Journal profile · Oceanography
Bulletin of Marine Science
ISSN 0007-4977 · eISSN 1553-6955 · Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1951
Bulletin of Marine Science: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.94; hybrid open access; APC about USD 200; review 6–12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 49 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Bulletin of Marine Science is published by Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Marine and fisheries research, Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies and Marine Biology and Ecology Research, together about 44.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Bulletin accepts monographs, reviews and articles, notes, discussions and replies, and novel research gear, instrument, device, system, or software/package with potential to advance marine research (“Research Tools in Marine Science”). Additionally, the Bulletin publishes informative stand-alone artwork with accompany text in two-page papers called “Portraits of Marine Science.”
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Oceanography
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 74, Australia 7, United Kingdom 5, Singapore 5, France 4 (110 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science19.8%
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems StudiesEnvironmental Science17.3%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences7.7%
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences6.1%
- Ichthyology and Marine BiologyEnvironmental Science5.5%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science5.4%
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture StudiesEnvironmental Science5.2%
- Crustacean biology and ecologyEnvironmental Science4.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Oceanography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Oceanography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Oceanography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 0.94LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.28LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.56LetPub ·
- h-index
- 67LetPub ·
- h-index
- 72OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 767OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.47OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 35.92%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 71LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,467 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27 | 10 | 0 |
| 2025 | 49 | 20 | 39 |
| 2024 | 87 | 42 | 200 |
| 2023 | 50 | 14 | 109 |
| 2022 | 31 | 11 | 122 |
| 2021 | 34 | 18 | 391 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | USD 200 / USD 1,500 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 2,000 words
- Reference style
- Chicago
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted7
- coral reef papersArticles describing novel research, with the topic or theme related to coral reef ecosystems. There are no length limits, though article length should be justif…Length not stated
- letter to the editorAs part of the electronic submission of manuscripts, authors are required to write a letter to the editor detailing the content of the manuscript and its approp…Length not stated
- new taxa papersArticles that include the description of new taxa. Though there are no official limits, length should be justified by the content.Length not stated
- notesA brief article describing novel research, but more limited in scope to justify submission as a full article. Notes should have a maximum of 2000 words (not inc…Length not stated
- portraits of marine scienceArticles describing novel research or scientific observations featuring stand-alone imagery with an extended legend describing the artwork/photographs. The fina…Length not stated
- research papersArticles describing novel research. There are no length limits, though article length should be justified by the content. Beyond novel research, original articl…Length not stated
- research tools in marine scienceArticles describing a novel research gear, instrument, device, system, or software/package. These methods papers should demonstrate how the novel tool can advan…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Self-archiving
- Authorship
Cover letter to the editor required at submission. Model summary
Authors are required to write a letter to the editor detailing the content of the manuscript and its appropriateness for the Bulletin of Marine Science
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Originality: manuscript must not be submitted or published elsewhere in its present or modified form. Model summary
The submission of a manuscript will be taken to imply that the manuscript is original and has not been submitted or published elsewhere in its present or modified form.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright
Green Open Access: free after 5-year embargo; Gold Open Access immediately free. Model summary
Green Open Access articles are freely available after a 5 year embargo period (before which they are available to journal subscribers).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Publication Fees and Open Access
Author publication fees: The Bulletin of Marine Science has Green and Gold Open Access options. For information please consult the next section. Open Access: The Bulletin of Marine Science is a hybrid open access journal, offering two open access options: Green Open Access (an article processing fee of $200 will be invoiced if manuscript is accepted for publication), and Gold Open Access ($1500, w…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Green Open Access
Authors who select Green Open Access may share a link (such as the article DOI) to their article on any digital platform. Green Open Access articles may also be uploaded to institutional repositories for internal institutional use. Articles classified as Green are automatically transitioned to Gold after a 5 year embargo period, during which they are accessible via an institutional subscription. T…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1951
- ISSN
- 0007-4977
- Electronic ISSN
- 1553-6955
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Bulletin of Marine Science
What CAS zone is Bulletin of Marine Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Bulletin of Marine Science is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology / Oceanography. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Bulletin of Marine Science?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.94; CiteScore 1.8, h-index 72.
How long does peer review take at Bulletin of Marine Science?
Authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Bulletin of Marine Science?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 2,000 words; Reference style: Chicago; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Bulletin of Marine Science based?
Of the 110 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (74), Australia (7) and United Kingdom (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Bulletin of Marine Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Bulletin of Marine Science is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Bulletin of Marine Science open access, and what is the APC?
Bulletin of Marine Science is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 200.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-24). Last updated: .