Journal profile · Marine & Freshwater Biology
Ciencias Marinas
ISSN 0185-3880 · eISSN 2395-9053 · Universidad Autonoma de Baja California · MEXICO · Quarterly · Founded 1974
Ciencias Marinas: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.96; diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 20 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ciencias Marinas is published by Universidad Autonoma de Baja California 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, Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies and Marine and coastal plant biology, together about 32.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Oceanography. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The city of Ensenada is unique in that it hosts multiple universities and oceanographic research centers. The Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) and its Institute of Oceanographic Research (IIO) were established in Ensenada in 1960. As the burgeoning marine science community grew in the 1970s, it became clear that local scientists needed a means to publish and share their results. A few dedicated scientists decided to create Ciencias Marinas to fulfill this need. In 1974, the first issue of Ciencias Marinas was published by the IIO, allowing authors to share their results within their own community and with international peers. Since then, the journal and marine science community have grown alongside one another. Ensenada now boasts the highest number of scientists per capita in Mexico, while Ciencias Marinas has published over 1,400 articles in its long 50-year history. Over the years, Ciencias Marinas has evolved to keep pace with notable advances in scientific publishing, establishing itself as a leading scientific journal in Latin America.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Marine & Freshwater Biology
Editor-in-chief Armando Félix BermúdezPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Mexico 21, Spain 6, United States 2, Chile 1 (30 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science15%
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture StudiesEnvironmental Science9.8%
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences7.7%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences6.6%
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems StudiesEnvironmental Science5.9%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences5.7%
- Aquaculture Nutrition and GrowthAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.6%
- Cephalopods and Marine BiologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.7%
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 |
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 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsSciELOPublisher website
Other: Latindex, Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), Biological Abstracts, Environmental Abstracts, Marine Affairs Bibliography, Zoological Record, COMPLUDOC, Periódica (Índice de Revistas Latinoamericanas en Ciencias)
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 0.96LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.31LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher)
- 0.31Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.51LetPub ·
- h-index
- 26LetPub ·
- h-index
- 43OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 599OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.26OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 19LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,856 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 2025 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
| 2024 | 16 | 16 | 35 |
| 2023 | 30 | 30 | 56 |
| 2022 | 15 | 15 | 46 |
| 2021 | 24 | 24 | 80 |
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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 15 | — | — | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — |
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 prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 5
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,500 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 3
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- brief communicationCiencias Marinas publishes original research articles, review articles, and research notes on topics covering all areas of marine science, including marine ecol…Length not stated
- letterCiencias Marinas publishes original research articles, review articles, and research notes on topics covering all areas of marine science, including marine ecol…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- lettersLetters are brief communications on any subject of interest to journal readers, including reflections on published articles and relevant topics. Letters should …Length not stated
- original articleCiencias Marinas publishes original research articles, review articles, and research notes on topics covering all areas of marine science, including marine ecol…Length not stated
- original research articleCiencias Marinas publishes original research articles, review articles, and research notes on topics covering all areas of marine science, including marine ecol…main text ≤ 8,500 words
- research noteResearch notes communicate important scientific findings that warrant immediate dissemination, not preliminary findings. Research notes must include sufficient …Length not stated
- review articleCiencias Marinas publishes original research articles, review articles, and research notes on topics covering all areas of marine science, including marine ecol…main text ≤ 10,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- AI use Use of AI tools
The use of AI tools for writing assistance or data analysis by authors must be disclosed.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship 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 accountabl…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest 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.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability
Data availability statement required. Model summary
Authors must state under which conditions their data are available, including links to any repositories.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethics approvals and permits required for studies involving animals; ARRIVE Guidelines recommended. Model summary
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.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright 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 B…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Copyright and Open Access
Open access under CC BY 4.0; authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication. Model summary
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 B…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single-blind peer review. Model summary
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 m…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism 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 publi…
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
- Universidad Autonoma de Baja California
- Country or region
- MEXICO
- Language
- English, Spanish
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1974
- ISSN
- 0185-3880
- Electronic ISSN
- 2395-9053
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 52 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ciencias Marinas
What CAS zone is Ciencias Marinas in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Ciencias Marinas is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology. 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 Ciencias Marinas?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.96; CiteScore 1.4, h-index 43.
How long does peer review take at Ciencias Marinas?
Authors report an average review time of over 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 Ciencias Marinas?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Keywords: ≥ 5; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,500 words; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required, 3. 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 Ciencias Marinas based?
Of the 30 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mexico (21), Spain (6) and United States (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Ciencias Marinas?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ciencias Marinas is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Current Contents and SciELO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Ciencias Marinas open access, and what is the APC?
Ciencias Marinas is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .