American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Encyclopedia
The American Journal of Physical Anthropology (AJPA) 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
.
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. In addition to its monthly issues, the association also publishes two supplements, the Yearbook of Physical Anthropology and a meeting supplement.
and eugenics
. Hrdlička put prominent eugenicist
Charles Davenport
on the AJPA editorial board, and used his connection to the racist and anti-immigrant Madison Grant
to obtain funding for his new journal. Hrdlička was deeply suspicious of genetics and statistics; not even standard deviation
s 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.
, osteology
, anatomy
, biology
, genetics
, primatology
, and forensic science.
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 Science, and Science
. According to the Journal Citation Reports
, its 2010 impact factor
is 2.693, ranking it 4th out of 75 in the category "Anthropology" and 21st out of 45 in the category "Evolutionary Biology". Additionally, the AJPA has earned the most citations in the category "Anthropology" each year for over a decade.
supplement of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. It provides "broad but thorough coverage of developments within the discipline" of physical anthropology.
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
scientific journal
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
and the official journal of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists
American Association of Physical Anthropologists
The American Association of Physical Anthropologists is an American-based international scientific society of physical anthropologists. It was formed in 1930, with Morris Steggerda as one of its founding members. They have 1,700 members. They publish the American Journal of Physical...
. It was established in 1918 by Aleš Hrdlička
Aleš Hrdlicka
Aleš Hrdlička or Ales Hrdlicka was a Czech anthropologist who lived in the United States after his family had moved there in 1881...
.
The journal covers the field of physical anthropology
Biological anthropology
Biological anthropology is that branch of anthropology that studies the physical development of the human species. It plays an important part in paleoanthropology and in forensic 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
Wistar Institute
The Wistar Institute is a biomedical center, with a focus on cancer research and vaccine development. It is located in the University City section of Philadelphia, Pa...
was the original publisher. 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 racismScientific racism
Scientific racism is the use of scientific techniques and hypotheses to sanction the belief in racial superiority or racism.This is not the same as using scientific findings and the scientific method to investigate differences among the humans and argue that there are races...
and eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
. Hrdlička put prominent eugenicist
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
Charles Davenport
Charles Davenport
Charles Benedict Davenport was a prominent American eugenicist and biologist. He was one of the leaders of the American eugenics movement, which was directly involved in the sterilization of around 60,000 "unfit" Americans and strongly influenced the Holocaust in Europe.- Biography :Davenport was...
on the AJPA editorial board, and used his connection to the racist and anti-immigrant Madison Grant
Madison Grant
Madison Grant was an American lawyer, historian and physical anthropologist, known primarily for his work as a eugenicist and conservationist...
to obtain funding for his new journal. Hrdlička was deeply suspicious of genetics and statistics; not even standard deviation
Standard deviation
Standard deviation is a widely used measure of variability or diversity used in statistics and probability theory. It shows how much variation or "dispersion" there is from the average...
s 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 AJPA has grown and developed into research areas far beyond its origins. It publishes high quality scientific research in areas such as human paleontologyPaleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, osteology
Osteology
Osteology is the scientific study of bones. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and archeology, osteology is a detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, morphology, function, disease, pathology, the process of ossification , the resistance and hardness of bones , etc...
, anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, primatology
Primatology
Primatology is the scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos...
, and forensic science.
Impact
In 2009, the AJPA was selected by the Special Libraries AssociationSpecial Libraries Association
Special Libraries Association is an international professional association for library and information professionals working in business, government, law, finance, non-profit, and academic organizations and institutions....
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
American Journal of Botany
The American Journal of Botany is a peer-reviewed scientific journal which includes research papers on all aspects of plant biology. It is published by the Botanical Society of America on a monthly basis since 1914....
, British Medical Journal
BMJ
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
, Journal of Paleontology
Journal of Paleontology
The Journal of Paleontology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the field of paleontology, published by The Paleontological Society.-Indexing:The Journal of Paleontogy is indexed in:*BIOSIS Previews*Science Citation Index...
, Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
, Journal of Zoology
Journal of Zoology
The Journal of Zoology is a scientific journal concerning zoology, the study of animals. It was founded in 1830 by the Zoological Society of London and is published by Wiley-Blackwell. It carries original research papers, which are targeted towards general readers...
, Nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
, New England Journal of Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. According to the Journal Citation Reports
Journal Citation Reports
Journal Citation Reports is an annual publication by the Healthcare & Science division of Thomson Reuters. It has been integrated with the Web of Knowledge, by Thomson Reuters, and is accessed from the Web of Science to JCR Web. It provides information about academic journals in the sciences and...
, its 2010 impact factor
Impact factor
The impact factor, often abbreviated IF, is a measure reflecting the average number of citations to articles published in science and social science journals. It is frequently used as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field, with journals with higher impact factors deemed...
is 2.693, ranking it 4th out of 75 in the category "Anthropology" and 21st out of 45 in the category "Evolutionary Biology". Additionally, the AJPA 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-reviewedPeer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
supplement of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. It provides "broad but thorough coverage of developments within the discipline" of physical anthropology.