Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Polar Research
ISSN 0800-0395 · eISSN 1751-8369 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · NORWAY · Tri-annual · Founded 1982
Polar Research: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.1; fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 19 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Polar Research is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. 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, Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics and Climate change and permafrost, together about 29.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atmospheric Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Since 1982, Polar Research has been the international, peer-reviewed journal of the Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway's central institution for research, environmental monitoring and mapping of the polar regions. Aiming to promote the exchange of scientific knowledge about the Arctic and Antarctic across disciplinary boundaries, Polar Research serves an international community of researchers and managers. As an open-access journal, Polar Research makes its contents freely available to the general public.Original primary research papers comprise the mainstay of Polar Research. Review articles, brief research notes, letters to the editor and book reviews are also included. Special issues are published from time to time.The scope of Polar Research encompasses research in all scientific disciplines relevant to the polar regions. These include, but are not limited to, the subfields of biology, ecology, geology, oceanography, glaciology and atmospheric science. Submissions from the social sciences and those focusing on polar management and policy issues are welcome. Contributions about Antarctica are particularly encouraged.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Editor-in-chief Helle V. GoldmanPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Norway 2, Germany 1, Argentina 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences10.4%
- Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamicsEarth and Planetary Sciences10.1%
- Climate change and permafrostEarth and Planetary Sciences8.8%
- Cryospheric studies and observationsEarth and Planetary Sciences8.6%
- Polar Research and EcologyEnvironmental Science7%
- Methane Hydrates and Related PhenomenaEnvironmental Science6.2%
- Geological Studies and ExplorationEarth and Planetary Sciences6%
- Marine animal studies overviewEnvironmental Science4.7%
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 | Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Oceanography | 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 | Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Oceanography | 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 | Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Oceanography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
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
- 1.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.43LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.53LetPub ·
- h-index
- 44LetPub ·
- h-index
- 84OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,144OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.07OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 19LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,336 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 15 | 1 |
| 2025 | 19 | 19 | 16 |
| 2024 | 21 | 21 | 42 |
| 2023 | 25 | 25 | 71 |
| 2022 | 28 | 28 | 257 |
| 2021 | 36 | 36 | 368 |
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 ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 53 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | EUR 790 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | EUR 790 | — | — | |
| LetPub | EUR 790 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | EUR 158 / USD 180 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- No page charges
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 6
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted7
- book reviewReview of A polar dictionary: cold words, by Bernadette Hince. Wallingford, UK: CABI. 472 pp. ISBN: 978-1-83699-152-6. Helle V. Goldman Published: 2026-09-11 PD…Length not stated
- book reviewsReview articles, brief research notes, letters to the editor, perspective pieces and book reviews are also included.Length not stated
- brief research notesReview articles, brief research notes, letters to the editor, perspective pieces and book reviews are also included.Length not stated
- letters to the editorReview articles, brief research notes, letters to the editor, perspective pieces and book reviews are also included.Length not stated
- original primary research papersOriginal primary research papers comprise the mainstay of Polar Research.Length not stated
- perspective piecesReview articles, brief research notes, letters to the editor, perspective pieces and book reviews are also included.Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles, brief research notes, letters to the editor, perspective pieces and book reviews are also included.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints, Self-archiving
- AI use USING LLMS
LLM/AI use policy referenced at a separate URL. Model summary
For the journal’s policy regarding the use of LLMs (such as ChatGPT), generative AI images and other artificial intelligence tools in submissions (and reviews), see https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/llms
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship
Authorship criteria (contribution, drafting/revision, approval). Model summary
Each of the manuscript’s authors should meet all three of the following criteria: (1) has made a substantial contribution to the design of the study, the collection of the data, or the analysis or interpretation of the data; (2) has drafted the manuscript or helped revise it, shaping its intellectual content; (3) has approved of the submitted manuscript.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access OPEN ACCESS POLICY
Polar Research is published Open Access under a Creative Commons license. Authors retain full copyright. Polar Research is free for anybody to read and download, and to copy and disseminate as long as appropriate credit is given, a link is provided to the license, and any changes made are clearly indicated. Polar Research is accessible via the journal’s website at www.polarresearch.net as well as …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Submissions are preliminarily examined by one or more members of the Editorial Board and are run through a plagiarism detection software programme. If a submission is not found to be appropriate for full peer review, the authors are notified. Submissions deemed suitable for full review are assigned to a Subject Editor, who has the paper examined by (usually) two peer referees. When it proves diffi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism PLAGIARISM DETECTION
Plagiarism screening via iThenticate/CrossCheck; all submissions screened before publication. Model summary
The Norwegian Polar Institute is a member of CrossCheck by CrossRef and iThenticate. iThenticate is a plagiarism screening service that verifies the originality of content submitted before publication. iThenticate checks submissions against millions of published research papers, and billions of web pages. All submissions are screened for plagiarism before publication, but authors, researchers and …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint posting permitted; authors should not update posted preprint with reviewer-driven changes; disclosure required. Model summary
Polar Research permits the submission of manuscripts that have been posted on preprint servers. However, we request that authors do not update the posted article to include changes made in response to the reviewers’ comments. Authors should disclose that the article has been posted on a preprint server in the Disclosure Statement section near the end of the paper.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving AUTHOR SELF-ARCHIVING
Reviewer suggestions allowed; no institutional affiliation, co-authorship, or close association with authors. Model summary
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post papers submitted to Polar Research on personal and institutional websites, prior to and after publication (while providing the bibliographic details of the latter).
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
- Taylor and Francis Ltd.
- Country or region
- NORWAY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Tri-annual
- Founded
- 1982
- ISSN
- 0800-0395
- Electronic ISSN
- 1751-8369
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Polar Research
What CAS zone is Polar Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Polar Research is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Ecology / Geosciences, Multidisciplinary / Oceanography. 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 Polar Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.1; CiteScore 2.8, h-index 84.
How long does peer review take at Polar Research?
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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Polar Research?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≤ 6; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Cover letter: 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 Polar Research based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Norway (2), Germany (1) and Argentina (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Polar Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Polar Research is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Polar Research open access, and what is the APC?
Polar Research is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .