Journal profile · Geology
Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
ISSN 1045-6740 · eISSN 1099-1530 · John Wiley and Sons Ltd · ENGLAND · Quarterly
Permafrost and Periglacial Processes: CAS Zone 3 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.22; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,480; median 210 days to acceptance (89 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 58 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Permafrost and Periglacial Processes is published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd 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 Climate change and permafrost, Cryospheric studies and observations and Geology and Paleoclimatology Research, together about 65.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atmospheric Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Permafrost and Periglacial Processes is an international journal dedicated to the rapid publication of scientific and technical papers concerned with earth surface cryogenic processes, landforms and sediments present in a variety of (Sub) Arctic, Antarctic and High Mountain environments. It provides an efficient vehicle of communication amongst those with an interest in the cold, non-glacial geosciences. The focus is on (1) original research based on geomorphological, hydrological, sedimentological, geotechnical and engineering aspects of these areas and (2) original research carried out upon relict features where the objective has been to reconstruct the nature of the processes and/or palaeoenvironments which gave rise to these features, as opposed to purely stratigraphical considerations. The journal also publishes short communications, reviews, discussions and book reviews. The high scientific standard, interdisciplinary character and worldwide representation of PPP are maintained by regional editorial support and a rigorous refereeing system. THE SUBJECT MATTER GEOCRYOLOGY, PAST AND PRESENT: the study of frozen ground (seasonally frozen ground as well as permafrost), excluding glacier ice; active and inactive processes and forms; cold-climate or (Sub) Arctic, Antarctic and High Mountain environments. CRYOGENIC PROCESSES AND FROST ACTION: soil freezing, freeze-thaw indices/cycles; thermal contraction and ice segregation processes, frost wedging/heaving/thrusting/cracking/sorting; mass-wasting processes and deposits; rock glaciers; slopewash processes and deposits; frost weathering. IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN PERMAFROST AND PERIGLACIAL LANDSCAPE: permafrost aggradation/degradation; thermokarst; coastal erosion and sediment fluxes; mass wasting, rock fall and rock avalanches; soil erosion; carbon flux changes; impacts on vegetation and ecosystems. PERMAFROST AND GROUND ICE: permafrost distribution/depth/thickness; origin of permafrost, including alpine and offshore permafrost, and relation to climate; forms of ground ice; thermal regime of active layer/permafrost ; frozen ground chemistry, mechanics and physics; planetary permafrost. PERIGLACIAL LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION: patterned ground forms; frost mounds and other periglacial phenomena; nivation forms; cryoplanation and cryopediments; fluvial activity, lacustrine and coastal forms, eolian activity, snow and meltwater activity. PLEISTOCENE PERIGLACIAL ENVIRONMENTS: relict or ancient (Pleistocene) periglaci
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Geology
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 26%); most named Mainland China 5, United States 4, Canada 4, Italy 2, United Kingdom 1 (19 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Climate change and permafrostEarth and Planetary Sciences29.7%
- Cryospheric studies and observationsEarth and Planetary Sciences22.2%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences13.8%
- Landslides and related hazardsEnvironmental Science6.5%
- Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamicsEarth and Planetary Sciences4.8%
- Methane Hydrates and Related PhenomenaEnvironmental Science3.6%
- Polar Research and EcologyEnvironmental Science2.5%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences1.7%
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 | Geology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geography, Physical | 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 | Geography, Physical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geology | Zone 1 |
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 | Geology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geography, Physical | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceINSPECCAB AbstractsGeoRefCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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
- 4.22LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.2Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.05LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.17LetPub ·
- h-index
- 68LetPub ·
- h-index
- 118OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 955OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.25OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 45.67%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 54LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 50Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 101,561Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,613 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 44 | 31 | 12 |
| 2025 | 58 | 31 | 143 |
| 2024 | 52 | 33 | 499 |
| 2023 | 39 | 26 | 354 |
| 2022 | 47 | 18 | 614 |
| 2021 | 44 | 18 | 823 |
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
210 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 157 days – 311 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 18 days (89 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 227 days
- Sample
- 89 articles with submission and acceptance dates (104 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- ModerateLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 59%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 59%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 77 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 77 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 242 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 18 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 4,480 / EUR 3,750 / GBP 3,000 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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 prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- AMA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted9
- book reviewPermafrost and Periglacial Processes publishes papers, Technical notes, data papers, short communications, reviews, discussions, monographs and book reviews in …Length not stated
- data paperPermafrost and Periglacial Processes publishes papers, Technical notes, data papers, short communications, reviews, discussions, monographs and book reviews in …Length not stated
- editorialPermafrost and Periglacial Processes publishes papers, Technical notes, data papers, short communications, reviews, discussions, monographs and book reviews in …Length not stated
- letterPermafrost and Periglacial Processes publishes papers, Technical notes, data papers, short communications, reviews, discussions, monographs and book reviews in …Length not stated
- original researchPermafrost and Periglacial Processes publishes papers, Technical notes, data papers, short communications, reviews, discussions, monographs and book reviews in …Length not stated
- papersPapers - are reports of varying lengths that describe the results of original research. The normal length limit is 30 double-spaced word-processed A4 (or US let…Length not stated
- reviewPermafrost and Periglacial Processes publishes papers, Technical notes, data papers, short communications, reviews, discussions, monographs and book reviews in …Length not stated
- short communicationPermafrost and Periglacial Processes publishes papers, Technical notes, data papers, short communications, reviews, discussions, monographs and book reviews in …Length not stated
- technical notePermafrost and Periglacial Processes publishes papers, Technical notes, data papers, short communications, reviews, discussions, monographs and book reviews in …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
This journal expects data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
CC-BY/CC-BY-NC/CC-BY-NC-ND Model summary
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
No submission fees Model summary
You’ll have the option to choose to make your article open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an APC. For more information on this journal’s APCs, please see the Open Access page. You can read more about APCs and whether you may be eligible for waivers or discounts, through your institution, funder, or a country waiver.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 1. Submission and Peer Review Process
Single-blind peer review model Model summary
Once the submission materials have been prepared in accordance with the Author Guidelines, manuscripts should be submitted online through the Research Exchange platform. This journal does not charge submission fees. Article Preparation Support Wiley Editing Services offers expert help with English Language Editing, as well as translation, manuscript formatting, figure illustration, figure formatti…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprints accepted Model summary
Permafrost and Periglacial Processes will consider for review articles previously available as preprints.
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
- John Wiley and Sons Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- ISSN
- 1045-6740
- Electronic ISSN
- 1099-1530
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 37, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
What CAS zone is Permafrost and Periglacial Processes in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Permafrost and Periglacial Processes is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Geology / Geography, Physical. 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 Permafrost and Periglacial Processes?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.22; CiteScore 5.8, h-index 118.
How long does peer review take at Permafrost and Periglacial Processes?
Based on the dates recorded on 89 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 210 days (interquartile range 157–311 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 59% (2025). 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 Permafrost and Periglacial Processes?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: AMA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required. 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 Permafrost and Periglacial Processes based?
Of the 19 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 26%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (5), United States (4) and Canada (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Permafrost and Periglacial Processes?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Permafrost and Periglacial Processes is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, INSPEC, CAB Abstracts, GeoRef and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Permafrost and Periglacial Processes open access, and what is the APC?
Permafrost and Periglacial Processes is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,480.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, 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 2026-08-28). Last updated: .