Journal profile · Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
South African Journal of Animal Science
ISSN 0375-1589 · eISSN 2221-4062 · Bureau for Scientific Publications · SOUTH AFRICA · Tri-annual · Founded 1971
South African Journal of Animal Science: CAS Zone 4 · Agricultural & Forestry Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.7; fully open access; APC about USD 750; review over 36 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 65 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Journal of Animal Science is published by Bureau for Scientific Publications and is in Zone 4 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock, Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology and Animal Nutrition and Physiology, together about 49.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Animal Science and Zoology and Agronomy and Crop Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
SAJAS publishes original scientific articles and reviews in animal science, with a focus on: Farmed species, such as cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, and ostriches Companion animals, such as horses and pet animal species Aquatic and wildlife species The journal covers disciplines including animal nutrition, genetics, physiology, production systems, product quality, behaviour, and welfare. Submissions should represent original contributions to scientific knowledge, with clearly formulated hypotheses and relevance to the functioning of animals in their social or physical environments. A particular emphasis is placed on studies with a clear connection to Southern African data, contexts, or implications. Detailed requirements for manuscript types and the peer-review process are outlined in the journal’s Policies and Author Guidelines sections. Prospective authors are expected to adhere strictly to these policies and guidelines.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Editor-in-chief Megan NorthPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 3 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestockBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology19.3%
- Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive PhysiologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences16.3%
- Animal Nutrition and PhysiologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences14.2%
- Reproductive Physiology in LivestockAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.9%
- Meat and Animal Product QualityAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.1%
- Livestock and Poultry ManagementAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.7%
- Effects of Environmental Stressors on LivestockAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.7%
- Rabbits: Nutrition, Reproduction, HealthAgricultural and Biological Sciences3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 0.7LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.8Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2024
- 0.74Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.23LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.39LetPub ·
- h-index
- 28LetPub ·
- h-index
- 54OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 832OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.07OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 87.83%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 43LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,893 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22 | 22 | 2 |
| 2025 | 65 | 65 | 56 |
| 2024 | 109 | 109 | 151 |
| 2023 | 60 | 60 | 174 |
| 2022 | 39 | 39 | 132 |
| 2021 | 91 | 91 | 527 |
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 36 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 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 | ZAR 10,000 / USD 750 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | ZAR 6,000 / USD 500 | — | — | |
| LetPub | ZAR 6,000 / USD 500 | No | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- R 8,000
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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
Article types accepted4
- research articlesContributions should be based on original, unpublished experimental data that have been analysed using statistical methods.Length not stated
- review articlesReviews should have as their main aim the synthesis or application of new principles, hypotheses, or future research directions from the re-interpretation and s…Length not stated
- short communicationRead and apply the Instructions to Authors before submitting a manuscript. -------------------------------- Results of limited investigation, work in progress, …Length not stated
- short communicationsResults of limited investigation, work in progress, and new techniques can be submitted as Short Communications.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Publication ethics, License & copyright
- AI use
LLM policy: no AI listed as author; LLM use must be disclosed in Materials and Methods. Model summary
In line with the journal's large language model (LLM) policy, the author(s) confirm that no AI or AI-assisted technologies have been listed as authors or co-authors of this manuscript.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethics approval reference number required. Model summary
All submissions must identify the ethics committee that approved their study protocol, and must provide the ethical approval reference number.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Copyright remains with the author(s). Model summary
Copyright for articles published in the South African Journal of Animal Science remains with the author(s).
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
- Bureau for Scientific Publications
- Country or region
- SOUTH AFRICA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Tri-annual
- Founded
- 1971
- ISSN
- 0375-1589
- Electronic ISSN
- 2221-4062
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 56, Issue 8 (2026)
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Journal of Animal Science
What CAS zone is South African Journal of Animal Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Journal of Animal Science is in Zone 4 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of South African Journal of Animal Science?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.7; CiteScore 1.4, h-index 54.
How long does peer review take at South African Journal of Animal Science?
Authors report an average review time of over 36 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.
Where are the editorial board members of South African Journal of Animal Science based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index South African Journal of Animal Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Journal of Animal Science is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is South African Journal of Animal Science open access, and what is the APC?
South African Journal of Animal Science is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 750.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .