Journal profile · ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Maritime Studies
ISSN 1872-7859 · eISSN 2212-9790 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
Maritime Studies: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.4 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,390; median 251 days to acceptance (93 articles, last 24 months); 70 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Maritime Studies is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Coastal and Marine Management, Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies and Marine and fisheries research, together about 45.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Maritime Studies is an international peer-reviewed journal on the social dimensions of coastal and marine issues throughout the world. The journal is a venue for theoretical and empirical research relevant to a wide range of academic social science disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, geography, history and political science. Space is especially given to develop academic concepts and debate. We invite original research papers, reviews and viewpoints and welcome proposals for special issues that make a distinctive contribution to contemporary discussion around maritime and coastal use, development and governance. The journal provides a rigorous but constructive review process and rapid publication, and is accessible to new researchers, including postgraduate students and early career academics.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Editor-in-chief Jan Van TatenhovePublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Netherlands 7, United Kingdom 6, United States 5, Canada 4, Australia 4 (52 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Coastal and Marine ManagementEnvironmental Science21.5%
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems StudiesEnvironmental Science15.2%
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science8.8%
- International Maritime Law IssuesEnvironmental Science8%
- Arctic and Russian Policy StudiesSocial Sciences4.9%
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture StudiesEnvironmental Science4%
- Climate Change, Adaptation, MigrationSocial Sciences3.5%
- Sex work and related issuesSocial Sciences3.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, 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 (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.13LetPub ·
- h-index
- 42OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 236OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.21OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 64.6%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 66LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 359,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 545 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 57 | 38 | 18 |
| 2025 | 70 | 47 | 153 |
| 2024 | 50 | 36 | 221 |
| 2023 | 50 | 40 | 466 |
| 2022 | 41 | 36 | 513 |
| 2021 | 40 | 33 | 684 |
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
251 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 200 days – 384 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 25 days (94 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 276 days
- Sample
- 93 articles with submission and acceptance dates (135 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
- 16 daysPublisher 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 3,390 / EUR 2,790 / 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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- collectionsPapers submitted to a Collection follow the rules as stated above for Research and Review papers, and Viewpoints.Length not stated
- research paperebates or (inter)national developments. Research papers can be up to 8,000 words in length (the editorial team decides upon possible exceptimain text ≤ 8,000 words
- research papersResearch papers can be up to 8,000 words in length (the editorial team decides upon possible exceptions).Length not stated
- reviewture to answer very specific questions. Review papers can be up to 8,000 words in length. Viewpoints Viewpoints present a critical analysimain text ≤ 8,000 words
- reviewsReview papers can be up to 8,000 words in length.Length not stated
- viewpointoriginal data collection and analysis. Viewpoints are typically 3,000-5,000 words in length. Collections As of 2023, MAST switched from publimain text ≤ 5,000 words
- viewpointsViewpoints are typically 3,000-5,000 words in length.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Plagiarism
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria; use must be documented in Methods Model summary
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
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 transparency: data, materials, software, and code must support published claims Model summary
All authors are requested to make sure that all data and materials as well as software application or custom code support their published claims and comply with field standards.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Articles in Springer Nature open access journals do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. 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 Maritime Studies, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Plagiarism screening software may be used Model summary
The journal may use software to screen for plagiarism.
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 Nature
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 1872-7859
- Electronic ISSN
- 2212-9790
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Maritime Studies
What CAS zone is Maritime Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Maritime Studies is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Environmental Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Maritime Studies?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.4 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 4, h-index 42.
How long does peer review take at Maritime Studies?
Based on the dates recorded on 93 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 251 days (interquartile range 200–384 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 Maritime Studies?
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 Maritime Studies based?
Of the 52 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Netherlands (7), United Kingdom (6) and United States (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Maritime Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Maritime Studies is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Maritime Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Maritime Studies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,390.
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: .