About this journal
Aims and scope
The Professional Geographer, initially a publication of the American Society for Professional Geographers, became a journal of the American Association of Geographers in 1949. It publishes short articles of academic or applied geography, emphasizing empirical studies and methodologies. These features may range in content and approach from rigorously analytic to broadly philosophical or prescriptive. The journal provides a forum for new ideas and alternative viewpoints.
The Professional Geographer accepts the following types of articles: Regular Manuscripts, Focus Sections, Research Notes, and Commentaries. For information on submitting a Research Note or Commentary, contact the Managing Editor at [email protected].
Peer Review Policy: All Articles, Forums, Research Notes, and Commentaries submitted to this journal undergo a “double-anonymous” peer review by one to three referees, one of which will be the editor or designate. Commentary Responses undergo "single-anonymous" peer review.
Disclaimer
The American Association of Geographers (AAG) and Taylor & Francis make every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in its publications. However, the AAG and Taylor & Francis and its agents and licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness or suitability for any purpose of the Content and disclaim all such representations and warranties whether express or implied to the maximum extent permitted by law. Any views expressed in this publication are the views of the authors and are not necessarily the views of the Editor, the Society or Taylor & Francis.
Publication Office: Taylor & Francis, Inc., 530 Walnut Street, Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Read the Instructions for Authors and the Editorial Policies to ensure you’ve correctly followed all the requirements.
Journal metrics
Usage
- 190K annual downloads/views
Citation metrics
- 1.5 (2023) Impact Factor
- Q2 Impact Factor Best Quartile
- 1.7 (2023) 5 year IF
- 3.3 (2023) CiteScore (Scopus)
- Q2 CiteScore Best Quartile
- 0.797 (2023) SNIP
- 0.591 (2023) SJR
Speed/acceptance
- 56 days avg. from submission to first decision
- 65 days avg. from submission to first post-review decision
- 50 days avg. from acceptance to online publication
- 47% acceptance rate
Understanding and using journal metrics
Journal metrics can be a useful tool for readers, as well as for authors who are deciding where to submit their next manuscript for publication. However, any one metric only tells a part of the story of a journal’s quality and impact. Each metric has its limitations which means that it should never be considered in isolation, and metrics should be used to support and not replace qualitative review.
We strongly recommend that you always use a number of metrics, alongside other qualitative factors such as a journal’s aims & scope, its readership, and a review of past content published in the journal. In addition, a single article should always be assessed on its own merits and never based on the metrics of the journal it was published in.
For more details, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
Journal metrics in brief
Usage and acceptance rate data above are for the last full calendar year and are updated annually in February. Speed data is updated every six months, based on the prior six months. Citation metrics are updated annually mid-year. Please note that some journals do not display all of the following metrics (find out why).
- Usage: the total number of times articles in the journal were viewed by users of Taylor & Francis Online in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest thousand.
Citation Metrics
- Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal within a two-year window. Only journals in the Clarivate Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) and the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) have an Impact Factor.
- Impact Factor Best Quartile*: the journal’s highest subject category ranking in the Journal Citation Reports. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest Impact Factors.
- 5 Year Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal within a five-year window.
- CiteScore (Scopus)†: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal over a four-year period.
- CiteScore Best Quartile†: the journal’s highest CiteScore ranking in a Scopus subject category. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest CiteScores.
- SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper): the number of citations per paper in the journal, divided by citation potential in the field.
- SJR (Scimago Journal Rank): Average number of (weighted) citations in one year, divided by the number of articles published in the journal in the previous three years.
Speed/acceptance
- From submission to first decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision. Based on manuscripts receiving a first decision in the last six months.
- From submission to first post-review decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision if it is sent out for peer review. Based on manuscripts receiving a post-review first decision in the last six months.
- From acceptance to online publication: the average (median) number of days from acceptance of a manuscript to online publication of the Version of Record. Based on articles published in the last six months.
- Acceptance rate: articles accepted for publication by the journal in the previous calendar year as percentage of all papers receiving a final decision.
For more details on the data above, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
*Copyright: Journal Citation Reports®, Clarivate Analytics
†Copyright: CiteScore™, Scopus
Editorial board
Editors:
Geographic Methods Physical Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences
Heejun Chang, Portland State UniversityHuman Geography Nature & Society
Guo Chen, Michigan State University Cartography Editor:
Stephen Hanna, University of Mary Washington
Production Editor:
Robin Maier, American Association of Geographers
Publications Director:
Jennifer Cassidento, American Association of Geographers
Editorial Office:
American Association of Geographers
1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 325
Washington, DC 20006
Voice (202) 234-1450
Fax (202) 234-2744
[email protected]
www.aag.org
Editorial Board:
Luis F. Alvarez León, Dartmouth College, USA
Yuko Aoyama, Clark University, USA
Mark Barnes, Morgan State University, USA
Madelaine Cahuas, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, USA
Netra Chhetri, Arizona State University, USA
Yongwan Chun, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA
Anindita Datta, University of Delhi, India
Nerhene Davis, University of Pretoria, South Africa
LaToya Eaves, University of Tennessee, USA
Michael Fabris, University of British Columbia, Canada
Chen-Chieh Feng, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Jennifer Fluri, University of Colorado Boulder, USA
Amy Glasmeier, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Daikwon Han, Texas A&M University, USA
Heidi Østbø Haugen, University of Oslo, Norway
Canfei He, Peking University, China
Melissa Heil, Illinois State University, USA
Alison Heppenstall, University of Glasgow, UK
Elaine Ho, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Tsung-yi Michelle Huang, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Kelly Huh, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, USA
Demetrice R. Jordan, Harvard Medical School, USA
Jeon-Young Kang, Kyung Hee University, South Korea
Bandana Kar, U.S. Department of Energy, USA
Meghan Kelly, Syracuse University, USA
Daehyun Kim, Seoul National University, South Korea
Hyun Kim, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
Eden Kinkaid, University of Delaware, USA
Wei Li, Arizona State University, USA
Aaron Mallory, Arizona State University, USA
Laurel Mei-Singh, University of Texas at Austin, USA
Lorena Muñoz, California Lutheran University, USA
Hanson Nyantakyi-Frimpong, University of Denver, USA
Edward Park, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Steven Puttick, Oxford University, UK
Risha RaQuelle, American Association of Geographers, USA
Stephanie Rogers, Auburn University, USA
Shouraseni Sen Roy, University of Miami, USA
Luis Santiago, University of Central Florida, USA
Kayla Stan, University of Southern Mississippi, USA
Donggen Wang, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Megan Ybarra, University of Washington, USA
Abstracting and indexing
Open access
The Professional Geographer is a hybrid open access journal that is part of our Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research.
Why choose open access?
- Increase the discoverability and readership of your article
- Make an impact and reach new readers, not just those with easy access to a research library
- Freely share your work with anyone, anywhere
- Comply with funding mandates and meet the requirements of your institution, employer or funder
- Rigorous peer review for every open access article
Article Publishing Charges (APC)
If you choose to publish open access in this journal you may be asked to pay an Article Publishing Charge (APC). You may be able to publish your article at no cost to yourself or with a reduced APC if your institution or research funder has an open access agreement or membership with Taylor & Francis.
Use our APC finder to calculate your article publishing charge
Association information
The American Association of Geographers (AAG) is a non-profit scientific and educational society uniting members of the global geographic community. Representing the profession of geography, the AAG provides resources, events and meetings for students, educators, practitioners and partners within the discipline.
Find out more about the AAG’s leadership, committees and councilors.
The AAG advances education across a wide range of fields, including political geography, environmental geography, spatial statistics, geography of health, socio-ecological transformation, and more.
Members of the AAG can join Specialty and Affinity Groups, take part in public policy outreach and advocacy, apply for exclusive grants, and more. Members also receive unlimited online access to AAG’s four journals:
The Professional Geographer
Annals of the American Association of Geographers
GeoHumanities
The AAG Review of Books
For submission information, read the Instructions for Authors.
To register as a peer reviewer for The Professional Geographer visit the submission site to create an account and discover our Peer Reviewer Training Network.
6 issues per year
Associated with:
- Annals of the American Association of Geographers (2016 - current)
- GeoHumanities (2015 - current)
- The AAG Review of Books (2013 - current)
- African Geographical Review (2001 - current)
Advertising information
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American Association of Geographers and our publisher Taylor & Francis make every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contained in our publications. However, American Association of Geographers and our publisher Taylor & Francis, our agents (including the editor, any member of the editorial team or editorial board, and any guest editors), and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by American Association of Geographers and our publisher Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. American Association of Geographers and our publisher Taylor & Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to, or arising out of the use of the Content. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions .
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