Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Journal of Structural Geology
ISSN 0191-8141 · eISSN 1873-1201 · Elsevier Ltd · ENGLAND · Monthly
Journal of Structural Geology: CAS Zone 3 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.98; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,380; review about 124 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 195 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Structural Geology is published by Elsevier Ltd 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 earthquake and tectonic studies, Geological and Geochemical Analysis and High-pressure geophysics and materials, together about 51.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Geophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Structural Geology publishes process-oriented investigations about structural geology using appropriate combinations of analog and digital field data, seismic reflection data, satellite-derived data, geometric analysis, kinematic analysis, laboratory experiments, computer visualizations, and analogue or numerical modelling on all scales. Contributions are encouraged to draw perspectives from rheology, rock mechanics, geophysics,metamorphism, sedimentology, petroleum geology, economic geology, geodynamics, planetary geology, tectonics and neotectonics to provide a more powerful understanding of deformation processes and systems. Given the visual nature of the discipline, supplementary materials that portray the data and analysis in 3-D or quasi 3-D manners, including the use of videos, and/or graphical abstracts can significantly strengthen the impact of contributions.This journal welcomes contributions that support and advance the UN's sustainable development goals
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Editor-in-chief G. AlsopPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 12%); most named Italy 11, United States 9, United Kingdom 9, Mainland China 7, Germany 4 (57 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- earthquake and tectonic studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences22.2%
- Geological and Geochemical AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences20.7%
- High-pressure geophysics and materialsEarth and Planetary Sciences8.6%
- Rock Mechanics and ModelingEngineering5.6%
- Seismic Imaging and Inversion TechniquesEarth and Planetary Sciences5.4%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences5.3%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences3.8%
- Geological and Geophysical Studies WorldwideEarth and Planetary Sciences3.5%
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 |
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 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
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
- 2.98LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.05LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.18LetPub ·
- h-index
- 112LetPub ·
- h-index
- 218OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,697OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.87OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 37.27%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 169LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,887 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 143 | 65 | 44 |
| 2025 | 195 | 97 | 376 |
| 2024 | 192 | 96 | 1,101 |
| 2023 | 171 | 86 | 1,503 |
| 2022 | 196 | 97 | 2,203 |
| 2021 | 162 | 62 | 2,369 |
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
124 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports 4–8 weeks
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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 54 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 124 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 3,380 / EUR 3,160 / GBP 2,710 / JPY 419,220 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,420 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted5
- editorialThere are five types of contributions: Original Research Paper, Pedagogical Paper, Review Paper, Comment/Reply to Comment. All contributions are subject to peer…Length not stated
- letterThere are five types of contributions: Original Research Paper, Pedagogical Paper, Review Paper, Comment/Reply to Comment. All contributions are subject to peer…Length not stated
- original articleThere are five types of contributions: Original Research Paper, Pedagogical Paper, Review Paper, Comment/Reply to Comment. All contributions are subject to peer…Length not stated
- original research paperThere are five types of contributions: Original Research Paper, Pedagogical Paper, Review Paper, Comment/Reply to Comment. All contributions are subject to peer…Length not stated
- reviewThere are five types of contributions: Original Research Paper, Pedagogical Paper, Review Paper, Comment/Reply to Comment. All contributions are subject to peer…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, 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 ·- 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
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 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 Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 0191-8141
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-1201
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Structural Geology
What CAS zone is Journal of Structural Geology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Structural Geology is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Geosciences, Multidisciplinary. 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 Structural Geology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.98; CiteScore 5.5, h-index 218.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Structural Geology?
The publisher reports about 124 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 4–8 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Structural Geology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: LaTeX and Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: 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 Structural Geology based?
Of the 57 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 12%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Italy (11), United States (9) and United Kingdom (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Structural Geology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Structural Geology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Structural Geology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Structural Geology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,380.
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: .