Journal of Systematic Palaeontology

Documenting how faunas and floras are distributed through time and space remains a primary goal of palaeontology. 

It is on the basis of this evidence that most of our current theories of large-scale evolutionary patterns and processes are founded. The primary data underpinning the science is provided by taxonomic descriptions of fossils and phylogenetic analyses of their relationships. 

This journal publishes major papers that use systematics in ways that significantly advance our understanding of palaeogeography, palaeobiology, functional morphology, palaeoecology, biostratigraphy or phylogenetic relationships. 

Shorter contributions on technical or conceptual issues relating to systematic methodology and conservation issues are also welcome. In this way the journal aims to demonstrate and strengthen the fundamental contribution systematics and collection-based data make to evolutionary palaeobiology.

Key features

• no restrictions on geographic, taxonomic or temporal coverage
• emphasis on high quality of illustration with large page format
• provides an outlet for alpha-taxonomy (including monographs)
• international editorial team, covering all areas of palaeontology
• published articles to be rigorously refereed to the highest scholarly standards
• submission online via the dedicated Manuscript Central website where Instructions to Authors are also located.

Editor-in-chief

Paul D. Taylor
Natural History Museum
London SW7 5BD
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Editorial Assistant

Natasha Campbell
Natural History Museum
London SW7 5BD
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Associate Editors 

(all Natural History Museum, London)
Greg Edgecombe
Paul Kenrick
Adrian Lister
Susannah C. R. Maidment
Andrew Smith

Editorial Board

Paul Barrett
Natural History Museum
London, UK

Chris Cleal
National Museum of Wales
Cardiff, UK

Doug Erwin
Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institute
Washington DC, USA


Robert Fensome
Geological Survey of Canada
Dartmouth
Nova Scotia, Canada

John Flynn
The Field Museum
Chicago, USA

Philippe Janvier
Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle
Paris, France

John Maisey
American Museum of Natural History
New York, USA

Jiayu Rong
Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, China

Mike Simmons
CASP
Cambridge University
Cambridge, UK