Palaeontology (journal)

Palaeontology (journal)
Title	Palaeontology
Discipline	Paleontology
Abbreviation	Palaeontology
Publisher	Wiley on behalf of the Palaeontological Association
Country	United Kingdom
History	1957–present
Frequency	Bimonthly
Issn	0031-0239

Palaeontology (journal) is a peer‑reviewed scientific journal published by Wiley on behalf of the Palaeontological Association that covers research on the fossil record, systematic paleontology, and evolutionary patterns. It publishes original research articles, review papers, and occasional thematic issues that bridge field studies, museum collections, and analytical methods. The journal serves as a forum linking investigators working on fossils from Cambrian lagerstätten to Cenozoic vertebrate faunas, and it sits alongside other periodicals such as Nature (journal), Science (journal), and Journal of Paleontology in the scholarly ecosystem.

History

The journal was established in 1957 during a period of expansion in post‑war British scientific societies connected to institutions like the Natural History Museum, London and the University of Cambridge. Early volumes reflected taxonomic monographs influenced by figures associated with the British Museum (Natural History) and research programmes tied to the Geological Society of London and field expeditions to regions including the Burgess Shale, Solnhofen limestone, and Green River Formation. Over decades the journal has documented paradigmatic shifts from descriptive faunal catalogues to phylogenetic systematics associated with scholars from the University of Oxford, University of Chicago, and University of California, Berkeley. Editorial stewardship has periodically brought together committees drawn from organizations such as the Palaeontological Association, the Royal Society, and major university departments, coordinating special issues on topics linked to conferences like the International Paleontological Congress and anniversaries of expeditions to places such as Isle of Wight and Gondwana.

Scope and Content

The journal's remit covers descriptive taxonomy, macroevolutionary patterns, functional morphology, taphonomy, paleoecology, and biostratigraphy, attracting submissions about trilobites from the Cambrian, ammonoids from the Devonian, dinosaurs from the Mesozoic, and mammalian radiations across the Cenozoic. Content often integrates methods developed in laboratories affiliated with Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, Paris, or university departments like Harvard University and University of Oxford, employing techniques such as computed tomography popularized in collaborations with groups at Stanford University and Imperial College London. The journal routinely publishes work that interfaces with broader scientific efforts, including molecular clock calibrations using fossils cited alongside studies from Max Planck Society, paleoclimatic reconstructions leveraging data from Antarctic expeditions, and macroecological syntheses resonant with projects at the British Antarctic Survey.

Editorial Structure and Peer Review

The journal operates under an editor‑in‑chief supported by associate editors and an international editorial board drawn from universities and museums including University of Cambridge, University of Chicago, University of Tokyo, Monash University, and University of Toronto. Peer review is managed through an online submission platform and typically employs at least two independent referees selected for expertise in clades or methods; reviewers are often specialists connected to institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London or research groups at the Smithsonian Institution. Editorial standards emphasize reproducibility and data deposition in recognized repositories like the PANGAEA and museum collections at places such as the American Museum of Natural History. Conflict‑of‑interest policies align with professional guidelines used by bodies including the Committee on Publication Ethics.

Publication and Access Model

Published bimonthly, the journal has transitioned from print volumes to a primarily online delivery managed by Wiley, with options for hybrid open access consistent with funding mandates from agencies such as the Natural Environment Research Council, National Science Foundation (United States), and European Research Council programmes. Institutional subscriptions from universities like University of Oxford and national libraries coexist with author‑paid open access, while the Palaeontological Association provides member benefits and subsidized rates reminiscent of society journals published in partnership with organizations like the Royal Society. Back issues document historical faunal descriptions as well as contemporary methodological advances tied to conferences such as the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meetings.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic services and citation databases including Web of Science, Scopus (abstract and citation database), BIOSIS Previews, and subject indexing provided by the Zoological Record. Abstracting services used by researchers in related fields such as geosciences reference databases maintained by the British Geological Survey and national catalogues like the Library of Congress holdings. Inclusion in these services supports citation tracking and impact metrics comparable to specialist periodicals in the Earth and life sciences.

Notable Papers and Impact

Notable contributions have included influential papers on Cambrian‑Ordovician radiations comparable in community impact to landmark works published in venues such as Nature (journal) and Science (journal), revisionary monographs on trilobite and brachiopod taxonomy cited alongside museum catalogues from the Smithsonian Institution, and high‑profile phylogenetic analyses that informed debates addressed at meetings of the International Commission on Stratigraphy. The journal's articles have been central to reinterpretations of Lagerstätten such as the Burgess Shale, reassessments of dinosaur functional morphology parallel to studies from American Museum of Natural History, and calibration points used in molecular clock studies by research groups at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Through these publications, the journal has influenced curation policies at repositories including the Natural History Museum, London and contributed to paleobiological syntheses cited in cross‑disciplinary works across geology and biology.

Category:Paleontology journals