About

 

The Yearbook of Biological Anthropology is an official journal of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists (AABA). The Yearbook is published annually, typically in the January of the year following the official issue year (for example, the 2026 Yearbook will be officially published in January of 2027, although individual articles will be available in Early View before that date. 

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The Yearbook’s impact factor is tied to that of the AABA’s other official journal, the American Journal of Biological Anthropology (AJBA). Together, these are top journals listed in the anthropology category by the Social Science Citation Index. The reputation of the Yearbook and the AJBA combined, as leading publications in biological anthropology, is built on a decades-long record of publishing high quality articles.

 

Aims and Scope

Yearbook articles are long-form pieces that provide in-depth coverage of the most salient issues in Biological Anthropology. Articles range from scientific pieces that fall squarely within life science models of Biological Anthropology, to theoretical ones that challenge the discipline to see itself in more expansive ways. The Editors-in-Chief are particularly interested in submissions that take inclusive approaches to bioanthropological scholarship. That is, pieces that are intersectional in terms of the questions asked, interpretive frameworks engaged, and theoretical orientations reflected. While the articles published in the Yearbook contribute to scientific epistemologies, the journal embraces a multi-field approach to knowledge-building. Yearbook manuscripts therefore can engage either quantitative or qualitative approaches.

 

Manuscripts are expected to incorporate considerations of voice and power throughout, regardless of topic.  In particular, the critical issue of power differentials among actors (including institutions, organizations, formal socio-political structures, individual researchers, and communities) should be discussed. This could include a section with the individual researcher’s reflections on the intent but also the impact of the research, or it could be woven throughout the piece whereby major questions and/or issues that need mitigation are brought to the reader’s attention at various turns. Pieces should also broaden the knowledge base on which they situate their research by considering, for example, more inclusive citational practices or Indigenous frameworks. Doing so will help expand the types of studies that are given authority in our field.  Finally, we encourage pieces that would be transformational for the equitable practice of Biological Anthropology.

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Editorial Policies

 

As stated above, all Yearbook articles are expected to incorporate discussions of voice, harm mitigation, and power differentials. Below are additional practical resources for consideration.  

 

This journal requires that you include in the manuscript details of any IRB approvals, ethical treatment of human and animal research participants, and gathering of informed consent, as appropriate. You will be expected to declare all conflicts of interest, or none, on submission. Please review Wiley’s policies surrounding human studies, animal studies, clinical trial registration, biosecurity, and research reporting guidelines.

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Additionally, this journal follows the core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and handles cases of research and publication misconduct accordingly. 

 

Data Sharing

The Yearbook supports sharing data and other supporting material referenced in the paper, in circumstances where it is ethical to do so. Data sharing implies stable archiving of research data. The chosen data repository should offer guaranteed preservation (see the registry of research data repositories at https://www.re3data.org/) and should make the data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable, according to FAIR Data Principles. 

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If applicable (i.e., the article presents original data), accepted manuscripts should publish a data availability statement to confirm the presence or absence of shared data. A data availability statement should go in the main text, and describe how data can be accessed, and include a persistent identifier (e.g., a DOI for the data, or an accession number) from the repository where you shared the data. Shared data should also be cited (please follow Wiley’s Data Citation policy). You may use the Standard Templates for Author Use or draft your own. If data cannot be shared, provide a statement explaining the absence of shared data.

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Peer Review and Acceptance

The acceptance criteria for all articles are based on the quality, originality, and significance to the Yearbook’s readership. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editors-in-Chief and the assigned Associate Editors determine that the article meets these criteria.

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The Yearbook conducts single-anonymous reviews. Submissions are sent to three reviewers, who agree to act in accordance with generally accepted publication ethics and best practices (including the Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). 

 

Wiley's Peer Review Policy is available here.

 

Conflicts of Interest

Authors will be asked to disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest in a Conflict of-Interest Statement provided during the submission process. Any interest or relationship, financial or otherwise that might be perceived as influencing an author's objectivity is considered a potential source of conflict of interest. These must be disclosed when directly relevant or directly related to the work that the authors describe in their manuscript. The existence of a conflict of interest does not preclude publication. If the authors have no conflict of interest to declare, they must also state this at submission. It is the responsibility of the Corresponding Author to review this policy with all authors and to disclose ALL pertinent commercial and other relationships with the submission.

 

Authorship

The list of authors should accurately illustrate who contributed to the work and how. All those listed as authors should qualify for authorship according to the following criteria:

1.    Have made substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data.

2.     Been involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

3.     Given final approval of the version to be published. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.

4.     Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

 

Contributions from anyone who does not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed, with permission from the contributors, in the Acknowledgments section (for example, to recognize contributions from people who provided technical help, collation of data, writing assistance, acquisition of funding, or a department chairperson who provided general support). Prior to submitting the article all authors should agree on the order in which their names will be listed in the manuscript.  

 

In the case of joint first authorship, a footnote should be added to the author listing, e.g. ‘X and Y should be considered joint first author,’ or ‘X and Y should be considered joint senior author.

 

Wiley’s Author Name Change Policy

In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, Wiley will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services. Our editorial and production teams will use discretion in recognizing that name changes may be of a sensitive and private nature for various reasons including (but not limited to) alignment with gender identity, or because of marriage, divorce, or religious conversion. Accordingly, to protect the author’s privacy, we will not publish a correction notice to the article, and we will not notify co-authors of the change. Authors should contact the journal’s Editorial Office with their name change request.

 

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)

As part of the journal’s commitment to supporting authors at every step of the publishing process, the journal requires the submitting author to provide their ORCID iD when submitting a manuscript; contributing authors may also submit their ORCID iDs. Find more information on ORCID iDs here.

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Submission

 

Submission to the Yearbook requires that the content has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere except as a brief abstract in the proceedings of a scientific meeting or symposium.  This journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts. 

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Once submission materials have been prepared in accordance with these Author Guidelines, manuscripts should be submitted online via the journal online editorial system. If you do not have online access, contact the Editors-in-Chief at YearbookBioAnth@gmail.com before submission.

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By submitting a manuscript, your name, email address, affiliation, and other contact details will be used for the regular operations of the publication, including, when necessary, sharing with the publisher (Wiley) and partners for production and publication. The Yearbook and the publisher recognize the importance of protecting personal information collected from users in the operation of these services, and have practices in place to ensure that steps are taken to maintain the security, integrity, and privacy of any personal data collected and processed. Please review Wiley’s Data Protection Policy to learn more.

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Submission Materials

You will be asked to submit the manuscript in four separate file types: a “main text" file, “figure” file(s), “table” file, and “supporting information” file(s). Only the "main text" file is mandatory. Keep in mind that the totality of materials (i.e., text, figures, tables, plus any video) cannot exceed 350 MB.

 

The "main text" file must contain the following sections:

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1. Short informative title: 

The title should contain the major keywords (see below). The title should not contain abbreviations. (See Wiley's best practice Search Engine Optimization [SEO] tips.)

 

2. Short running title: 

The short running title should be less than 48 characters.

 

3. Authors and author list: 

Provide the author(s) full name(s), in accordance with the journal’s authorship policy, as detailed above

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Also provide the authors’ institutional affiliations where the work was conducted, with a footnote for the authors’ present address if different from where the work was conducted.

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4. Abstract(s):

Provide an English-language abstract of 250 words or fewer containing the major keywords (see below) summarizing the article. Below the English-language abstract, you may include additional translated abstracts in up to seven other languages.

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5. Keywords:

Provide three to five keywords. Keywords should not replicate words in the title, as they should function to expand the article’s visibility in online searches. (See Wiley's best practice Search Engine Optimization [SEO] tips.)

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6. Main manuscript:

Yearbook articles range from approximately 10,000 - 20,000 words of text, not including the abstract(s), acknowledgements, references, captions or legends, and Supplementary Information. Prepare your manuscript using US English spelling conventions.

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7. Data Availability Statement:

If your manuscript contains original data that are subject to data sharing, your accepted manuscript must also contain a data availability statement. Sample statements are available here. This statement will describe how the data can be accessed, and include a persistent identifier (e.g., a DOI for the data, or an accession number) from the repository where you shared the data. If you cannot share the data described in your manuscript, for example for legal or ethical reasons, then provide your reasons in the data availability statement. 

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If no original data were used, you can simply state that in this section.

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8. Acknowledgments

Contributors who do not meet the authorship criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgments section. Authors are responsible for ensuring that anyone named in the Acknowledgments agrees to be named. 

 

Authors should list all funding sources in the Acknowledgments section Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their funder designation. If in doubt, please check the Open Funder Registry for the correct nomenclature.

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9. References

References should be prepared according to the latest version of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). In-text citations should follow the author-date method whereby the author's last name and the publication year are separated by a comma, for example, (Jones, 1998). Articles with one or two authors include all last names, and articles with three or more are abbreviated to the first author’s last name plus “et al.” in every in-text citation, for example, (Jones et al., 1998). When citing multiple works by different authors in parentheses, place the citations in alphabetical order, separated by semicolons.

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The complete list of references cited should be placed at the end of the article immediately following the Acknowledgments. References should be listed alphabetically by the first author’s last name. Always include the issue number for a journal article. If the journal does not use volume, issue, and/or article or page numbers, omit the missing element(s) from the reference. If the journal is published quarterly and the month or season (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) is noted, include that with the date element. If the volume, issue, and/or article or page numbers have simply not yet been assigned, use the format for an advance online publication or an in-press article.

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A DOI should be provided for all references where available. DOIs and URLs should be written as hyperlinks (i.e., beginning with “http:'' or “https:”). If the journal article has an article number instead of a page range, include the word “Article” and then the article number instead of the page range.

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For more information about APA referencing style, please refer to the APA Style & Grammar Guidelines. The APA page also has a handy Quick Guide.

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10. Figure captions

For each figure, please provide a caption describing the image.  This should be in the section of the article manuscript immediately after the references.  Tables do not require captions to be listed here, they will be within the self-contained "Table" file(s) (see below).

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Optional Submission Materials

 

Tables

Tables should be self-contained and complement, not duplicate, information contained in the article text. They should be supplied as editable files, not pasted as images. Table legends should be concise but comprehensive – the table, legend, and footnotes must be understandable without reference to the text. All abbreviations must be defined in footnotes. Footnote symbols: †, ‡, §, ¶, should be used (in that order) and *, **, *** should be reserved for p-values. Statistical measures such as SD or SEM should be identified in the headings.

 

Figures

Individual figures should be submitted as separate files. Authors are encouraged to send the highest-quality figures possible for publication. However, for peer-review purposes, a wide variety of formats, sizes, and resolutions are accepted though ideally the file size should not exceed 5 MB. Click here for the basic requirements for figures submitted with manuscripts for initial peer review, as well as the more detailed post-acceptance figure requirements. Please do not submit zipped files.

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Figures submitted in color are reproduced in color online free of charge. Please note, however, that it is preferable that line figures (e.g., graphs and charts) are supplied in black and white so that they are legible when printed by a reader in black and white.

 

Figure Captions & Legends

Captions and legends should be concise but comprehensive – both figure and its caption/legend must be understandable without reference to the text. Include definitions of any symbols used and define/explain all abbreviations and units of measurement. For each figure, please provide the caption and legend (if applicable)  in the section of the article manuscript immediately after the references.

 

Supporting Information

Supporting Information is information that is not essential to the reading of the article, but provides greater depth and background. It is hosted online and appears without editing or typesetting. It may include tables, figures, videos, datasets, etc.

 

Click here for Wiley’s FAQs on Supporting Information.

 

Note: if the analyses presented in the paper include data, scripts, or other tools that are publicly available via a data repository, authors should include a reference to the location of the material within the article text.

 

Embedded Rich Media

Articles may contain embedded rich media (i.e., video and audio). Rich media files should be submitted with the manuscript files online, using either the “Embedded Video” or “Embedded Audio” file designation. For full guidance on accepted file types and resolution please see here.

 

Ensure each file is numbered (e.g., Video 1, Video 2, etc.). Legends for rich media files should be placed at the end of the article after Figure Legends.

 

Video content should not display overt product advertising. Educational presentations are encouraged.

 

Any speech should be captioned in English. A transcript of any speech within the video/audio should be provided in a separate file. An English translation of any non-English speech should be provided in the transcript.

 

All embedded rich media will be subject to peer review. Editors reserve the right to request edits to rich media files as a condition of acceptance. Contributors are asked to be succinct, and the Editors reserve the right to require shorter video/audio duration. The video/audio should be high quality (both in content and visibility/audibility). The video/audio should make a specific point; particularly, it should demonstrate the features described in the text of the manuscript.

 

t is the responsibility of the corresponding author to seek informed consent from any identifiable participant in the rich media files. Masking a participant’s eyes, or excluding head and shoulders is not sufficient. Please ensure that a signed consent form is provided for each participant.

 

Graphical Abstract

A graphical abstract provides readers with a visual representation of your contribution and an efficient way to appreciate the article’s main message. This feature is part of the online article format and will appear in the online Table of Contents of each Yearbook issue. 

 

If you choose to provide one, please upload an illustration describing the context and significance of your contribution for the broader readership, and to attract the attention of non-specialists. Provide a single image, not one containing multiple panels. We recommend selecting an image or graphic that is easy to read and devoid of cluttering items to clearly convey visual information. Labels, while useful, must be kept to a minimum. The image should be provided in one of the following height and width configurations: 400 x 300, 300 x 400, or 400 x 400 pixel, and at a maximal resolution of 72 dpi. Please use Arial or Helvetica font with a size of 10-12 points.  Preferred file types are EPS and TIFF. When uploading, please designate the image as “Graphical Abstract Image.”

 

Social Media Summary

We would like to promote your accepted article via our social media platforms. For this purpose, you will be invited to provide at the submission stage a Social Media Summary of no more than 95 characters that conveys the essential message of your paper, which we will review, edit if necessary, and post when your article is published.

 

General Style Points

The following points provide general advice on formatting and style.

• Avoid abbreviating terms unless they are used repeatedly, and the abbreviation is helpful to the reader. When used in the first instance of an abstract and in the article’s main text , use the word in full, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter use the abbreviation only.

• Measurements should be given as per the International System of Units (SI), commonly known as the metric system. See the International Bureau of Weights and Measures for more information.

• Numbers under 10 are spelled out, except for measurements with a unit (8 mmol/l), ages (6 weeks old), or lists with other numbers (11 dogs, 9 cats, 4 gerbils).

• Always use generic rather than trade (i.e., brand or corporate) names. 

 

Wiley Author Resources

Wiley has a range of resources for authors preparing manuscripts for submission available here. Authors may benefit from referring to Wiley’s best practice tips on Writing for Search Engine Optimization.

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Wiley Editing Services offers expert help with English Language Editing, as well as translation, manuscript formatting, figure illustration, figure formatting, and graphical abstract design.

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Also, check out Wiley’s resources for Preparing Your Article for general guidance about writing and preparing your manuscript.

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Licensing

Bronze Open Access

Yearbook articles are freely available online through Wiley Online Library as Bronze Open Access. This means that all Yearbook articles are by default free to read and download. Unlike the AJBA, the article license remains with the American Association of Biological Anthropologists, and not with the publisher (Wiley). Thus, authors do not need to purchase Gold Open Access publication to make their article freely readable, as we automatically unlock the papers published in the Yearbook. Bronze Open Access articles appear as “Free Access” on the Wiley website.

 

Please note that some authors may be mandated by their funder/institution to publish as Gold Open Access, and some authors may be able to publish Gold Open Access at no cost to them through Wiley's transitional agreements. With Gold Open Access, the article’s license is with the author. Gold Open Access articles appear as “Open Access” on the Wiley website.

 

Licensing Process

If your article is accepted, the author identified as the Corresponding Author will receive an email prompting them to log in to Author Services, where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be required to complete a copyright license agreement on behalf of all authors.

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For authors signing the copyright transfer agreement

The Corresponding Author will be presented with the copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to sign. The article will be made free to read upon publication, free of charge. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the samples associated with the Copyright FAQs.

 

For authors choosing Gold Open Access

With Gold Open Access, authors retain copyright and articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution License. The article’s designated corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):

• Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY) OAA

• Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (CC-BY-NC) OAA

• Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial-NoDerivs License (CC-BY-NC-ND) OAA

 

General information regarding licensing and copyright is available on the Wiley Author Services and the Wiley Open Access websites. 

 

Note to NIH, Wellcome Trust, and Research Councils UK Grantees 

Pursuant to NIH mandate, Wiley will post the accepted version of contributions authored by NIH grant-holders to PubMed Central upon acceptance. This accepted version will be made publicly available 12 months after publication. Please click here for further information. If you select the Gold Open Access option and your research is funded by the Wellcome Trust or the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) you will be given the opportunity to publish your article under a Creative Commons (CC) BY or a CC BY-ND license.

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Post-Acceptance Publication Process

Accepted Articles

All accepted manuscripts are subject to editing. Authors have final approval of changes prior to publication.

 

Proofs

Authors will receive an e-mail notification with a link and instructions for accessing HTML page proofs online. Page proofs should be carefully proofread for any copyediting or typesetting errors. Online guidelines are provided within the system. No special software is required, as all common browsers are supported. Authors should also make sure that any renumbered tables, figures, or references match text citations and that figure legends correspond with text citations and actual figures. Proofs must be returned within 48 business hours of receipt of the email. Return of proofs via e-mail is possible if an online system cannot be used or accessed. 

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Post-Publication

Access and sharing

When the article is published online:

• The author receives an email alert (if requested).

• The link to the published article can be shared through social media. See Wiley's best practice Search Engine Optimization [SEO] tips.

 

Article Promotion Support 

Wiley Editing Services offers professional video, design, and writing services to create shareable video abstracts, infographics, conference posters, lay summaries, and research news stories for your research – so you can help your research get the attention it deserves.

 

Measuring the Impact of an Article

Wiley helps authors measure the impact of their research through a specialist partnership with Altmetric.

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Contact Details

For queries about submissions, please contact the Editors-in-Chief, Sheela Athreya and Graciela Cabana, at the following email: YearbookBioAnth@gmail.com.

 

For queries about journal production, please contact Reeni Sunder, Wiley, at the following email: sreeni@wiley.com.

 

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Genevieve Richards, Senior Publisher, Wiley, at the following email: grichards@wiley.com.

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