Journal profile · ARCHAEOLOGY
Journal of Lithic Studies
ISSN 2055-0472 · University of Edinburgh · United Kingdom
Journal of Lithic Studies: CAS Zone 4 · History (2025 upgraded edition); diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 8 weeks (community reports); 16 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Lithic Studies is published by University of Edinburgh and is in Zone 4 of History in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology, Archaeology and ancient environmental studies and Archaeological and Geological Studies, together about 60.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Archeology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Lithic Studies (JIL) is a peer-reviewed open access journal which focuses on archaeological research into the manufacture and use of stone tools, as well as the origin and properties of the raw materials used in their construction. The journal does not focus on any specific geographic region or time period. JLS publishes several main types of articles: research articles, short reports, and methodology demonstrations. The journal also publishes special category articles such as editorials, summary or synthesis articles, interviews, and reviews of books and events. Authors who are interested in writing special category articles should contact the editor to discuss this in advance. You may contact the editor-in-chief in advance (with a manuscript or abstract) if you have any questions on whether a particular manuscript would be of a suitable topic for this journal. The Journal of Lithic Studies encourages submissions from a diverse population of researchers. We feel that to better understand the possible range of social phenomena of the past and to obtain more potential interpretations of the archaeological evidence, it is important that archaeology is studied and reported by researchers with a variety of geographic origins, cultures, personal identities, experiences and viewpoints. To this end, we encourage researchers who have a less frequently represented background to submit their manuscripts to the journal. We particularly encourage researchers who belong to descendant populations of the people being studied to submit their research for publication. The Journal of Lithic Studies publishes several main types of articles: research articles, short reports, and methodology demonstrations. The journal also publishes special category articles such as editorials, summary or synthesis articles, interviews, and reviews of books and events. Authors who are interested in writing special category articles should contact the editor to discuss this in advance. You may contact the editor in advance (with a manuscript or abstract) if you have any questions on whether a particular manuscript would be of a suitable topic for this journal. The editorial board of the journal recognises the importance of many studies (large or small) to the local or nearby communities and we encourage researchers to submit articles and reports about studies even if they are considered very small scale or mainly of local relevance. There impact on local communities and collecti
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ARCHAEOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Otis CrandellPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 5%); most named Australia 4, France 3, Canada 3, Brazil 3, Argentina 3 (42 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences25%
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences24.4%
- Archaeological and Geological StudiesArts and Humanities10.8%
- Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology StudiesArts and Humanities4.9%
- Mineralogy and Gemology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences3.6%
- Image Processing and 3D ReconstructionComputer Science2.7%
- Archaeology and Rock Art StudiesSocial Sciences2.5%
- Ancient Near East HistoryArts and Humanities2.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)History Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Archaeology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)History Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Archaeology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceERIH PLUSPublisher website
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
- h-index
- 21OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 100OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.06OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 94.87%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 9LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 402 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | 16 | 7 |
| 2024 | 20 | 20 | 31 |
| 2023 | 20 | 20 | 78 |
| 2022 | 11 | 11 | 75 |
| 2021 | 34 | 34 | 166 |
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)
- about 8 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 8 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 | |
| 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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,000 words
Article types accepted1
- book reviewBook reviews should include an overall summary of the book as well as chapter summaries. The author should note the highlights or special aspects of this book. …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review
- Peer review Peer Review Editors
Parth Chauhan, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, India Anne Ford, University of Otago, New Zealand Khady Niang, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Senegal Email: jls.peer.review@gmail.com
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
- University of Edinburgh
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2055-0472
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 12, Issue 1 (2025)
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Lithic Studies
What CAS zone is Journal of Lithic Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Lithic Studies is in Zone 4 of History, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Archaeology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of History. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Lithic Studies?
Authors report an average review time of about 8 weeks. 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 Lithic Studies based?
Of the 42 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Australia (4), France (3) and Canada (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Lithic Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Lithic Studies is indexed in ESCI and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and ERIH PLUS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Lithic Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Lithic Studies 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .