Journal profile · Paleontology
Paleobiology
ISSN 0094-8373 · eISSN 1938-5331 · Cambridge University Press · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1975
Paleobiology: CAS Zone 2 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.88; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 74 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Paleobiology is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 2 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 Marine Biology and Ecology Research, together about 37% of its articles. Its main subfields are Paleontology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Paleobiology publishes original contributions of any length (but normally 10-50 manuscript pages) dealing with any aspect of biological paleontology. Emphasis is placed on biological or paleobiological processes and patterns, including macroevolution, extinction, diversification, speciation, functional morphology, bio-geography, phylogeny, paleoecology, molecular paleontology, taphonomy, natural selection and patterns of variation, abundance, and distribution in space and time, among others. Taxonomic papers are welcome if they have significant and broad applications. Papers concerning research on recent organisms and systems are appropriate if they are of particular interest to paleontologists. Papers should typically interest readers from more than one specialty. Proposals for symposium volumes should be discussed in advance with the editors.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Paleontology
Editor-in-chief Erin SaupePublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 13, United Kingdom 3, Germany 2, Australia 2, Norway 2 (25 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 Sciences16.6%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences11.4%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences9%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences8.8%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.7%
- Paleontology and Evolutionary BiologyEarth and Planetary Sciences7.3%
- Legal Cases and CommentaryMedicine4.4%
- Isotope Analysis in EcologyEnvironmental Science4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Paleontology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Paleontology | Zone 1 |
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 | Paleontology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | 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
- 2.88LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.99LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.09LetPub ·
- h-index
- 85LetPub ·
- h-index
- 168OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,678OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.95OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 17.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 86.86%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 65LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,651 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 36 | 36 | 14 |
| 2025 | 74 | 74 | 228 |
| 2024 | 46 | 42 | 218 |
| 2023 | 44 | 40 | 337 |
| 2022 | 42 | 41 | 414 |
| 2021 | 49 | 40 | 730 |
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)
- over 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.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — |
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
- Cambridge University Press
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1975
- ISSN
- 0094-8373
- Electronic ISSN
- 1938-5331
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Paleobiology
What CAS zone is Paleobiology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Paleobiology is in Zone 2 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Paleontology / Biodiversity Conservation / Ecology / Evolutionary Biology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Paleobiology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.88; CiteScore 5.5, h-index 168.
How long does peer review take at Paleobiology?
Authors report an average review time of over 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Paleobiology based?
Of the 25 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (13), United Kingdom (3) and Germany (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Paleobiology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Paleobiology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Paleobiology open access, and what is the APC?
Paleobiology 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: .