Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Journal of Cave and Karst Studies
ISSN 1090-6924 · National Speleological Society Inc. · UNITED STATES · Tri-annual
Journal of Cave and Karst Studies: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.31; fully open access; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 19 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Cave and Karst Studies is published by National Speleological Society Inc. 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, Geology and Paleoclimatology Research and Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomy, together about 42.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Cave and Karst Studies is a multidisciplinary journal devoted to cave and karst research. The Journal is seeking original, unpublished manuscripts concerning the scientific study of caves or other karst features. Authors do not need to be members of the National Speleological Society, but preference is given to manuscripts of importance to North American speleology.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Karst Systems and HydrogeologyEarth and Planetary Sciences22.2%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences10.7%
- Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomyEarth and Planetary Sciences10%
- Building materials and conservationEarth and Planetary Sciences5.8%
- Landslides and related hazardsEnvironmental Science5.3%
- Groundwater and Isotope GeochemistryEarth and Planetary Sciences4%
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences4%
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences3.7%
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 | 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
- 0.31LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.15LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.2LetPub ·
- h-index
- 35LetPub ·
- h-index
- 33OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 130OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.36OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 94.12%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 4LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 320 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 | 19 | 2 |
| 2024 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| 2023 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| 2022 | 10 | 10 | 35 |
| 2021 | 15 | 15 | 66 |
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 ·
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
Fully open accessOpenAlex
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
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
- National Speleological Society Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Tri-annual
- ISSN
- 1090-6924
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Cave and Karst Studies
What CAS zone is Journal of Cave and Karst Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 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 Journal of Cave and Karst Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.31; CiteScore 0.8, h-index 33.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Cave and Karst Studies?
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 Journal of Cave and Karst Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Cave and Karst Studies is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Cave and Karst Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Cave and Karst Studies is a fully open-access journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
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: .