Focus and Scope

Bioarchaeology International is a journal that is global in scope, providing rigorous peer-reviewed publication of substantive articles related to the study of archaeological human remains and mortuary sites. Submissions that are contextually and theoretically informed, and explore the human condition and ways in which human remains and their funerary contexts can provide unique insight on variation, behavior, and lifestyle of past people and communities are encouraged. Studies may represent varying scales of analysis (e.g., regional, community, site/sample, individual, structural, cellular or molecular) that focus on theoretical and methodological issues in the field. Topics of interest include mortuary archaeology and funerary practices, social identity and life course, demography, diet, disease, activity and behavior, residential mobility and migration, skeletal and dental morphological variation and biodistance, trajectories of growth and development, taphonomic processes, responses to shifts in climate or subsistence, responses to colonization or conquest, and other relevant subjects.

The journal publishes articles ahead of print in Early View as soon as they ready for publication then later gathers these articles into quarterly issues. 

Types of Papers

  • Research Articles: Full-length theoretically informed and data-oriented submissions related to the intent and scope of the journal. These papers may include broad interregional comparisons, regional perspectives, population/community or site/sample level analyses, or explore themes of interest in bioarchaeology. Manuscripts should range from 6000–8000 words, excluding tables, figure captions, and references. 
  • Brief Reports: Shorter submissions that may be of a methodological or technical nature or provide innovative perspectives or insights of interest to other investigators. Manuscripts should be 2000–3000 words in length, excluding tables, figure captions, and references.
  • Invited Commentary: Essays that provide synthetic commentary and perspectives on recent themes or issues in the field. Commentary normally will be invited by the editors-in-chief, though proposals to contribute an essay on a particular topic may also be considered. Manuscripts usually should not exceed 5000 words exclusive of tables, figure captions, and references.

Publication Frequency

The journal is published online as a continuous volume and issue throughout the year. Articles are made available as soon as they are ready to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays in getting content publicly available.

Special collections of articles are welcomed and will be published as part of the normal issue, but also within a separate collection page.

Open Access Policy

Authors have the choice to pay an open access fee to have their article made freely available to both subscribers and the public. For more information, please contact Lauren Phillips.

Archiving Policy

Authors may self-archive the preprint version of their article at any time within a personal website or institutional repository. Authors may self-archive the published article after the end of a one-year embargo period.

Advertisement policy

Advertising in Bioarchaeology International is available at the following rates: Full Page, 5 x 8, $400; Half page, 5 x 4, $250. Ads must be submitted as grayscale PDFs, at least 300 dpi. All ads are subject to the approval of the publisher. Please contact Lauren Phillipsfor more information.