Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Journal of the Geological Society
ISSN 0016-7649 · eISSN 2041-479X · Geological Society of London · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1971
Journal of the Geological Society: CAS Zone 3 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.77; hybrid open access; median 162 days to acceptance (94 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 166 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of the Geological Society is published by Geological Society of London 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 Geological and Geochemical Analysis, earthquake and tectonic studies and Geology and Paleoclimatology Research, together about 46% of its articles. Its main subfields are Geophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of the Geological Society (JGS) is owned and published by the Geological Society of London. JGS publishes topical, high-quality recent research across the full range of Earth Sciences. Papers are interdisciplinary in nature and emphasize the development of an understanding of fundamental geological processes. Broad interest articles that refer to regional studies, but which extend beyond their geographical context are also welcomed. Each year JGS presents the ‘JGS Early Career Award' for papers published in the journal, which rewards the writing of well-written, exciting papers from early career geologists. The journal publishes research and invited review articles, discussion papers and thematic sets.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geological and Geochemical AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences21.9%
- earthquake and tectonic studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences13.4%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences10.7%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences7.9%
- Geochemistry and Geologic MappingComputer Science7.9%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences7.9%
- High-pressure geophysics and materialsEarth and Planetary Sciences5.3%
- Geological and Geophysical StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences5%
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 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 3 |
| 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
- 2.77LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.08LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.11LetPub ·
- h-index
- 102LetPub ·
- h-index
- 188OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,877OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.54OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 31.88%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 137LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,380 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 64 | 27 | 11 |
| 2025 | 166 | 60 | 239 |
| 2024 | 139 | 61 | 689 |
| 2023 | 97 | 51 | 778 |
| 2022 | 82 | 40 | 906 |
| 2021 | 107 | 40 | 1,665 |
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
162 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 97 days – 283 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 72 days (94 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 235 days
- Sample
- 94 articles with submission and acceptance dates (276 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)
- Fairly 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.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Geological Society of London
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1971
- ISSN
- 0016-7649
- Electronic ISSN
- 2041-479X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 183, Issue 5 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of the Geological Society
What CAS zone is Journal of the Geological Society in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of the Geological Society 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 the Geological Society?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.77; CiteScore 5.3, h-index 188.
How long does peer review take at Journal of the Geological Society?
Based on the dates recorded on 94 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 162 days (interquartile range 97–283 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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 the Geological Society?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of the Geological Society is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of the Geological Society open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of the Geological Society is a hybrid 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .