Discipline Physical anthropology Edited by Peter Ellison | Language English Publication history 1918–present | |
Abbreviated title (ISO 4) Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. Publisher John Wiley & Sons for the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (United States) | ||
The American Journal of Physical Anthropology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal and the official journal of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. It was established in 1918 by Aleš Hrdlička (U.S. National Museum, now the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History).
Contents
The journal covers the field of physical anthropology, a discipline which Hrdlička defined in the first issue as "the study of racial anatomy, physiology and pathology." The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology was the original publisher. Before launching publication, there were few outlets in the United States to publish scientific work in physical anthropology. Scientists hoping to learn more about recent discoveries often had to wait for several months or even years before becoming available in libraries throughout the country. In addition to its monthly issues, the association also publishes two supplements, the Yearbook of Physical Anthropology and a meeting supplement.
History
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, anthropology was embedded in a larger milieu of scientific racism and eugenics. Hrdlička put prominent eugenicist Charles Davenport on the journal's editorial board, and used his connection to Madison Grant to obtain funding for his new journal. Hrdlička was deeply suspicious of genetics and statistics; not even standard deviations were allowed into his journal during his 24 years as editor-in-chief. After his death, the journal continued as the organ of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, which Hrdlička had founded in 1930.
Modern focus
Like the field of physical anthropology, the journal has grown and developed into research areas far beyond its origins. It publishes research in areas such as human paleontology, osteology, anatomy, biology, genetics, primatology, and forensic science.
Impact
In 2009, the journal was selected by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 10 most influential journals of the century in the fields of biology and medicine, along with the American Journal of Botany, British Medical Journal, Journal of Paleontology, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Zoology, Nature, New England Journal of Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Science. According to the Journal Citation Reports, its 2011 impact factor is 2.824, ranking it 6th out of 79 in the category "Anthropology" and 23rd out of 45 in the category "Evolutionary Biology". Additionally, the journal has earned the most citations in the category "Anthropology" each year for over a decade.
Yearbook of Physical Anthropology
The Yearbook of Physical Anthropology is an annual peer-reviewed supplement of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. It provides "broad but thorough coverage of developments within the discipline" of physical anthropology.