Journal profile · Geology
Palaios
ISSN 0883-1351 · eISSN 1938-5323 · SEPM Society for Sedimentary Geology · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1986
Palaios: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.93; subscription journal; review about 6 months (community reports); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 28 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Palaios is published by SEPM Society for Sedimentary Geology 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, Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils and Geological formations and processes, together about 44.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Paleontology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
PALAIOS is a monthly journal, founded in 1986, dedicated to emphasizing the impact of life on Earth's history as recorded in the paleontological and sedimentological records. PALAIOS disseminates information to an international spectrum of geologists and biologists interested in a broad range of topics, including, but not limited to, biogeochemistry, ichnology, paleoclimatology, paleoecology, paleoceanography, sedimentology, stratigraphy, geomicrobiology, paleobiogeochemistry, and astrobiology. PALAIOS publishes original papers that emphasize using paleontology to answer important geological and biological questions that further our understanding of Earth history. Accordingly, manuscripts whose subject matter and conclusions have broader geologic implications are much more likely to be selected for publication. Given that the purpose of PALAIOS is to generate enthusiasm for paleontology among a broad spectrum of readers, the editors request the following: titles that generate immediate interest; abstracts that emphasize important conclusions; illustrations of professional caliber used in place of words; and lively, yet scholarly, text.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Geology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences17.3%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences17.1%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences10.1%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences8.9%
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences6.8%
- Paleontology and Evolutionary BiologyEarth and Planetary Sciences5.5%
- Isotope Analysis in EcologyEnvironmental Science3.8%
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences3.2%
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 | Geology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Paleontology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geology | 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 | Geology | Zone 3 |
| 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
- 1.93LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.59LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.83LetPub ·
- h-index
- 70LetPub ·
- h-index
- 130OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,789OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.77OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 1.15%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 26LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,601 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 | 3 | 7 |
| 2025 | 28 | 3 | 25 |
| 2024 | 28 | 6 | 97 |
| 2023 | 36 | 6 | 205 |
| 2022 | 49 | 10 | 363 |
| 2021 | 30 | 6 | 232 |
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)
- about 6 monthsLetPub ·
- 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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
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
- SEPM Society for Sedimentary Geology
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1986
- ISSN
- 0883-1351
- Electronic ISSN
- 1938-5323
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 41, Issue 5 (October 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Palaios
What CAS zone is Palaios in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Palaios is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Geology / Paleontology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Palaios?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.93; CiteScore 3.3, h-index 130.
How long does peer review take at Palaios?
Authors report an average review time of about 6 months; 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 Palaios?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Palaios is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Palaios open access, and what is the APC?
Palaios is a subscription 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .