Journal profile · Paleontology
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
ISSN 0939-6314 · eISSN 1617-6278 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1992
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany: CAS Zone 2 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.46; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,790; median 149 days to acceptance (84 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 50 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Archaeology and ancient environmental studies, Geology and Paleoclimatology Research and Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology, together about 52.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany publishes research papers, review articles and short contributions of high quality from Europe, the Americas and other parts of the world. It covers the entire field of vegetation history – mainly the development of flora and vegetation during the Holocene (but also from the Pleistocene), and including related subjects such as palaeoecology. Of special interest is the human impact upon the natural environment in prehistoric and medieval times; this is reflected in pollen diagrams as well as in plant macroremains from archaeological contexts.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Paleontology
Editor-in-chief Felix Bittmann Dipl.Publisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 5%); most named Germany 4, United Kingdom 3, Netherlands 3, Switzerland 2, Mainland China 1 (20 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences22.6%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences21.6%
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences8.5%
- Tree-ring climate responsesEarth and Planetary Sciences5.4%
- Pacific and Southeast Asian StudiesSocial Sciences5.1%
- Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and HistoryArts and Humanities3.6%
- Lichen and fungal ecologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.5%
- Isotope Analysis in EcologyEnvironmental Science3.3%
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 1 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Paleontology | Zone 2 |
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 1 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CAB AbstractsGeoRefERIH PLUSCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, 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
- 2.46LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.9LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.41LetPub ·
- h-index
- 53LetPub ·
- h-index
- 96OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,039OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.9OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 54.09%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 47LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 397,500Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,485 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 60 | 32 | 17 |
| 2025 | 50 | 24 | 97 |
| 2024 | 50 | 36 | 190 |
| 2023 | 74 | 51 | 611 |
| 2022 | 39 | 23 | 339 |
| 2021 | 53 | 31 | 715 |
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
149 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 110 days – 202 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 51 days (84 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 221 days
- Sample
- 84 articles with submission and acceptance dates (124 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)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- 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
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 3,790 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,490 | — | — |
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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLM use cannot be credited as authorship. Model summary
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- 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
Competing interests must be disclosed. Model summary
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 ·- Data availability
Data and code availability expected. Model summary
All authors are requested to make sure that all data and materials as well as software application or custom code support their published claims and comply with field standards.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Research integrity expectations. 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
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 0939-6314
- Electronic ISSN
- 1617-6278
- Society / sponsor
- International Work Group for Palaeoethnobotany
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 35, Issue 5 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
What CAS zone is Vegetation History and Archaeobotany in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Vegetation History and Archaeobotany is in Zone 2 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Paleontology / Plant Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Vegetation History and Archaeobotany?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.46; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 96.
How long does peer review take at Vegetation History and Archaeobotany?
Based on the dates recorded on 84 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 149 days (interquartile range 110–202 days); 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 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; 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 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany based?
Of the 20 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (4), United Kingdom (3) and Netherlands (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Vegetation History and Archaeobotany?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Vegetation History and Archaeobotany is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts, GeoRef, ERIH PLUS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Vegetation History and Archaeobotany open access, and what is the APC?
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,790.
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: .