Journal profile · Paleontology
Journal of Paleontology
ISSN 0022-3360 · eISSN 1937-2337 · Cambridge University Press · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1927
Journal of Paleontology: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.29; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; review 6–12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 125 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Paleontology is published by Cambridge University Press 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 Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils, Marine Biology and Ecology Research and Evolution and Paleontology Studies, together about 43.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Paleontology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Paleontology publishes original articles and notes on the systematics, phylogeny, paleoecology, paleogeography, and evolution of fossil organisms. It emphasizes specimen-based research and features high quality illustrations. All taxonomic groups are treated, including invertebrates, microfossils, plants, vertebrates, and ichnofossils.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Paleontology
Editor-in-chief Jonathan CaledePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 9%); most named United States 25, Canada 8, Mainland China 5, United Kingdom 3, Poland 2 (55 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences22.5%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences11.7%
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences9.6%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences8.8%
- Paleontology and Evolutionary BiologyEarth and Planetary Sciences8.5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.6%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences3.4%
- Plant Diversity and EvolutionAgricultural and Biological Sciences3%
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 | Paleontology | 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 | Paleontology | 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 | Paleontology | 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
- 1.29LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.47LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.76LetPub ·
- h-index
- 56LetPub ·
- h-index
- 115OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,595OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.92OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 59.55%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 108LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 10,370 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 71 | 44 | 9 |
| 2025 | 125 | 83 | 116 |
| 2024 | 80 | 61 | 129 |
| 2023 | 89 | 62 | 322 |
| 2022 | 106 | 61 | 543 |
| 2021 | 131 | 82 | 742 |
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)
- 6–12 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
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 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,000 / USD 1,000 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted9
- accepted articles*Accepted Articles*Length not stated
- commentCommentLength not stated
- editorialThe Journal of Paleontology publishes authoritative manuscripts on all aspects of paleontology, including systematics, phylogeny, paleoecology, paleobiogeograph…Length not stated
- invited article*Invited Article*Length not stated
- memoir*Memoir*Length not stated
- regular articleArticles*Comment Memoir*Regular Article*Reply*Taxonomic Note*Invited Article*Length not stated
- regular article*Regular Article*Length not stated
- reply*Reply*Length not stated
- taxonomic note*Taxonomic Note*Length not stated
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
- Cambridge University Press
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1927
- ISSN
- 0022-3360
- Electronic ISSN
- 1937-2337
- Society / sponsor
- Paleontological Society
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Paleontology
What CAS zone is Journal of Paleontology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Paleontology is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Paleontology. 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 Paleontology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.29; CiteScore 2.8, h-index 115.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Paleontology?
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 Paleontology based?
Of the 55 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 9%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (25), Canada (8) and Mainland China (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Paleontology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Paleontology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Paleontology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Paleontology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, 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: .