Editorial Policies

Ethical standards and policies governing marine science publication.

All research manuscripts undergo rigorous single-blind peer review by experts in relevant marine science disciplines. Reviewers are selected based on expertise, availability, and absence of conflicts of interest. Editorial decisions are based on reviewer recommendations, scientific merit, and journal scope.

Studies involving protected species, marine protected areas, or sensitive habitats require appropriate permits. Human subjects research requires ethics approval and informed consent. Animal research must comply with institutional guidelines.

Authors should make data supporting conclusions available upon reasonable request. Data fabrication or falsification constitutes serious misconduct. We encourage data sharing through appropriate repositories to support reproducibility.

Errors discovered after publication are addressed through corrections or, in serious cases, retraction. We follow COPE guidelines for investigating and responding to concerns about published content.

Authors may appeal rejection decisions if they believe the manuscript was evaluated unfairly or significant errors occurred in review. Appeals should be submitted within 30 days with detailed justification addressing specific reviewer concerns. The Editor-in-Chief reviews appeals and decisions are final.

When similar manuscripts are received simultaneously, IMSJ evaluates each independently on merit. We do not reject manuscripts solely because related work is under consideration. Editors may contact authors if coordination or acknowledgment of concurrent work would benefit readers.

Concerns about published content should be directed to the editorial office. We investigate allegations of misconduct, errors, or disputes following COPE flowcharts. Depending on severity, responses may include corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction with clear explanations.

Handling editors select reviewers based on expertise, availability, and absence of conflicts of interest. Author-suggested reviewers may be consulted but editors make final selections independently. We aim for reviewer diversity across institutions and countries to provide balanced evaluation. Reviewers who consistently deliver high-quality, timely reviews are prioritized for future invitations.

IMSJ operates transparently, publishing editorial board composition, conflict of interest policies, and peer review approach information. We welcome questions about our editorial processes and respond promptly to inquiries from authors, reviewers, and readers.