Journal profile · BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION-MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
Marine Biodiversity
ISSN 1867-1616 · eISSN 1867-1624 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Founded 1996
Marine Biodiversity: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.04; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,890; median 164 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); 128 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Marine Biodiversity is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg and is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Marine Biology and Ecology Research, Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies and Marine and coastal plant biology, together about 39.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Marine Biodiversity is a peer-reviewed international journal devoted to all aspects of biodiversity research in marine ecosystems and in particular, encourages contributions dealing with the understanding of the evolution and maintenance of biodiversity in marine systems and the role of species in structuring marine ecosystem functioning. Marine Biodiversity considers original research papers, reviews, short notes and two-page news (Oceanarium) on the distribution of species, diversity patterns and gradients, processes and factors influencing community structure, structure and function of marine ecosystems, models and concepts (also based on higher taxonomic levels) explaining any aspect of species co-existence and species distribution. We also consider for publication descriptions of new methods to improve biodiversity research and species inventories, present and historical use of marine biodiversity and ecosystem services by human populations, taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny as well as morphological and genetic diversity. New records of distributions of individual species will not be considered for publication unless high implications for biogeography or ecosystem structure and functioning can be demonstrated. Taxonomic papers and descriptions of new methods should be put in a wider perspective.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION-MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Pedro MartiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Germany 12, Netherlands 3, Brazil 3, Italy 2, Australia 2 (34 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences17.2%
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems StudiesEnvironmental Science14.1%
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences8.5%
- Marine Ecology and Invasive SpeciesEnvironmental Science8.2%
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science7.6%
- Ichthyology and Marine BiologyEnvironmental Science5.2%
- Parasite Biology and Host InteractionsEnvironmental Science4.1%
- Identification and Quantification in FoodBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 2.04LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.57LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.91LetPub ·
- h-index
- 32LetPub ·
- h-index
- 53OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 688OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.42OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 36.97%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 116LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 312,700Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,726 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 96 | 46 | 13 |
| 2025 | 128 | 59 | 131 |
| 2024 | 91 | 37 | 304 |
| 2023 | 88 | 36 | 461 |
| 2022 | 64 | 28 | 379 |
| 2021 | 104 | 32 | 826 |
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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
164 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 112 days – 253 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 29 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 204 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (237 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Submission to first decision
- 27 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,890 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,490 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Not considered
- new records of distributions of individual species
Article types accepted7
- original paperOnly articles contributing to scientific progress in the field of marine biodiversity research can be considered for publication. The potential relevance and im…Length not stated
- original researchOnly articles contributing to scientific progress in the field of marine biodiversity research can be considered for publication. The potential relevance and im…Length not stated
- original research paperOnly articles contributing to scientific progress in the field of marine biodiversity research can be considered for publication. The potential relevance and im…Length not stated
- perspectiveOnly articles contributing to scientific progress in the field of marine biodiversity research can be considered for publication. The potential relevance and im…Length not stated
- reviewOnly articles contributing to scientific progress in the field of marine biodiversity research can be considered for publication. The potential relevance and im…Length not stated
- review articleOnly articles contributing to scientific progress in the field of marine biodiversity research can be considered for publication. The potential relevance and im…Length not stated
- short communicationOnly articles contributing to scientific progress in the field of marine biodiversity research can be considered for publication. The potential relevance and im…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Plagiarism, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
GenBank accession numbers must be added for genetic/genomic data; museum collection numbers for taxonomic descriptions; new scientific names must be registered in ZooBank, with ZooBank numbers provided after the keywords for the Article and after the taxon name in the description. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Retrospective ethics approval usually cannot be obtained if a study has not been granted ethics committee approval prior to commencing; the decision on whether to proceed to peer review is at the Editor's discretion. Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Permission from copyright owner(s) is required for figures, tables, or text passages already published elsewhere, for both print and online format, with evidence included at submission. Model summary
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Marine Biodiversity, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Manuscripts are first checked for English language, ethical issues, and plagiarism; manuscripts exhibiting these problems cannot be considered for publication and may be irrevocably rejected. Model summary
Submitted manuscripts are first checked for English language, ethical issues, and plagiarism. Manuscripts exhibiting these types of problems cannot be considered for publication and may be irrevocably rejected.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Submission implies the work has not been published before, is not under consideration elsewhere, and publication has been approved by all co-authors and responsible authorities at the institute where the work was carried out. Model summary
Submission of a manuscript implies: that the work described has not been published before; that it is not under consideration for publication anywhere else; that its publication has been approved by all co-authors, if any, as well as by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – at the institute where the work has been carried out.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 1996
- ISSN
- 1867-1616
- Electronic ISSN
- 1867-1624
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Marine Biodiversity
What CAS zone is Marine Biodiversity in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Marine Biodiversity is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology / Biodiversity Conservation. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Marine Biodiversity?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.04; CiteScore 2.6, h-index 53.
How long does peer review take at Marine Biodiversity?
Based on the dates recorded on 101 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 164 days (interquartile range 112–253 days). 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 Marine Biodiversity?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 Marine Biodiversity based?
Of the 34 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (12), Netherlands (3) and Brazil (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Marine Biodiversity?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Marine Biodiversity is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Marine Biodiversity open access, and what is the APC?
Marine Biodiversity is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,890.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .