Journal rankings · indicator year 2020
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Field ranking · 2020
Earth and Planetary Sciences journal rankings 2020
401 ranked journals · Field in Physical Sciences
Earth and Planetary Sciences has 401 ranked journals in 2020. The median journal has an OJR of 0.88, below the world average of 1.00, up 0.02 on 2019; Q1 starts at OJR 1.33. The top three are Nature Geoscience, Earth system science data, and Earth-Science Reviews.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2020. Journal access status and listed APC: source snapshot September 23, 2026.
Journals whose main subfield sits in this category and that published at least 30 citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) in 2017–2019, the window the 2020 score is computed on.
The OpenJournalRank Indicator (OJR) is a free, publicly available metric of a journal’s field-normalized citation impact, computed from open OpenAlex citation data. It compares citations to a journal’s papers from the previous three years with the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and values can be compared across fields. It is computed with the NCI3 method.
The middle OJR among ranked journals in this category: half score higher, half lower. 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type.
The dot is this category, the solid tick is the median of all ranked journals and the dashed line is the world average.
Share of ranked journals in this category that are fully open access, so every paper is free to read. Hybrid journals, which sell subscriptions and open single papers for a fee, are not counted.
Median list price of the article processing charge, in US dollars, among ranked journals in this category that list a price above zero. Journals with a listed APC of $0 and journals with no known price are left out of this median. The At a glance table below gives a second median that includes the $0 prices.
Subfields in Earth and Planetary Sciences (8)
Up to Physical Sciences401 ranked journals
Filters
Rank is the position by OJR within the list on screen; 1 is the highest. | OJR is field-normalized 3-year citation impact: 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so values compare across fields. The badge is the journal’s quartile in this list. | Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is not field-normalized, so compare it only between journals of the same field. ▲ or ▼ is the change from 2019. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2017–2019, the window the 2020 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2017–2019 papers that are free to read in any open-access form. The green OA tag next to a title marks a fully open-access journal. | List price of the article processing charge in US dollars. “$0 listed” means the listed price is zero; a dash means no price is listed. | The line is the journal’s OJR from 2011 to 2020. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Nature GeoscienceNature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 5.73Q1 | 15.33 4.07 up from 2019 | 640 | 52% | $12,690 | ||
2Earth system science dataOACopernicus Publications · Germany | 5.25Q1 | 14.99 2.56 up from 2019 | 293 | 100% | $1,509 | ||
3Earth-Science ReviewsElsevier BV · Netherlands | 5.16Q1 | 11.07 0.57 up from 2019 | 698 | 46% | $5,120 | ||
4Journal of Archaeological ResearchSpringer Nature · Netherlands | 4.41Q1 | 8.45 3.06 up from 2019 | 36 | 38% | $3,190 | ||
5Cambridge Archaeological JournalCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 4.01Q1 | 1.86 1.59 down from 2019 | 149 | 52% | $3,550 | ||
6Journal of World PrehistorySpringer Nature · United States | 3.48Q1 | 4.88 0.12 down from 2019 | 37 | 73% | $3,290 | ||
7Meteorological MonographsOAAmerican Meteorological Society · United States | 3.45Q1 | 6.63 3.87 down from 2019 | 38 | — | — | ||
8Surveys in GeophysicsSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 3.36Q1 | 7.77 1.75 up from 2019 | 153 | 41% | $4,290 | ||
9Geoscientific model developmentOACopernicus Publications · Germany | 3.07Q1 | 8.59 0.88 up from 2019 | 699 | 100% | $1,725 | ||
10Limnology and Oceanography LettersOAWiley · United States | 2.79Q1 | 7.72 1.04 up from 2019 | 100 | 100% | $3,700 | ||
11Geoscience FrontiersElsevier BV · Netherlands | 2.76Q1 | 6.85 2.51 up from 2019 | 396 | 100% | $3,000 | ||
12Global Biogeochemical CyclesWiley · United States | 2.68Q1 | 7.12 1.84 up from 2019 | 301 | 64% | $4,070 | ||
13Bulletin of the American Meteorological SocietyAmerican Meteorological Society · United States | 2.61Q1 | 4.67 0.08 up from 2019 | 858 | 89% | — | ||
14Gondwana ResearchElsevier BV · Japan | 2.58Q1 | 5.58 0.22 down from 2019 | 534 | 28% | $3,700 | ||
15Elementa Science of the AnthropoceneOABioOne · United States | 2.48Q1 | 7.34 1.70 up from 2019 | 221 | 100% | $1,450 | ||
16Journal of Field ArchaeologyTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 2.41Q1 | 2.93 0.89 up from 2019 | 133 | 54% | — | ||
17Journal of Geophysical Research Earth SurfaceWiley · United States | 2.39Q1 | 5.48 1.11 up from 2019 | 434 | 59% | $4,070 | ||
18GSA TodayOAGeological Society of America · United States | 2.38Q1 | 3.25 2.99 down from 2019 | 62 | 100% | — | ||
19Journal of Anthropological ArchaeologyElsevier BV · United States | 2.36Q1 | 3.15 0.44 up from 2019 | 178 | 41% | $3,370 | ||
20Coastal EngineeringElsevier BV · Netherlands | 2.34Q1 | 4.87 0.10 down from 2019 | 390 | 50% | $4,250 | ||
21Earth and Planetary Science LettersElsevier BV · Netherlands | 2.34Q1 | 5.84 0.04 up from 2019 | 1,682 | 59% | $4,670 | ||
22Atmospheric chemistry and physicsOACopernicus Publications · Germany | 2.32Q1 | 8.42 1.19 up from 2019 | 2,620 | 100% | $1,725 | ||
23Journal of Applied VolcanologyOABioMed Central · Germany | 2.26Q1 | 4.16 0.05 down from 2019 | 38 | 100% | $1,990 | ||
24Geochemical Perspectives LettersOAPublisher not listed | 2.24Q1 | 6.42 1.42 up from 2019 | 96 | 100% | — | ||
25Frontiers in Marine ScienceOAFrontiers Media · Switzerland | 2.24Q1 | 6.22 1.41 up from 2019 | 1,695 | 100% | $3,801 | ||
26GeologyGeological Society of America · United States | 2.23Q1 | 5.51 0.55 up from 2019 | 917 | 51% | — | ||
27Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural HeritageElsevier BV · Netherlands | 2.14Q1 | 2.89 0.18 down from 2019 | 79 | 25% | $2,810 | ||
28TectonicsWiley · United States | 2.11Q1 | 5.10 0.32 up from 2019 | 567 | 51% | $4,070 | ||
29GeomorphologyElsevier BV · Netherlands | 2.10Q1 | 4.40 0.38 up from 2019 | 1,076 | 40% | $3,400 | ||
30The cryosphereOACopernicus Publications · Germany | 2.10Q1 | 7.45 1.19 up from 2019 | 603 | 100% | $1,574 | ||
31Journal of PetrologyOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 2.06Q1 | 5.25 1.16 up from 2019 | 260 | 43% | $4,353 | ||
32Journal of Metamorphic GeologyWiley · United Kingdom | 2.03Q1 | 5.02 0.98 up from 2019 | 148 | 44% | $5,000 | ||
33Ancient MesoamericaCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 1.99Q1 | 3.01 2.25 up from 2019 | 120 | 26% | $3,550 | ||
34Global and Planetary ChangeElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.97Q1 | 5.43 0.65 up from 2019 | 530 | 48% | $3,120 | ||
35American Journal of ScienceYale University · United States | 1.95Q1 | 5.79 1.82 up from 2019 | 92 | 7% | — | ||
36Geological Society of America BulletinGeological Society of America · United States | 1.95Q1 | 4.59 0.93 up from 2019 | 387 | 27% | — | ||
37Contributions to Mineralogy and PetrologySpringer Science+Business Media · Germany | 1.94Q1 | 4.80 1.26 up from 2019 | 306 | 46% | $3,990 | ||
38BiogeosciencesOACopernicus Publications · Germany | 1.92Q1 | 5.16 0.67 up from 2019 | 1,040 | 100% | $1,628 | ||
39Archaeological ProspectionWiley · United Kingdom | 1.85Q1 | 3.00 0.86 up from 2019 | 79 | 31% | $3,980 | ||
40Advances in Climate Change ResearchOAKeAi · China | 1.83Q1 | 3.01 1.11 down from 2019 | 137 | 100% | $2,000 | ||
41GeoheritageSpringer Science+Business Media · Germany | 1.83Q1 | 2.56 0.16 up from 2019 | 207 | 30% | $2,490 | ||
42Progress in Physical Geography Earth and EnvironmentSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.82Q1 | 3.93 0.48 up from 2019 | 161 | 24% | $3,650 | ||
43International Journal of Geoheritage and ParksOAElsevier BV · United States | 1.82Q1 | 2.44 1.67 up from 2019 | 34 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
44Mineralium DepositaSpringer Science+Business Media · Germany | 1.81Q1 | 4.71 0.90 up from 2019 | 223 | 37% | $3,890 | ||
45Frontiers in Earth ScienceOAFrontiers Media · Switzerland | 1.80Q1 | 4.79 0.97 up from 2019 | 667 | 100% | $3,801 | ||
46Journal of Geophysical Research Solid EarthWiley · United States | 1.80Q1 | 4.61 0.08 up from 2019 | 1,865 | 52% | $4,070 | ||
47Limnology and OceanographyWiley · United States | 1.80Q1 | 4.59 0.62 up from 2019 | 697 | 65% | $3,530 | ||
48GeobiologyWiley · United Kingdom | 1.79Q1 | 4.82 0.50 up from 2019 | 133 | 50% | $4,880 | ||
49Science China Earth SciencesSpringer Science+Business Media · China | 1.76Q1 | 4.67 0.81 up from 2019 | 450 | 7% | $3,990 | ||
50Progress In OceanographyElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 1.74Q1 | 3.87 0.50 down from 2019 | 453 | 49% | $3,720 |
Subfields of Earth and Planetary Sciences, compared.
- Geophysics144
- Atmospheric Science87
- Paleontology76
- Oceanography54
- Earth-Surface Processes18
- Geology10
- Geochemistry and Petrology8
- Space and Planetary Science4
Journals
Citations made in 2020. Corpus-wide, 86.1% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
106 additional Earth and Planetary Sciences journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2017–2019, at least 80% of them with a subfield, and a positive world-average expectation. Ranks are within the whole category; filters hide rows without re-ranking. OJR excludes self-citations.
At a glance
Indicator year: 2020. Publication window: 2017–2019. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 401
- Window papers (baseline)
- 230,307 +3.1% from indicator year 2017
- Median OJR
- 0.8764 -0.1% from indicator year 2017
- Rising journals (2025)
- 21Comparison-group list (21)
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2017–2019 in all journals of the world-average baseline, including non-core journals, counted by each paper’s own subfield. They are not the papers of the ranked journals alone.
| Measure | Year series | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked journals | 270 | 281 | 291 | 298 | 305 | 299 | 308 | 317 | 333 | 343 | 351 | 360 | 378 | 379 | 385 | 393 | 397 | 405 | 407 | 407 | 401 | 402 | 399 | 396 | 387 | 389 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 86,544 | 106,376 | 113,390 | 121,646 | 119,357 | 125,918 | 131,590 | 136,840 | 146,161 | 158,715 | 166,804 | 176,714 | 184,763 | 195,134 | 205,950 | 215,905 | 220,606 | 223,475 | 225,631 | 228,538 | 230,307 | 230,384 | 231,269 | 228,284 | 225,159 | 224,825 | |
| Median OJR | 0.7272 | 0.7268 | 0.8021 | 0.883 | 0.8018 | 0.8633 | 0.8763 | 0.87 | 0.882 | 0.8625 | 0.926 | 0.91 | 0.90 | 0.958 | 0.928 | 0.97 | 0.960 | 0.877 | 0.884 | 0.85 | 0.8764 | 0.84 | 0.77 | 0.750 | 0.745 | 0.76 |
| Measure | Category statistic | Eligible population |
|---|---|---|
| Journal self-citation share | Median: 6.5% | 303 journals |
| Retracted papers per 1,000 | Pooled rate: 0.384 per 1,000 | 282 journals |
| Output growth | Median: -8.8% | 362 journals |
| Open access share | Median: 62.6% | 389 journals |
| Listed APC (USD) | Median including $0 listed prices: $3,200 | 236 ranked journals with a known listed price, including $0 listed prices |
| International collaboration share | Median: 37.4% | 369 journals |
| Review share | Median: 0.0% | 389 journals |
| Articles-only OJR | Median: 0.76 | 387 journals |
| Uncited share | Median: 32.1% | 389 journals |
| Citation concentration | Median: 41.4% | 389 journals |
How to read these rankings
- OJR, the OpenJournalRank Indicator
- A field-normalized 3-year citation impact, computed from OpenAlex with the NCI3 method. It divides the citations a journal’s papers received by the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and 2.00 means twice as many citations as expected. Because it is normalized, it can be compared across fields. Read the methodology
- Quartiles
- Q1 to Q4 split the ranked journals of the list you are viewing into four equal groups by OJR. A journal’s quartile depends on the list: the same journal can be Q1 in its subfield and Q2 among all journals.
- Impact factor (2-year)
- Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is easy to compare with familiar impact factors but is not field-normalized, so compare it only within a field. It is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. Why it differs from the Journal Impact Factor
- Rank ranges
- Each rank in the latest year carries a likely range from 1,000 resamples of the journal’s papers. Where two journals’ ranges overlap, the data cannot tell them apart, so treat neighbouring ranks as ties.