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As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it under consideration for publication at another journal.
  • The submission is an original report written by the author(s) listed in this submission.
  • The submission reports an authentic study made by the author(s) listed in this submission.
  • The submission file (text, tables, figures, etc.) is ONE single PDF file (smaller than 2MB).
  • The text is double-spaced and in Times New Roman font (12 points); if applicable, the list of figure captions, figures, and tables are placed at the end of the file, after the text and in that order.
  • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which are found in About the Journal.
  • If accepted for publication, the manuscript will be translated by the authors or the in-house translator (translation fees apply).

CIENCIAS MARINAS

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

Ciencias Marinas (CM) is an international, peer-reviewed journal that contains original research findings in all areas of marine science. CM is a bilingual Open Access journal that features articles in English and Spanish under the CC BY 4.0 license. As of 2022 we publish on a rolling basis so you can access CM articles as soon as the editorial process is completed.

TYPES OF CONTRIBUTIONS

Four categories of contributions are accepted:

  • Research papers
    These papers report findings of original research in an accurate, clear, and concise manner. Findings must provide new insights that contribute to the growth of scientific knowledge. The complete manuscript, which includes the title page, body of manuscript, cited literature, figure legends, figures, and tables, should not exceed 30 pages (11 x 8.5 in). Longer articles will be published on rare occasions. The manuscript must be typed double-spaced using 12-point font (Arial or Times New Roman) and may be submitted in English or Spanish. Systematic lists are not accepted.
  • Research notes
    Notes report scientific results that are of particular importance and merit rapid publication. They should not be used for preliminary results and must contain sufficient data to establish that reliable and significant results have been obtained. Note manuscripts should not exceed 10 pages (typed double-spaced in 12-point font, Times New Roman) and may be submitted in English or Spanish.
  • Review articles
    Reviews provide a comprehensive and novel assessment of an important region or a particular discipline in marine science. Strict criteria apply to this contribution category regarding quality, importance, potential controversies, general interest, and relevance for future research. Review manuscripts no longer than 30 pages must be submitted in English and are accepted for revision only after prior consultation with the editor-in-chief.
  • Comments on a previously published paper 
    Comments are founded remarks to a previously published paper and are published together with a reply from the author(s) of the original paper. Articles and research notes are open for written discussion for up to one year following their original publication. The author of the original paper will be given the opportunity to present a reply. The comments and the reply are published together. Submissions for comments and replies must be, at most, 5 pages long and can be sent in English or Spanish. Abstract and keywords are not necessary. 

SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been previously published (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form without the written consent of the copyright holder. For a full list of implications see our submission policy.

The overall process for publishing with CM includes two key subprocesses, one for peer review (initial submission) and the other for production (final submission). In the best of outcomes, you should expect to make two separate submissions. Make sure your manuscript conforms to our journal policies and manuscript preparation guidelines before you begin the submission process. Manuscripts can be declined for publication before or after the review process if they fail to fit the scope of the journal, lack originality, show flaws in methodology, lack coherence, fail to abide by our ethical policies, and/or fail to meet any other journal guideline. If you are considering starting a submission, follow the initial submission process and manuscript preparation guidelines. If your manuscript is accepted for publication, please follow the guidelines for the final submission. You will be appointed deadlines for each task in the general process. Failure to meet them could lead to publication delays or submission declination. Meet the deadlines to avoid starting a new submission.

Though you can submit your manuscript in English or Spanish (English only for review manuscripts), bear in mind that CM is a fully bilingual journal and that all accepted manuscripts must be translated to English or Spanish. Translation to either language can be provided by our in-house translator if requested by the author. Our translation fee is 1.50 MXN per word. Authors will be charged for editing of poor translations. Manuscript submission and publication are free of charge.

You must log in to your CM account to make a submission. Register (free of charge) at www.cienciasmarinas.com.mx. For the initial submission stage, follow the five-step submission process in your CM account. Submit the PDF file of your manuscript (file size must be less than 2 MB) and attach a separate file containing the names and corresponding information (institution, address, phone number, and e-mail) of up to five potential reviewers. These reviewers should not be associated with the author’s institution and at least two of these five individuals must belong to an institution in a country different from that of the author’s institution. If your manuscript is accepted for publication, submit the Word file of the final accepted version.  

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

For all submissions, use clear, concise, and consistent language. You may submit your manuscript in English or Spanish in most cases (English only for review manuscripts). The title, abstract, and keywords must be sent in English and Spanish for the final submission even if you requested our translation service. In general, use double-spaced pages (11.0 × 8.5 inches) and Times New Roman type (12-point font). Number each page of the manuscript consecutively. Include number lines throughout your manuscript, starting at the title page.

In general, your manuscript should include, in the following order, the title page, abstract and key words, main body of the text (introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion), list of references, and, if applicable, the list of figure captions followed by the list of tables and the corresponding figures. For details on these entries, see Manuscript presentation in section 4 of our "General journal policies and guidelines for publication in Ciencias Marinas" document. Comments and replies do not need to include the abstract and keyword entries. Please note that a main entry for conclusions is strongly discouraged for all manuscripts. You may, however, embed your conclusion in the last paragraph of the discussion. Systematic lists will not be accepted for publication.

Style and format

For general science and writing presentation matters, our style and format follow international standards, most of which are found in the CSE style and format manual (Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers; 8th edition) and the Chicago Manual of Style. The former guide is our primary choice. Our writing standards conform to the proper language norms (English/Spanish) for matters concerning grammar and orthography. For English, use standard American English and refer to the Merriam–Webster Dictionary, the CSE style guide, and the Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition); for Spanish, we refer you to the dictionary and language standards published by the Real Academia Española.

General manuscript presentation

In general, all submission types except for comments and replies should include the entries listed below. Comments and replies should contain the title page and sound remarks on the appointed publication. If your manuscript complies with the entries and standards mentioned below, then it is ready for submission:

Title page
The information in this section is what search engines use as basis to get the word out about your work. The title page should include the following elements:

Title
Extensive titles are discouraged. The title succinctly says all about your paper. It should concisely and explicitly describe the contents of your work. Indexes and other search engines use the words in the title when searching for contents, so be sure to choose your words wisely.

The title, at the top of the page, is not underlined and should not include references or geographic coordinates. If a species name is included, do not include the attribution here; however, the corresponding class, order, family, etc., may be given in parentheses. Use sentence style capitalization: capitalize only the first letter of the title and proper nouns (if any). Please note that if your manuscript is accepted for publication, you will be asked to provide the translation of your manuscript title.

Author name(s)
Use the exact spelling of your name as in all your publications. Mention the given name(s) first and then the surname(s). Place an asterisk next to the name of the corresponding author. For author names with more than one surname, use a hyphen between surnames. Avoid using a period when abbreviating a middle name. Separate author names by a comma and do not use and before the last author. Place superscript numbers next to the author names to indicate the corresponding affiliation; superscript numbers must appear in ascending numerical order from left to right upon first mention. Consider the following examples:

James Smith1, María López-Ruíz2, Sarah Parks3
James Smith1, María López-Ruíz1, Sarah Parks2
James Smith1, María López-Ruíz1, 2, Sarah Parks3
James Smith1, María López-Ruíz2, 3, Sarah Parks2

Indicate who the corresponding author is by adding an asterisk next to the name of that author. If applicable, the asterisk (not in superscript font) should follow the superscript number. Examples:

Carmen Sánchez*, Manuel Acosta
James Smith1*, María López-Ruíz2

Note: the number is a superscript but the asterisk is not.

Author affiliation
The author’s affiliation is the institution where the primary research was conducted. Include the affiliation of every author and the corresponding mailing address. Complete affiliation information includes the following: department name, institution name, city or town, state or other regional unit, postal code, and country (no abbreviations). You should also include the corresponding ORCID identifier for every author here.

List affiliations in ascending numerical order using the corresponding superscript number (as designated next to the author names) before each affiliation. Do not use superscript numbers when the affiliation is the same for all authors. CM publishes authors from around the world, so it’s highly advisable to consider the following points when providing affiliation information:
Affiliation located in more than one country: include only the postal address where you are located. 
Abbreviated forms of institution names: discouraged since the abbreviated form may vary in meaning or may not be recognized as metadata or by search engines. The full name of the institution is preferred.
Translation of affiliation name: discouraged unless the institution officially acknowledges a translation of its name (e.g., University of Olso and Universitetet i Olso are both displayed on the university’s official website); in such cases, the English version should be used. The unofficial English translation of institution names not using Latin may be provided in between brackets following the official name of the institution.


Corresponding author
All correspondence will be dealt with with the designated corresponding author. Provide contact information (including e-mail) for this person.

Running title
The running title is even shorter than the title and must be no more than 10 words long.

Abstract and keywords
The abstract briefly describes your entire work. Readers may determine from here whether they will read your paper or move on to another one. Typical abstracts include an introductory sentence, a general explanation of the most prominent methods, the overall findings, and a concluding sentence. The information here also gets the word out about your work, so be sure to choose your words wisely.

The maximum number of words is 300 for the abstract and 5 for keywords. Please note that if your manuscript is accepted for publication, you will be asked to provide the translation of the abstract and keywords even if you request that translation be done by us.

Body text
The main body of the text should include the sections below in the order that they are listed. We do not accept a separate entry for conclusions. We also do not accept merging the results and the discussion into a single section. Make sure you include all the material you have cited (e.g., references, tables, figures).


Introduction
Keep the introduction short. Briefly mention what has been done, what your study is about, why you performed your study (e.g., objectives, hypothesis), etc.

Materials and Methods
Be precise but concise. Mention what you used to perform your study and how you did it.

Results
Mention only your results in this section. Do not discuss your results here. In running text, avoid describing information that has already been expressed in display elements (figures, tables). 

Discussion
Discuss your results: applications, implications, relevance, and/or comparison with other studies. You can include a general conclusion of your work in a paragraph at the end of this section, but not a separate entry for conclusions.

Acknowledgments
This section is meant to credit all those who funded the research or who made some contribution to the paper but did not meet the standards for authorship (e.g., proofreading, statistics, field work assistance, etc.). Mention all funding sources first, permission notices next, and all other credits last. The funding source is usually followed by the grant number in parentheses, and the full name of the project need not be mentioned.

References
References acknowledge the published works of others. Reviewers or readers may gather an idea of the baselines of your research from your list of references. Those interested in finding a work from your list will need accurate information. Be sure to include the precise references to all your citations and to cite all the references you listed in your manuscript. Incorrectly referenced material may be taken for plagiarism. The accuracy of references is the responsibility of the author. Unpublished material should not be used in references.

Display elements
The purpose of using display elements (figures and tables) is to clearly convey information without the use of lengthy explanations. Display elements should be self-explanatory; that is, the reader must be able to interpret their contents without having to refer to the main text. All text contained in these elements must be displayed only in English. It is the author's responsibility to obtain the permissions needed to reproduce copyrighted material from the publisher.
Figures or tables may be declined for publication anytime during the editorial process if failure to conform to our journal standards. A maximum of 8 display elements is allowed. Number your display elements using Arabic numerals. When citing figures or tables, preferably in parenthetical form, capitalize the first letter (e.g., “Figure 1”, “Fig. 1”, or “Table 1”). Use the abbreviated form for figure citations in parenthetical form (e.g. “Fig. 1”). Cite figures and tables in ascending numerical order upon first mention; that is, do not cite Figure 2 if you have not yet cited Figure 1.
Insert figure captions, tables, and figures after the references in the following order after the references:

Figure captions
Figure captions should concisely describe the figures. If your manuscript contains figures, list the corresponding captions in the correct consecutive order on a separate page after the references. If your manuscript is accepted for publication and you will be the one providing the respective translation, you will be asked to send the translation of the figure captions.
The figure and the caption together convey a complete idea without the reader having to refer to the main text for interpretation. You should then treat abbreviations in the caption as if they were mentioned for the first time. All abbreviations or symbols used in a figure should be described in a key legend or in the caption, even if they were already defined in the text. When the figure caption is similar to another, type out the entire caption rather than typing “Same as Figure X.”

Tables
Tables should be self-explanatory, independent of the main text. Present each table with a succinct title. You may define abbreviations in the title. Table titles are published in English and Spanish. If your manuscript is accepted for publication and you will be the one providing the corresponding translation, you will be asked to send the translation for the table titles.
Please use only English for text inside the tables and list tables after the page containing the list of figure captions; number tables consecutively using Arabic numerals and cite them as such in the main text upon first mention (do not cite Table 2 if you have not cited Table 1). Make sure you cited all the tables you presented and that you send all the tables you have cited.

Figures
Figures include maps, graphs, charts, photographs, and other artwork. Together the figure and the corresponding caption should be self-explanatory, allowing proper interpretation standing alone. Every element (line, circle, color, number, text, and other objects) included in a figure should serve a purpose and its meaning should be well understood without any reference to the main text. Avoid unnecessary elements such as decorative matter and gridlines. Include the appropriate labels and place units in parentheses. Treat labels and abbreviations in every figure as if they were mentioned for the first time; define them in the caption or in a key legend.

Please use only English for descriptive text within the figure and place figures after the tables; number figures consecutively using Arabic numerals and cite them as such upon first mention (do not cite Figure 2 if you have not cited Figure 1). Make sure you cited all the figures you presented and that you send all the figures you have cited.

Color figures are discouraged unless absolutely necessary. The editor-in-chief will ultimately determine if a color figure is accepted for publication. Caution is advised for use of colors. When using colors to contrast different results, please, take readers with color-vision impairment into consideration. Free color-impairment simulators like ColorOracle will allow you to test if the colors you are using can be distinguished by people with color vision impairment. If your manuscript is accepted and it includes color figures that convey contrast, our in-house editors may suggest using different colors when, after examining your figure, they determine that the original colors cannot be easily contrasted by everyone.

You are responsible for obtaining all permissions required for publishing the figures in your manuscript, especially if you do not hold the rights to them.

If your manuscript is accepted for publication, you will be asked to send the digital editable format of your figures. Please see the Manuscript preparation for final submission guidelines for more specific details on this.

Supplementary material
Supplemental content is occasionally accepted for publication. If applicable, place supplementary material after the figures, and label as Figure S1 or Table S1 as appropriate. Like the main tables and figures, this material should be listed in ascending numerical order, tables first. Citation in running text should also follow this order upon first mention.

 

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION FOR FINAL SUBMISSION

If you made the final submission stage, congratulations! Your manuscript will be published shortly after, but first you must prepare your files for the final submission. Once your manuscript is accepted for publication, please send the final accepted version and the corresponding translation in separate Microsoft Word files. Do not send both versions in a single file. Remember to include the translation of table titles, figure captions, and, if applicable, the titles and captions of supplementary material. If you request that the translation be done by our in-house translator, you still need to provide the translated version of the main title, abstract, and keywords.

Send your figures files separately. Name your figure files using your manuscript number and the appropriate figure number. Figure files must be sent in digital editable format. By editable, we mean that all figure elements (objects, lines, legends, letters, numbers, etc.) should be independent to be modified separately as required. To obtain editable files, we suggest saving or exporting figure files from the source program in the following formats: Windows Metafile (.wmf), Corel Draw (.cdr), Adobe Illustrator (.ai), Portable Document Format (.pdf), Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg), Microsoft Excel worksheet (.xlm), and Encapsulated PostScript (.eps).

For photographs, we accept the following formats: Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpeg), Tagged Image File Format (.tiff), or Portable Network Graphics (.png).

We also suggest using a 300-dpi or higher resolution. Do not include any legends or symbols (e.g., scale-bars, arrows or letters, and numbers) in the photograph file you send separately. We will use the original image in your manuscript as reference.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Manuscripts returned to authors should be revised and sent back to the editor by the assigned deadline. After that, they will be treated as new manuscripts and the review process will begin again. Manuscripts and illustrations that do not comply with these guidelines will be returned to the authors.