Journal profile · Geography, Physical
Journal of Maps
ISSN 1744-5647 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · ENGLAND · Irregular · Founded 2005
Journal of Maps: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.09; JCR Q2 (journal website); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 144 days to acceptance (96 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 85 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Maps is published by Taylor and Francis 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 Geology and Paleoclimatology Research, Landslides and related hazards and Cryospheric studies and observations, together about 31.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Geophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Maps (JoM) is a fully open access, inter-disciplinary journal for researchers to publish maps and spatial diagrams across the physical and social sciences. Journal of Maps research examines social and physical processes that take place on a geographical scale, using maps or spatial diagrams to advance understanding. Topics could include, for example, footfall in retail marketing, the spread of bird flu or location of geological faults. Maps submitted must make a substantial contribution to knowledge in the field that is likely to be of broad interest to readers. Research published in the Journal of Maps demonstrates a unique line of enquiry that requires the use of maps or spatial diagrams, collects new data or adds significant value to existing data and presents and communicates findings that adhere to high cartographic standards. Origins Journal of Maps has its origins in the geological and geographical journals of the late-1800s and early 1900s. The investigative research during this period was based strongly around fieldwork and the observation of phenomena. After observation, interpretation could be applied and then presented at a society meeting. The "proceedings" of these lectures were then published, often with extra plates of photographs and maps of the original fieldwork. As a result of these early pioneers, we now have a permanent record of this work which can be referred back to. This is important as we not only have the interpretive conclusions, but also the original data upon which the work was based. Therefore, JoM seeks to offer a forum for academics to present the geospatial products of their research. Multi-Disciplinary and International As a discipline, "geography" traditionally covers a wide range of subject areas due to its spatial nature. Maps and mapping science were often incorporated within geography; however spatial data are now widely used in many disciplines. JoM is intentionally multi-disciplinary and wants to draw upon and present work from all subject areas. Not only has this built an increasing archive of mapped data for future researchers to draw upon, but also fosters inter-disciplinary contexts. The Journal of Maps operates an open peer review policy. All articles are made freely and permanently available online through gold open access publication.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Geography, Physical
Editor-in-chief JoM SciencePublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 4, United States 3, Germany 1, Poland 1, Ireland 1 (11 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences12.9%
- Landslides and related hazardsEnvironmental Science11.3%
- Cryospheric studies and observationsEarth and Planetary Sciences7.7%
- Geological and Geochemical AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences6.4%
- earthquake and tectonic studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences6.1%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences5.7%
- Geological and Geophysical Studies WorldwideEarth and Planetary Sciences5.4%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science4%
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 | Geography | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geography, Physical | 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 | Geography | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geography, Physical | 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 | Geography | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geography, Physical | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher 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
- Impact factor
- 2.09LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.61LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.61Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.9LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 26LetPub ·
- h-index
- 60OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 862OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.27OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 23.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 82LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 606,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,777 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 70 | 70 | 14 |
| 2025 | 85 | 85 | 126 |
| 2024 | 98 | 98 | 434 |
| 2023 | 105 | 105 | 616 |
| 2022 | 104 | 104 | 1,050 |
| 2021 | 92 | 92 | 1,039 |
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
144 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 86 days – 213 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 24 days (96 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 179 days
- Sample
- 96 articles with submission and acceptance dates (182 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 76%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 56 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 65 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 53 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Open 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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | GBP 835 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | GBP 635 | — | — | |
| LetPub | GBP 835 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Gold open access Model summary
Journal of Maps is an open access journal and only publishes open access articles. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and readership of your article Make an impact and reach new readers, not just those with ea…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Open peer review Model summary
The Journal of Maps operates an open peer review policy.
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
- Taylor and Francis Ltd.
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Irregular
- Founded
- 2005
- ISSN
- 1744-5647
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 22, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Maps
What CAS zone is Journal of Maps in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Maps is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Geography / Geography, Physical. 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 Maps?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.09; CiteScore 4, h-index 60.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Maps?
Based on the dates recorded on 96 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 144 days (interquartile range 86–213 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 76%. 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 JCR quartile is Journal of Maps in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Maps based?
Of the 11 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (4), United States (3) and Germany (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Maps?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Maps is indexed in SCIE, SSCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Maps open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Maps is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .