Journal profile · BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATIONPALEONTOLOGY -PALEONTOLOGY
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments
ISSN 1867-1594 · eISSN 1867-1608 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · 4 issues per year · Founded 1996
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.79; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,190; median 234 days to acceptance (90 articles, last 24 months); 51 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Evolution and Paleontology Studies, Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils and Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology, together about 39.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Paleontology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments is a peer-reviewed international journal for the publication of high-quality multidisciplinary studies in the fields of palaeobiodiversity, palaeoenvironments and palaeobiogeography prior to the onset of human impact. Key criteria for the acceptance of manuscripts are a global scope or implications of problems on a global scale significant not only for a single discipline, a focus on the diversity of fossil organisms and the causes and processes of change in Earth’s history. The topics covered include: Systematic studies of all fossil animal / plant groups with a special focus on palaeoenvironmental investigations, palaeoecosystems and climate changes in Earth’s history, environment-organism interaction, comparison of modern and ancient sedimentary environments, palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATIONPALEONTOLOGY -PALEONTOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Dieter UhlPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 7%); most named Germany 10, United Kingdom 4, Austria 3, Mainland China 2, United States 2 (30 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences15.2%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences14.4%
- Paleontology and Evolutionary BiologyEarth and Planetary Sciences10.1%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences8.9%
- Plant Diversity and EvolutionAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.2%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences4.5%
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences4.1%
- Ichthyology and Marine BiologyEnvironmental Science3.6%
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 | Biodiversity Conservation | 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 | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Paleontology | 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 | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Paleontology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
GeoRefCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 1.79LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.52LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.01LetPub ·
- h-index
- 29LetPub ·
- h-index
- 40OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 315OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.81OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 54.87%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 47LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 211,600Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 720 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 42 | 30 | 9 |
| 2025 | 51 | 25 | 85 |
| 2024 | 39 | 32 | 145 |
| 2023 | 33 | 21 | 148 |
| 2022 | 48 | 31 | 334 |
| 2021 | 60 | 33 | 498 |
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
234 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 180 days – 281 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 60 days (90 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 292 days
- Sample
- 90 articles with submission and acceptance dates (96 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
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 3,190 / EUR 2,590 / GBP 2,290 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- APA
Article types accepted4
- brief reportThe journal publishes the following types of papers: • Original Paper • Brief Report • Announcements • Reviews • Commentary • Special Issue Articles – by invita…Length not stated
- commentaryThe journal publishes the following types of papers: • Original Paper • Brief Report • Announcements • Reviews • Commentary • Special Issue Articles – by invita…Length not stated
- original paperThe journal publishes the following types of papers: • Original Paper • Brief Report • Announcements • Reviews • Commentary • Special Issue Articles – by invita…Length not stated
- reviewThe journal publishes the following types of papers: • Original Paper • Brief Report • Announcements • Reviews • Commentary • Special Issue Articles – by invita…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- Founded
- 1996
- ISSN
- 1867-1594
- Electronic ISSN
- 1867-1608
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 106, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments
What CAS zone is Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biodiversity Conservation / 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 Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.79; CiteScore 3.6, h-index 40.
How long does peer review take at Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments?
Based on the dates recorded on 90 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 234 days (interquartile range 180–281 days). 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 Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: APA. 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 Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments based?
Of the 30 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 7%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (10), United Kingdom (4) and Austria (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists GeoRef and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments open access, and what is the APC?
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,190.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .