Author Guidelines

As of 2022, Ciencias Marinas publishes all content online on a rolling basis. Articles are available online as soon as they are approved for publication. Special issues are published upon request by the Editorial Board. All manuscripts are processed fairly and equally, and Ciencias Marinas reserves the right to decline any submission that does not meet our guidelines or policies. If accepted, our in-house editors will edit your manuscript, including its tables and figures, to ensure compliance with in-house writing, reporting, and presentation guidelines. After publication, your manuscript will be freely available to the general public.

Ciencias Marinas is an international, bilingual, open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC). The journal publishes original research findings in all areas of marine science in English and Spanish. Manuscript may be submitted in English or Spanish. After being accepted, manuscripts must be translated. For more information see the Translating my manuscript section.

Submission 

Prepare your manuscript using the MS Word template.

By submitting your manuscript for publication in Ciencias Marinas, you acknowledge that you are submitting to a bilingual, international, open-access journal and declare that it is not under review in another journal, that it has not been published previously (except in the form of a conference abstract, as part of a lecture, or an academic thesis), that all authors have reviewed the manuscript and agree to its content, that it will not be published in another journal or another form once it has been accepted by Ciencias Marinas.

Copyright and Open Access

Ciencias Marinas is an open-access journal. Journal contents are accessed directly through the journal website (www.cienciasmarinas.com.mx), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), and Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina y el Caribe, España y Portugal (Redalyc).

Open-access articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows people to share and adapt the work as long as appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the source, a link is provided to the Creative Commons license, and any changes are clearly indicated. Figures, tables, and other elements in the article are included in the CC BY 4.0 license of the article unless otherwise indicated. Permission must be obtained from the copyright holder for the use of material not covered by this license. The journal title (Ciencias Marinas) is protected by copyrights owned by UABC, and the journal title and logo are not subject to the CC BY 4.0 license.

Peer review

Ciencias Marinas conducts single-blind peer review. The Editors-in-Chief will only accept submitted manuscripts that meet the Aims and Scope of the journal. Submitted manuscripts that move to the review stage will be assigned to independent reviewers, who will carefully evaluate the content of the manuscript, provide feedback, and request revisions. Based on the revised manuscript, the reviewers may reject the manuscript, request further revision, or recommend publication. The final decision for publication lies with the Editors-in-Chief.

Submission Checklist

• The study meets the Aims and Scope of Ciencias Marinas.

• The manuscript adheres to all Author Guidelines of the journal.

• The text is well written in its original language (English or Spanish). Authors who feel their manuscript might require editing to meet scientific language requirements and standards should seek professional assistance or help from colleagues before submitting their manuscript.

• The manuscript follows the IMRaDC (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions) format and is divided into sections.

• Line and page numbers are included, and the text is double-spaced.

• The title page information is complete.

• An Abstract of no more than 300 words is provided after the title page.

• 5–8 key words are included for the manuscript immediately following the Abstract.

• The Declarations are complete.

• The manuscript includes the correct number of tables (maximum of 4) and figures (maximum of 8). Additional tables and figures are included in separate Supplementary Material files.

• The references are formatted properly.

• A cover letter is included indicating:

• (a) the type of manuscript (i.e., original article, short note, review, or letter)
• (b) the importance and novelty of the study
• (c) why the article is interesting and relevant to journal readers
• (d) suggestions of at least 3 potential reviewers
• (e) a statement indicating the manuscript is not under review in another journal
• (f) a statement indicating the manuscript has not been published previously (except in the form of a conference abstract, as part of a lecture, or an academic thesis)
• (g) a statement indicating that all authors have reviewed the content of the manuscript and agree to its content.

• The figures are included at the end of the manuscript and adhere to the figure guidelines in the MS Word template. Editable figures will be requested once the article is accepted.

• The tables are editable and created with the native MS Word table editor and adhere to the table guidelines in the MS Word template.

• The manuscript has been spell-checked.

• English manuscripts follow American spelling (Merriam-Webster) and grammar rules.

• Spanish manuscripts follow Spanish spelling (Real Academia Española) and grammar rules.

Authorship

Each author must meet the criteria for authorship.

• Authors must have contributed substantially to the concept and design of the study or to data curation (including accurately collecting and maintaining the data), data analysis, and interpretation of the results.

• Authors must have contributed significantly to writing and critically reviewing the manuscript.

• Authors must agree to be held accountable for the content and accuracy of the work.

Author order

Authors must carefully consider and agree to the author order before submitting their manuscript.

• Changes to authorship may only be made before the manuscript has been accepted for publication.

• All co-authors must approve changes to authorship.

• Changes to authorship are subject to the discretion of the Editors-in-Chief.

Corresponding author responsibilities

The corresponding author is responsible for the following:

• Informing all co-authors of the submission of their manuscript, the reception and resubmission of manuscripts during the peer-review process, reviewer feedback, comments, requests for modifications, and relevant editorial communications with the journal.

• Obtaining the approval of all co-authors before the initial submission and before resubmitting the manuscript.

• Ensuring the work meets the criteria and standards established by Ciencias Marinas, including all ethical standards and journal policies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, including Large Language Models like ChatGPT, do not meet the criteria for authorship because they cannot be held accountable for the accuracy, originality, or integrity of their outputs. Authors may not use AI models to generate text. However, authors may use AI tools to assist in conducting spelling and grammar checks and data analysis. The use of AI tools for these purposes must be disclosed in the Declarations section. Authors must carefully review the outputs after using an AI tool for writing assistance because generative AI tools often make mistakes and provide inaccurate information and suggestions. Authors are responsible for all content within a work.

Plagiarism, falsification, and fabrication

Instances of plagiarism, the act of taking and using someone else’s work (e.g., wording or data) without authorization and proper attribution, including self-plagiarism, make manuscripts inadmissible for publication in Ciencias Marinas. All manuscripts accepted for publication are screened for plagiarism upon submission and before publication. If plagiarism is detected after publication, the published paper will be retracted. As of 2019, all Ciencias Marinas papers carry a seal guaranteeing the manuscript was screened for plagiarism. Falsification and fabrication are not tolerated. Manuscripts containing falsified information will be rejected or, if already published, retracted.

Inclusive language

Ciencias Marinas encourages authors to consider inclusivity when writing and avoid using language that may inadvertently marginalize, stereotype, introduce bias, or exclude specific groups of people. When writing their manuscripts, authors are encouraged to consult and adhere to the American Psychological Association’s Inclusive Language Guide and the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) Guidelines Checklist. 

Article Types

Ciencias Marinas publishes original research articles, review articles, and research notes on topics covering all areas of marine science, including marine ecology and biology, marine biogeochemistry, physical oceanography, marine conservation and biodiversity, fisheries, aquaculture, marine pollution, climate change, genetics, marine policy, and coastal and estuarine science and management.

Original research article

Original research articles present findings of primary research clearly, accurately, and succinctly. These findings should provide novel insights that further scientific understanding. Please note that studies that are purely descriptive studies will not be accepted. The length of original research articles should be between 4,000 and 8,500 words, excluding the title page information, references, figures, and tables. Original articles cannot have been published previously (except as a conference abstract, as part of a lecture, or as an academic thesis).

Review article

Review articles offer thorough and novel evaluations of specific and relevant topics in the marine sciences. Review articles must meet specific standards for quality, importance, discussion, appeal, and implications for future studies. Approval must be obtained from the Editors-in-Chief before submitting a review article. The maximum length for review articles is 10,000 words, excluding the title page information, references, figures, and tables.

Research note

Research notes communicate important scientific findings that warrant immediate dissemination, not preliminary findings. Research notes must include sufficient data and analysis to support meaningful results and contributions to the field. The maximum length for research notes is 3,000 words, excluding the title page information, references, figures, and tables.

Letters

Letters are brief communications on any subject of interest to journal readers, including reflections on published articles and relevant topics. Letters should focus on a specific topic of discussion, have a clear purpose, and deliver their message succinctly and decisively. The maximum length for review articles is 1,500 words. No tables or figures may be included.

Manuscript Preparation

The manuscript has been prepared using the MS Word template. Ciencias Marinas does not accept other manuscript formats for submission (e.g., LaTeX files or non-template MS Word files).

• Manuscripts must be submitted in either English or Spanish.

• Provide the title, abstract, key words, and text within figures and tables in English and Spanish.

• If accepted, provide any supplementary materials files in both English and Spanish.

Title Page

Title

• Long titles are discouraged.

• Describe the content of your work clearly and concisely.

• Include potential search terms in the title to improve the discoverability of your article after publication.

• If the title includes a species name, do not include the attribution in the title. Instead, include the class, order, family, or phylum in parentheses.

• Include English and Spanish titles in the manuscript.

Abstract and key words

• Abstracts must be less than 300 words.

• Do not use a structured abstract (i.e., labeled subsections).

• Describe the context or problem, state the aim or primary objective of the study, briefly describe your primary methods, describe key results, and state primary conclusions.

• Include potential search terms to improve the discoverability of your article after publication.

• Include Abstracts in English and Spanish in the manuscript.

• Do not include citations in the Abstract.

• Avoid using abbreviations; however, if abbreviations are necessary, define each at the first mention.

• Include 5–8 key words for your manuscript. Select likely search terms.

Main text

Introduction

• Describe the context of your study or the problem it addresses.

• Include succinct yet sufficient background information.

• Include a scientific justification for your study.

• Describe the novelty of your study.

• State your objectives.

• Include a hypothesis statement when appropriate.

• Define abbreviations at the first mention and use them consistently thereafter.

• Do not include subsections.

Materials and methods

• Be precise, concise, and clear.

• Include sufficient information to ensure reproducibility.

• Whenever possible, summarize and cite published methods, protocols, and procedures.

• Include subsections to organize experimental steps and procedures.

• Insert equations as editable text using the native MS Word equation editor.

• Include a final subsection for statistical analysis, following the reporting guidelines in the MS Word template.

Results

• Be precise, concise, and clear.

• Do not combine the Results and Discussion sections.

• Only include your results. Do not include the results of previous studies.

• Include the results of statistical analysis, following the reporting guidelines in the MS Word template.

• Do not discuss your results in this section except to highlight key results, patterns, or statistical outcomes.

• Include figures and tables in this section.

• Do not repeat information in the text in either tables or figures.

• Use the international system of units (SI).

Discussion

• Be precise, concise, and clear.

• Do not combine the Results and Discussion sections.

• Do not include figures or tables in this section.

• Compare and contrast your results with previous research.

• Discuss the implications and applicability of your findings in the context of your field.

• Discuss the limitations of your research.

• Provide suggestions for future research.

Conclusions

• Be precise, concise, and clear.

• Provide meaningful conclusions for your study.

• Highlight the importance and applicability of your findings and provide context for their interpretation.

• Do not repeat your results.

• Provide suggestions for future research.

Declarations

All Declarations will be published in the article. Example statements are included in the MS Word template.

Supplementary Material

Include a statement listing the supplementary materials for the work. Ciencias Marinas does not edit supplementary material; files are published as they are received. The content of the supplementary material files is the responsibility of the authors. When submitting your manuscript, include all supplementary materials in their own files. The corresponding author is responsible for answering queries related to the supplementary material after publication. Label your supplementary figures and tables numerically in the order they are cited in the main text (e.g., Figure S1 or Table S1). Ensure the file name is the same as the label. Supplementary material that is neither a table nor a figure should be numbered with Arabic numerals (i.e., Supplementary Material 1). 

Acknowledgments

Acknowledge those who contributed to your work but do not meet the requirements for authorship.

Funding

Credit the individuals, institutions, and organizations that funded the research. Include grant numbers for projects in parenthesis at the end of the sentence.

Conflict of interest

Declare and potential conflicts of interest that could potentially bias the research (including any financial relationships) or affect the objectivity of the authors. Conflicts of interest do not prevent the publication of an article, although they must be resolved before publication.

Author contributions

Authors must include a statement using the Credit system detailing the contributions of each author to the work. The Credit system ensures that each author is appropriately recognized for their contributions and that no role is omitted. Multiple authors can be listed for each role, and the degree of their contribution can be specified (i.e., lead, equal, or supporting).

Data availability

Authors must state under which conditions their data are available, including links to any repositories.

Ethics approvals and permits for studies involving animals

If the study included animals, the authors must include a statement describing that the study was conducted ethically and with the appropriate permits and approvals. This statement must indicate which ethics committee approved the research, including permit numbers and additional relevant information. Authors are encouraged to consult the ARRIVE Guidelines (https://arriveguidelines.org/), a checklist of recommendations for reporting animal research, especially the list of 10 essential ARRIVE guidelines when preparing their manuscript.

Consent for participation and publication of studies involving people

If the study includes data from human participants (e.g., interviewee responses), authors must include a statement indicating that the study was conducted ethically and with the prior approval of an ethics committee of their university or institution. The statement must indicate 1) that the authors obtained the informed consent of participants to participate in the research and 2) that the authors obtained the informed consent of the participants to publish the results. If the study did not require ethical approval, the authors must explicitly explain why.

Use of AI tools

The use of AI tools for writing assistance or data analysis by authors must be disclosed.

References

Do not number citations or references. Use Author-Year (Author Year) format for citations. Ensure each reference in the reference list is cited correctly in the main manuscript and vice versa. Do not cite unpublished materials; preprints are permitted.

Reference manager software

If you are using reference manager software, please ensure that it has been programmed correctly to match Ciencias Marinas house style.

In-text citations

You may cite personal communications (Author [First name initials Last name] pers. comm.) and personal observations (Author [First name initials Last name] pers. obs.) in the main text but not in the reference list. Articles “in press” include only those that have been accepted for publication; these articles should be included in the reference list. See the MS Word template for examples.

Reference list

List references in alphabetical order. For references published by the same authors in the same year, distinguish them with lowercase letters following the year (e.g., 2010a; 2010b) in the reference list and in in-text citations. Follow Ciencias Marinas house style to format each reference type. See the MS Word template for examples.

Tables

• Do not repeat information from the main text in a table or vice versa.

• Include tables at the end of the manuscript, one per page.

• Do not embed tables in the main text.

• Include a title and description for the table content above each table.

• Table titles and descriptions should be precise, concise, and clear.

• Number each table consecutively with Arabic numerals in the order they are mentioned in the main text.

• Each table must be cited in the main text.

• Tables cited in the main text should be capitalized (i.e., Table 1).

• Tables may include footers.

• Define all symbols and abbreviations in either the table description or footer.

• Do not include more than 4 tables for original articles, more than 2 tables for short notes, and more than 4 tables for review articles.

• Create each table using the native table editor in MS Word. Do not include tables in any other format; tables must be editable.

Figures and figure captions

• Do not repeat information from the main text in a figure or vice versa.

• Include a list of figure captions at the end of the manuscript.

• Do not embed figures in the main text.

• Include figures at the end of the manuscript after the list of figure captions, one per page.

• Include a figure caption for each figure, including a figure title and figure description.

• Figure titles and descriptions should be precise, concise, and clear.

• Define all symbols and abbreviations in the figure caption. Elements defined in a figure legend (i.e., within the figure) do not need to be redefined in the figure caption.

• Each figure caption should provide sufficient information for readers to fully comprehend its content without referring to the main text.

• Number each figure consecutively with Arabic numerals in the order they are mentioned in the main text.

• Each figure must be cited in the main text.

• Figures cited in the main text should be capitalized and abbreviated (i.e., Fig. 1) unless the word “Figure” forms part of the sentence. In this case, do not abbreviate (e.g., A map of the study site appears in Figure 1.).

• Do not include more than 8 figures for original articles, more than 4 figures for short notes, and more than 8 figures for review articles.

• Ciencias Marinas is a fully digital journal. Color figures are encouraged.

• For the first submission, figures may be provided in non-editable formats. Upon acceptance, authors must provide editable files to the production department (i.e., Windows Metafile [.wmf], Corel Draw [.cdr], Adobe Illustrator [.ai], Portable Document Format [.pdf], Scalable Vector Graphics [.svg], Microsoft Excel Worksheet [.xlm], and Encapsulated PostScript [.eps]). Failure to do so will incur publication delays.

• Authors are responsible for obtaining all permissions required to publish figures or artwork that they have not generated.

Production

Ciencias Marinas online system and article proofs

The corresponding author will be responsible for communicating with the production department, which will take place via our online system. In the online system, you will receive notifications, download and upload files, and receive notifications on the status of your article. You will receive emails from the production department with instructions to guide you through the production phase after your article is accepted. Please note that major changes to your article will not be allowed after your article is accepted. Any questions should be directed to the production office.

Translating my manuscript

Authors may provide their own translation or opt for Ciencias Marinas to translate their article.

Internal translation service

In-house translations carry a fee of $1.5 MXN per word that must be paid before publication. If you choose this option, Ciencias Marinas will be able to publish your article in its original language as soon as the translation service is paid.

External translation

If you decide to provide the translation, please take the following into account:

• The translation must respect all Ciencias Marinas formatting guidelines and be ready for publication. Please use the MS Word template we provide you for your translation. If you require clarification on any formatting guidelines, please contact us.

   

• Editing of poor translations has a cost equivalent to the cost of in-house translations. This charge applies when the edits of the manuscript exceed 10% of the word count; this includes any formatting edits that are necessary for the translation to conform to the formatting guidelines of Ciencias Marinas.

• Please note that the translation must include the title, all headings and subheadings, the abstract, key words, the main text, table titles, table content, text within figures, figure captions, acknowledgments, and, if applicable, supplementary material.

• The original language version of your article will be published as soon as we approve the translated text.