Journal profile · Oceanography
Journal of Sea Research
ISSN 1385-1101 · eISSN 1873-1414 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1996
Journal of Sea Research: CAS Zone 3 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.77; fully open access; APC about USD 2,880; review about 114 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 96 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Sea Research is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Marine and fisheries research, Marine Biology and Ecology Research and Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies, together about 39.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Oceanography and Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Sea Research is an international and multidisciplinary periodical on marine research, with an emphasis on understandings of marine processes in ocean basins, marginal seas, estuaries, and coastal zones. The journal will publish original research papers, review articles, and short communications from various aspects including physical, biological and chemical oceanography, marine geology and ecology, ocean engineering and management. We welcome research using multiple platform observations, laboratory experiments, numerical models and theoretical studies. Some volumes will be devoted to collections of papers and conference proceedings of exceptional interest.Please note: From January 2022 Journal of Sea Research is an open access journal. Authors who publish in the Journal of Sea Research will be able to make their work immediately, permanently, and freely accessible. Journal of Sea Research authors will pay an article publishing charge (APC), have a choice of license options, and retain copyright to their published work. The APC will be requested after peer review and acceptance. For more details visit our FAQs page.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Oceanography
Editor-in-chief T. LiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 11 in mainland China (about 24%); most named Mainland China 11, Netherlands 9, Germany 7, United Kingdom 4, United States 3 (46 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science14.4%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences14.1%
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture StudiesEnvironmental Science11.2%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences8.2%
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences7%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science5.9%
- Isotope Analysis in EcologyEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems StudiesEnvironmental Science4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Oceanography | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Oceanography | Zone 3 |
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 3 |
| Minor | Oceanography | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 3.77LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.85LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.01LetPub ·
- h-index
- 71LetPub ·
- h-index
- 108OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,768OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.62OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 88LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,612 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 74 | 74 | 32 |
| 2025 | 96 | 96 | 280 |
| 2024 | 92 | 92 | 899 |
| 2023 | 107 | 107 | 1,314 |
| 2022 | 97 | 97 | 891 |
| 2021 | 76 | 31 | 724 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
114 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports 6–12 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 42 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 114 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 17 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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 2,880 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,610 / EUR 2,440 / GBP 2,090 / JPY 323,720 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,440 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted10
- editorial4. EditorialLength not stated
- original full length research articles1. Original full length research articlesLength not stated
- original research1. Original full length research articles2. Review articles3. Short Communications4. EditorialOriginal full length research articles should report the results o…Length not stated
- regular paper1. Original full length research articles2. Review articles3. Short Communications4. EditorialOriginal full length research articles should report the results o…Length not stated
- research article1. Original full length research articles2. Review articles3. Short Communications4. EditorialOriginal full length research articles should report the results o…Length not stated
- review1. Original full length research articles2. Review articles3. Short Communications4. EditorialOriginal full length research articles should report the results o…Length not stated
- review article1. Original full length research articles2. Review articles3. Short Communications4. EditorialOriginal full length research articles should report the results o…Length not stated
- review articles2. Review articlesLength not stated
- short communication1. Original full length research articles2. Review articles3. Short Communications4. EditorialOriginal full length research articles should report the results o…Length not stated
- short communications3. Short CommunicationsLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
open access Model summary
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1996
- ISSN
- 1385-1101
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-1414
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Sea Research
What CAS zone is Journal of Sea Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Sea Research is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology / Oceanography. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Sea Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.77; CiteScore 5.8, h-index 108.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Sea Research?
The publisher reports about 114 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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 Journal of Sea Research?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: LaTeX and Word; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: 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 Journal of Sea Research based?
Of the 46 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 11 (about 24%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (11), Netherlands (9) and Germany (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Sea Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Sea Research is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Journal of Sea Research open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Sea Research is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,880.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, 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: .