Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Journal of Applied Geophysics
ISSN 0926-9851 · eISSN 1879-1859 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Monthly
Journal of Applied Geophysics: CAS Zone 3 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.57; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,180; review about 192 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 386 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Applied Geophysics is published by Elsevier 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 Seismic Waves and Analysis, Geophysical Methods and Applications and Seismic Imaging and Inversion Techniques, together about 50.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Geophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Applied Geophysics with its key objective of responding to pertinent and timely needs, places particular emphasis on methodological developments and innovative applications of geophysical techniques for addressing environmental, engineering, and hydrological problems. Related topical research in exploration geophysics and in soil and rock physics is also covered by the Journal of Applied Geophysics.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Editor-in-chief Kelly LiuPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 17 in mainland China (about 36%); most named Mainland China 17, United States 9, Italy 7, India 4, Sweden 2 (47 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Seismic Waves and AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences17.5%
- Geophysical Methods and ApplicationsEngineering17.1%
- Seismic Imaging and Inversion TechniquesEarth and Planetary Sciences15.8%
- Geophysical and Geoelectrical MethodsEarth and Planetary Sciences15.6%
- Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir AnalysisEngineering3.2%
- Drilling and Well EngineeringEngineering2.4%
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysisEngineering2.3%
- Geochemistry and Geologic MappingComputer Science2.1%
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 3 |
| Minor | Mining & Mineral Processing | 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 | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mining & Mineral Processing | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mining & Mineral Processing | Zone 3 |
| 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
- 2.57LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.01LetPub ·
- h-index
- 73LetPub ·
- h-index
- 119OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,692OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.33OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 11.01%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 366LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,469 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 399 | 77 | 101 |
| 2025 | 386 | 52 | 836 |
| 2024 | 255 | 50 | 1,482 |
| 2023 | 277 | 47 | 1,987 |
| 2022 | 312 | 32 | 3,095 |
| 2021 | 203 | 36 | 2,752 |
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
192 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 3 months
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)
- about 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 85 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 192 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 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 3,180 / EUR 2,970 / GBP 2,550 / JPY 394,420 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,460 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted4
- discussionThe types of papers that can be submitted to the journal are as follows: Research paper, Review article, Discussion, Rapid communication.Length not stated
- rapid communicationThe types of papers that can be submitted to the journal are as follows: Research paper, Review article, Discussion, Rapid communication.Length not stated
- research paperThe types of papers that can be submitted to the journal are as follows: Research paper, Review article, Discussion, Rapid communication.Length not stated
- review articleThe types of papers that can be submitted to the journal are as follows: Research paper, Review article, Discussion, Rapid communication.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, 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
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 ·- Publication ethics
Follow Elsevier's Publishing Ethics 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
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 ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed; does not count as prior publication 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
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 0926-9851
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-1859
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Applied Geophysics
What CAS zone is Journal of Applied Geophysics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Applied Geophysics is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Geosciences, Multidisciplinary / Mining & Mineral Processing. 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 Applied Geophysics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.57; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 119.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Applied Geophysics?
The publisher reports about 192 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Applied Geophysics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Vancouver; Highlights: 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 Journal of Applied Geophysics based?
Of the 47 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 17 (about 36%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (17), United States (9) and Italy (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Applied Geophysics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Applied Geophysics is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Applied Geophysics open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Applied Geophysics is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,180.
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: .