Journal profile · Environmental Science-Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science
ISSN 0856-860X · eISSN 2683-6416 · Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association · Tanzania, United Republic of
Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 40 weeks (community reports); 29 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science is published by Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Marine and fisheries research, Marine Biology and Ecology Research and Marine and Coastal Ecosystems, together about 31.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science (WIOJMS) provides an avenue for the wide dissemination of high quality research generated in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region, in particular on the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources. The journal publishes original research articles dealing with all aspects of marine science and coastal management. Topics include, but are not limited to: theoretical studies, oceanography, marine biology and ecology, fisheries, recovery and restoration processes, legal and institutional frameworks, and interactions/relationships between humans and the coastal and marine environment. In addition, Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science features state-of-the-art review articles and short communications. The journal will, from time to time, consist of special issues on major events or important thematic issues. Submitted articles are subjected to standard peer-review prior to publication. Journal abbreviation: WIO J. Mar. Sci. Other websites associated with this journal: https://www.wiomsa.org/publications-2/wio-journal-of-marine-science/
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Science-Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
Editor-in-chief José PAULAPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Kenya 4, South Africa 3, Sweden 2, Portugal 2, Japan 1 (14 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science12.9%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences9.3%
- Marine and Coastal EcosystemsEnvironmental Science8.9%
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems StudiesEnvironmental Science8.8%
- Fish Biology and Ecology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.4%
- Coastal and Marine ManagementEnvironmental Science5.8%
- Ichthyology and Marine BiologyEnvironmental Science5.6%
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences4.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecology | Q3 | 305/491 | 37th |
| Environmental Science (miscellaneous) | Q3 | 200/307 | 35th |
| Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law | Q3 | 294/432 | 32nd |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.34LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.52LetPub ·
- h-index
- 25OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 113OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.91OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 462 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 | 19 | 224 |
| 2025 | 29 | 29 | 305 |
| 2024 | 20 | 20 | 263 |
| 2023 | 34 | 34 | 305 |
| 2022 | 47 | 47 | 250 |
| 2021 | 44 | 44 | 332 |
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)
- about 40 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 40 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 | |
| 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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- 4–6
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 2
Article types accepted4
- editorialThe Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science (WIOJMS) is the research publication of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA). It publ…Length not stated
- original articlesoriginal articles, review articles, and short communications (notes)Length not stated
- review articlesoriginal articles, review articles, and short communications (notes)Length not stated
- short communicationsoriginal articles, review articles, and short communications (notes)Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Publication ethics
Originality: not published elsewhere and not under consideration by any other journal. Model summary
All manuscripts submitted to the Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science are accepted for consideration on the understanding that their content has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by any other journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Copyright is owned by the journal. The articles are open access articles distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
Open access under CC BY 4.0; copyright owned by the journal. Model summary
Copyright is owned by the journal. The articles are open access articles distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-blind peer review by at least two referees. Model summary
Every manuscript will be double-blind reviewed by at least two referees competent in the field of interest.
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
- Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association
- Country or region
- Tanzania, United Republic of
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0856-860X
- Electronic ISSN
- 2683-6416
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 25, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- 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 Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science
How long does peer review take at Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science?
Authors report an average review time of about 40 weeks. 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 Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: 4–6; Suggested reviewers: Required, 2. 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 Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science based?
Of the 14 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Kenya (4), South Africa (3) and Sweden (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science open access, and what is the APC?
Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science 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, DOAJ, 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: .