Palaeontology

Palaeontology is a bimonthly journal of the Palaeontological Association, publishing hypothesis-driven research that uses fossil evidence to advance understanding of the history of life on Earth.《Palaeontology》是古生物学协会出版的双月刊，发表以化石证据推进生命史认识的假说驱动型研究。

Papers are expected to speak to a broad palaeontological readership, from systematics and functional morphology to taphonomy, palaeoecology and biostratigraphy.刊物要求论文面向广泛的古生物学读者，主题覆盖系统学与功能形态学，也延伸到埋藏学、古生态学与生物地层学。

Descriptive taxonomy and regional monographs are directed to the sister journal Papers in Palaeontology, which leaves Palaeontology free to concentrate on questions of wider significance.描述性分类学与区域性专著转投姊妹刊《Papers in Palaeontology》，本刊因而专注于意义更广的科学问题。

Scope

• The Association defines the remit as innovative and timely papers of broad significance that employ fossil evidence to advance the understanding of life's history substantially.协会把办刊范围界定为具有广泛意义的创新论文，要求以化石证据实质推进对生命史的理解。
• Hypothesis-driven work is the stated preference, and manuscripts that merely describe material without addressing a wider question are steered elsewhere.刊物明确偏好假说驱动的研究，仅仅描述材料而未回应更大问题的稿件会被引导至其他刊物。
• Systematic revisions are welcome when the new taxa or new characters are used to resolve a broader problem in palaeobiology.系统学修订可以投稿，前提是新分类单元或新性状用于解决古生物学中更大的问题。
• Functional morphology and biomechanics form a long-standing strand, including reconstructions of feeding, locomotion and growth in extinct organisms.功能形态学与生物力学是长期存在的方向，涉及已灭绝生物取食、运动与生长的复原。
• Taphonomy and exceptional preservation are covered, from decay experiments to the interpretation of Konservat-Lagerstätten.埋藏学与特异埋藏同样在范围内，从腐烂实验一直延伸到对特异埋藏化石库的解读。
• Palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction is central, particularly where fossil data test hypotheses about ancient ecosystems and climate.古生态与古环境重建占据核心位置，尤其是利用化石数据检验古代生态系统与气候假说的研究。
• Biostratigraphy and the calibration of geological time remain part of the remit, provided the work carries implications beyond local correlation.生物地层学与地质时间标定仍在办刊范围内，条件是研究意义超出局部对比。
• Macroevolutionary questions, including extinction, radiation and the tempo of morphological change, are a regular feature of the journal.宏演化问题经常出现在刊物上，包括灭绝、辐射以及形态变化的速率。
• Original Articles typically run to 10–25 printed pages and report research that advances palaeontology through new approaches or new empirical data.原创论文通常为 10–25 个印刷页，报告以新方法或新实证数据推进古生物学的研究。
• Reviews of 10–25 printed pages summarise fields where recent progress deserves a synthesis for a general palaeontological audience.综述同样为 10–25 个印刷页，面向广大古生物学读者总结近期进展明显的领域。
• Rapid Communications are limited to 4–6 printed pages and four figures, and are reserved for results of wide topical interest.快速通讯限制在 4–6 个印刷页与四幅图以内，只接受具有广泛话题价值的结果。
• Discussion papers allow comment on recent articles, with the original authors given the chance to publish a reply alongside.讨论类稿件允许对近期论文提出评论，原作者有机会在同期刊出答复。
• Technical Reports cover significant new techniques or software packages used in palaeontological research.技术报告介绍古生物学研究中重要的新技术或软件包。
• Submissions enter a single portal shared with Papers in Palaeontology, and the editors may transfer a manuscript between the two titles without resubmission.两个刊物共用同一个投稿系统，编辑可以在无需重投的情况下把稿件在两者之间转送。
• Data supporting a paper are archived with Dryad, and the Association publishes reporting and materials availability requirements for authors.论文所依据的数据存放于 Dryad，协会还公布了报告规范与材料可得性要求。

History

• The journal was created with the Association itself, whose first circular of 1 January 1957 invited British palaeontologists and geologists to a meeting at the Royal School of Mines.刊物与协会同时诞生，1957 年 1 月 1 日的首份通函邀请英国古生物学者与地质学者到皇家矿业学院开会。
• At the inaugural meeting on 30 January 1957 the Council was authorised to publish a journal of palaeontological interest.1957 年 1 月 30 日的成立大会授权理事会创办一份古生物学刊物。
• W. H. C. Ramsbottom of the British Geological Survey became the first editor and devised the layout with staff at Oxford University Press.英国地质调查所的 W. H. C. Ramsbottom 出任首任主编，并与牛津大学出版社的人员共同设计了版式。
• The first part of Volume 1 appeared on 1 November 1957, and only one or two parts were issued each year at the start.第一卷第一分册于 1957 年 11 月 1 日面世，最初每年只出一到两个分册。
• Early papers were largely taxonomic and stratigraphic, reflecting a science then regarded as an auxiliary to geology.早期论文以分类与地层内容为主，反映了当时把古生物学视为地质学辅助学科的观念。
• A biological outlook took hold during the 1960s, well before the launch of Paleobiology in 1975.到了 1960 年代，生物学视角逐渐占据上风，时间远早于 1975 年《Paleobiology》的创刊。
• Oxford University Press handled production in the early decades, and the journal later moved to Blackwell, now part of Wiley.最初几十年由牛津大学出版社负责出版，后来转由 Blackwell 承担，该公司如今属于 Wiley。
• The number of parts per volume rose from four to six, giving the bimonthly rhythm the journal still follows.每卷分册数由四个增加到六个，形成了刊物沿用至今的双月出版节奏。
• The dark blue cover with a fossil image was adopted in the 1970s at the suggestion of the press, and it has survived later redesigns.带化石图案的深蓝色封面在 1970 年代依照出版社的建议采用，此后历经改版一直保留。
• Special Papers in Palaeontology ran from 1967 to 2014 as a venue for monographs and themed volumes, and was replaced in 2015 by Papers in Palaeontology.《Special Papers in Palaeontology》从 1967 年办到 2014 年，专门刊发专著与专题卷，2015 年由《Papers in Palaeontology》接替。
• The Association marked the journal's 60th anniversary in 2017, by which time every issue had been made available online.协会在 2017 年迎来刊物六十周年，当时全部过刊已经可以在线获取。
• Volumes up to 42 (1999) are available through the Association's archive and the Biodiversity Heritage Library, while recent issues sit behind Wiley.第 42 卷（1999 年）以前的过刊可在协会档案库与生物多样性遗产图书馆获取，近期各期则通过 Wiley 平台发行。
• Volume 68 (2025) ran to six issues, and the Journal Citation Reports list 38 articles for the year.2025 年的第 68 卷共出六期，期刊引证报告统计当年论文为 38 篇。
• The impact factor moved from 4.073 in 2021 to 3.547 in 2022, 2.5 in 2023 and 2.3 in 2024 before recovering to 3.2 in 2025.影响因子从 2021 年的 4.073 降至 2022 年的 3.547，2023 年为 2.5，2024 年为 2.3，2025 年回升至 3.2。
• In the 2025 Journal Citation Reports the journal ranks first among 58 titles in Paleontology, at the 99.1st percentile, with a Journal Citation Indicator of 1.52.在 2025 年的期刊引证报告中，本刊在 58 种古生物学期刊中排名第一，位于 99.1 百分位，期刊引证指标为 1.52。

Editors

• Michael J. Benton of the University of Bristol is Editor-in-Chief, and S. Thomas serves as Publications Officer with responsibility for the editorial office.布里斯托大学的 Michael J. Benton 担任主编，S. Thomas 出任出版事务官并负责编辑部日常事务。
• The 2026 Editorial Board comprises M. R. Smith of Durham University, M. Stocker of Virginia Tech, B. Cariglino of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales and A. Lukeneder of the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna.2026 年编委会由四人组成，包括杜伦大学的 M. R. Smith，弗吉尼亚理工的 M. Stocker，阿根廷自然科学博物馆的 B. Cariglino，以及维也纳自然史博物馆的 A. Lukeneder。
• Roughly forty Scientific Editors handle manuscripts, drawn from institutions in Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Australia.约四十位科学编辑负责稿件处理，分别来自欧洲与北美，以及南美、亚洲和澳大利亚的机构。
• An initial assessment by the Editorial Board normally takes two days, and a manuscript judged outside the remit may be transferred to Papers in Palaeontology.编委会通常在两天内完成初评，超出办刊范围的稿件可转往《Papers in Palaeontology》。
• Papers lacking novelty or too narrow in scope are rejected without review, and manuscripts that fall short of the author instructions may be returned immediately.缺乏新意或范围过窄的稿件不经评审即被退稿，未按作者须知准备的稿件也可能直接退回。
• When review is warranted, a Scientific Editor manages the process and a decision rests on at least two referee reports together with editorial judgement.进入评审后由科学编辑主持流程，决定建立在至少两份审稿意见与编辑判断之上。
• Comments on published papers are sent to the corresponding author, and a reply can be published alongside the discussion.针对已发表论文的评论会送交通讯作者，答复可以与讨论稿同期发表。
• Accounts of the journal's first decades describe anonymous outside referees working alongside a non-specialist internal reader from Council, who judged whether a paper suited the general readership.刊物早期的回忆文字提到，匿名外审之外还设有一位来自理事会的非专业内审，负责判断论文是否适合普通读者。
• The Association and both of its journals are members of COPE and follow its guidance, with a published ethics code and a route for reporting misconduct.协会与两份刊物均为出版伦理委员会成员并遵循其规范，同时公布了伦理准则与不端行为举报渠道。
• Data archiving through Dryad, author contribution statements and detailed figure guidelines form part of the submission requirements.通过 Dryad 存档数据、提交作者贡献声明以及遵守详细的插图规范，都属于投稿要求的一部分。
• The journal publishes discussion and reply pairs, and it also accepts technical reports on new methods and software.刊物成对刊登讨论与答复，也接受介绍新方法与新软件的技术报告。
• Editorial decisions are communicated with referee comments, and the journal states that demand far exceeds the number of papers it can publish each year.编辑决定会连同审稿意见一并告知作者，刊物也说明来稿量远超每年可刊登的篇幅。