The Journal of Arid Land (JAL) is an international journal (ISSN 1674-6767 (print version), 2194-7783 (electronic version); CN 65-1278/K) for the natural sciences, sponsored by the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Science Press and China Society of Natural Resources. It is published by Science Press and KeAi (from 1 January 2026). JAL is a monthly journal with 12 issues per year. 

In July 2011, all issues of JAL were selected to be included in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) and Current Contents/Agriculture, Biology & Environmental Sciences (CC/AB&ES). According to the Journal Citation Reports, the impact factor of JAL in 2024 is 3.1. JAL has also been abstracted or indexed internationally by Scopus, Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience Abstracts (CAB Abstracts) in the UK, VINITI Abstracts Journal (РЖ) in Russia, Index Copernicus (IC) in Poland, Cambridge Science Abstract (CSA), Ulrich's Periodicals Directory (UPD) in the USA and JST in Japan. JAL is embodied by Chinese Science Citation Database (CSCD), China Scientific and Technical Papers and Citations Database (CSTPCD) and China Academic Journals Integrated Online Database. 

JAL publishes original, innovative, and integrative research in arid and semiarid regions, addressing various aspects in geography, geology, pedology, hydrology, biology, ecology and meteorology. The following topics are covered:

(1) The dynamics of natural resources, including water, soil/land, organisms and climate and the security and sustainable development of natural resources, the environment and the ecology, especially for central Asia;

(2) The interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere, and the relationship between these natural processes and human activities;

(3) Patterns of geography, ecology and environment; Ecological improvement and environmental protection;

(4) Regional responses and feedback mechanisms to global change.

The following types of manuscripts are considered for peer-reviewed publication in JAL.

Research Articles: Before writing a manuscript, author(s) should refer to the latest research results from the world to ensure manuscripts reach an international and advanced level. All articles must report original, innovative and complete results. Generally, research articles (including figures and tables) should not exceed 25 printed pages with an abstract of 300 to 500 words.

Review Articles: Summarize progress in core scientific disciplines, detail the research status, and include suggestions for future studies. The author(s) must be familiar with the topic and have several years of relevant research experience. Review articles should not exceed 25 pages.

Brief Communications: Report novel and innovative findings in natural sciences. Manuscripts of this type should be short with a brief abstract.

News and Items: Report important scientific news, information, and academic affairs, including the introduction and commentary of recent outstanding monographs, etc.

Since JAL was founded in 2009, scientists and researchers have contributed work from arid and semiarid areas in the world. Foreign authors have accounted for about 25% of the papers published, and 20% of the authors belonging exclusively to foreign organizations in countries such as USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Sudan.

Articles submitted to JAL must be peer-reviewed based strictly on speciality and language. Language revisions are administered by professional English editors.

JAL’s audience includes technical and scientific researchers and scholars specific to arid and semiarid regions, as well as university professors and students studying geography, geology, pedology, hydrology, biology, ecology and meteorology.

Scientists and researchers are welcomed to submit original manuscripts with high theoretical value, new research methods and global application to JAL online:

http://jal.xjegi.com; https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/journal-of-arid-land/

Electronic edition

An electronic version is available at

jal.xjegi.com

Production

Printed in People’s Republic of China

Online at http://jal.xjegi.com and ScienceDirect

Contact information:

Address: The Editorial Office of Journal of Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China

Fax: +86-991-7827335

Email: xjjal@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Website: http://jal.xjegi.com; https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/journal-of-arid-land/