that any kind of 'copy-past…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing policy. 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
- Elsevier Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- ISSN
- 1464-343X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-1956
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of African Earth Sciences
What CAS zone is Journal of African Earth Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of African Earth Sciences is in Zone 3 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 Journal of African Earth Sciences?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.42; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 126.
How long does peer review take at Journal of African Earth Sciences?
The publisher reports about 120 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 6–12 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 Journal of African Earth Sciences based?
Of the 36 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (8), Germany (6) and Egypt (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of African Earth Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of African Earth Sciences is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of African Earth Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of African Earth Sciences is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,370.
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: .