Journal profile · Paleontology
Paleontological Journal
ISSN 0031-0301 · eISSN 1555-6174 · Pleiades Publishing · RUSSIA · Bimonthly · Founded 2006
Paleontological Journal: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.68; subscription journal; median 32 days to acceptance (57 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 132 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Paleontological Journal is published by Pleiades Publishing 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 Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils, Geological Studies and Exploration and Evolution and Paleontology Studies, together about 35.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Paleontology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Paleontological Journal is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original work on the anatomy, morphology, and taxonomy of fossil organisms, as well as their distribution, ecology, and origin. It also publishes studies on the evolution of organisms, ecosystems, and the biosphere and provides information on global biostratigraphy with an emphasis on Eastern Europe and Asia. The journal has the aim to become an international publication and publishes manuscripts originally submitted in English from all countries along with translated works. The peer review policy of the journal is independent of the manuscript source, ensuring a fair and unbiased evaluation process for all submissions.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Paleontology
Editor-in-chief Sergey V. RozhnovPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 5%); most named Russia 19, United States 2, Mainland China 1 (22 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences16.5%
- Geological Studies and ExplorationEarth and Planetary Sciences10.3%
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences8.4%
- Paleontology and Evolutionary BiologyEarth and Planetary Sciences8.3%
- Fossil Insects in AmberAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.6%
- Marine and environmental studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences7.1%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences4.9%
- Plant Diversity and EvolutionAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
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 | 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 | 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 | 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
- 0.68LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.41LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- h-index
- 26LetPub ·
- h-index
- 42OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 615OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.83OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 42.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 120LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 55,500Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,702 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 0 | 4 |
| 2025 | 132 | 1 | 57 |
| 2024 | 163 | 1 | 199 |
| 2023 | 143 | 8 | 242 |
| 2022 | 129 | 9 | 427 |
| 2021 | 133 | 3 | 497 |
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
32 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 20 days – 66 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 199 days (58 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 252 days
- Sample
- 57 articles with submission and acceptance dates (268 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)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 180 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous 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
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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted1
- editorialSingle-blind peer review This journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. Editorial policy The journal follows the Springer Nature Peer Review Policy, P…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- 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 ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Follows Springer Nature and COPE editorial policies Model summary
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 transfer agreement
A completed copyright transfer agreement (in Russian or English) should be submitted together with the manuscript through the Editorial Publishing System or via e-mail, if a journal is not registered in this system. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
Authors will have the option to choose how their article is published. Subscription publishing model - Published articles are made available to institutions and individuals who subscribe to Paleontological Journal or who pay to read specific articles. If you would be interested in publishing open access in this journal please contact the Open Research Support Team ORSupport@springernature.com. Bac…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Single-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Important note: the journal may use software to screen for plagiarism.
Authors should make sure they have permissions for the use of software, questionnaires/(web) surveys and scales in their studies (if appropriate).Research articles and non-research articles (e.g. Opinion, Review, and Commentary articles) must cite appropriate and relevant literature in support of the claims made. Excessive and inappropriate self-citation or coordinated efforts among several author…
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
- Pleiades Publishing
- Country or region
- RUSSIA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 2006
- ISSN
- 0031-0301
- Electronic ISSN
- 1555-6174
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 60, Issue 2 (April 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Paleontological Journal
What CAS zone is Paleontological Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Paleontological Journal is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category 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 Paleontological Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.68; CiteScore 1.3, h-index 42.
How long does peer review take at Paleontological Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 57 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 32 days (interquartile range 20–66 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 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 Paleontological Journal?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 Paleontological Journal based?
Of the 22 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Russia (19), United States (2) and Mainland China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Paleontological Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Paleontological Journal 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 Paleontological Journal open access, and what is the APC?
Paleontological Journal 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, 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: .