General Features

Marine and Fishery Sciences (MAFIS) is the new scientific publication that replaces "Revista de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero" of INIDEP, which began to be published in 1979. New name and presentation format of MAFIS begins with number 32 volume 1 of 2019, with the intention of reaching a greater audience of marine and fishery science specialists by improving online version through the implementation of the OJS (Open Journal System) and indexing...

Contributions to and publications in MAFIS are free of charge. Published articles are freely available via Internet for immediate worldwide Open Access serving the best interests of the international research community. There are no suscription fees.

Submissions should be written in Spanish or English in one of the following categories:

Original Research Papers are generally based upon hypothesis-driven research providing new information to the knowledge base, not just to confirm previously published work. Descriptive studies presenting novel information or observations and/or scholarly insight that contributes to advancement of the state of information on a given scientific topic are also allowed.

Review Articles are welcome and should cover either narrow disciplinary subjects or broad issues requiring interdisciplinary discussion. They should contain not only an up-to-date review of scientific literature but also substantial scholarly interpretation of the quality of existing data, the status of knowledge, and the research required to advance knowledge of the subject are essential. Reviews consisting solely of a summary of published data without interpretation leading to new insights or recommendations for new research directions will be returned to the author without review. Structured reviews and meta-analyses must conform to PRISMA guidelines (see also https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2019.100777 and references therein).

Notes should differ from full papers on the basis of scope or completeness, rather than quality of research. They may report significant new results which represent a major breakthrough or new discovery arising from problems with narrow, well defined limits, or important findings that should therefore be published quickly. They should not be used for preliminary results. Papers must contain sufficient data to establish that the research has achieved reliable and significant results.  Their text should neither exceed 1500 words  (approximately six pages of typescript) excluding keywords, tables and references, nor be divided up into conventional sections.

Technical Papers should present new methods, devices or procedures for either research methodology or analysis-related techniques. It may also describe the state of a resource, a technical or scientific research problem and provides a new approach.

Marine Insights offers a space for presenting research findings in marine and fisheries sciences that are relevant to academia and important for the oceans and their resources. Unlike a traditional Review, this section adopts a more innovative approach, aiming to appeal to a broad audience, including policymakers and the general public. Therefore, it is important to ensure that they are written in an accessible, semi-journalistic style that captures the interest of both specialized and non-specialized readers. We recommend the use of figures to illustrate key concepts effectively and easily, and the use of text boxes for contextual and independent information. All texts should inform readers about the central topic (using peer-reviewed scientific literature), suggest possible actions, and make recommendations on how to proceed. Manuscripts in this section should have a title and a two-line subtitle or abstract. The maximum length should not exceed a regular research article. Manuscripts may be divided into thematic subheadings if necessary. Up to four display elements (figures, tables, text boxes) are allowed. The manuscript submission must include ethics and integrity statements (data availability), permission approval, funding declaration, conflict of interest, and permission to reproduce material from other sources, as is required for a regular submission. A maximum of 20 references is recommended. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed.

Points of View is a public forum for short comments or opinions on marine affairs and policies, fisheries management, and administration. Authors may share their personal opinions on these topics respectfully and based on facts, current issues, and legislations. The maximum length of this section is 1,000 words, excluding references. The article should include a title and a short abstract of no more than two lines. Comments should be written in a clear and understandable manner, avoiding the use of technical terms whenever possible. Although opinions are encouraged, they should be founded on sound reasoning developed from peer-reviewed literature. Article content should reflect in-depth knowledge or experience on the subject matter. Unfounded opinions or partisan political themes will not be accepted. Comments and opinions expressed in this section are the sole responsibility of the authors. This section is peer-reviewed at the editor´s discretion.

Audience

It is aimed at researchers, professionals and students from the different branches of marine and fisheries sciences, such as Marine Biologist, Fisheries Scientist, Ecologists, Oceanographers, Aquaculturists.

Abstracting & Indexing

SCOPUS; DOI Crossref; LATINDEX Cat. 2.0; DOAJ; AMelica.org; Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA); Agrindex; Zoological Records (BIOSIS Database); AquaDocs; CORE; BASE, MIAR.

Open Access

This journal offers authors a Diamond Open Access policy. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of Open Access.

Peer review

This journal operates a double blind review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then typically sent to two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor's decision is final.

Licencing

Since 2019, distribution of contents of this journal are licenced by Creative Commons attributions (BY-NC-SA 4.0):

• Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

• NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

• ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.

Plagiarism

The software CrossCheck, powered by iThenticate, screens all manuscripts submitted to MAFIS for plagiarism and duplicate content. Manuscripts found to be plagiarized or duplicated will not be considered for publication. Submissions must consist of original content.

In accordance with COPE guidelines, we expect that "original wording taken directly from publications by other researchers should appear in quotation marks with appropriate citations".

Disclaimer

The National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP) and Editors cannot be held responsible for errors and any consequences arising from the use of information contained in this journal; the views and opinions expressed do not neccesarily reflect those of the Publisher and Editors. Likewise, the reference made to trademarks is only circumstantial and does not imply, as far as INIDEP is concerned, any kind of recommendation or evaluation of the product in question or the manufacturing company.

 

ETHICAL RESEARCH CONDUCT POLICIES

Research ethics and legal aspects

All research submitted to MAFIS for consideration must have followed the MIFES guidelines on study ethics. In accordance with COPE guidelines, MAFIS reserves the right to reject any manuscript that editors consider does not uphold high ethical standards, even if authors have obtained ethical approval or if ethical approval is not necessary. This journal encourages authors to follow ARRIVE guidelines for designing, analyzing, and reporting of scientific research.

The journal publishes only original work that makes a clear and strong contribution of new information in its field. When authors submit a manuscript they legally imply that they followed all pertinent legislation and ethical principles (including informed consent and proper treatment of nature according to UNESCO Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and Helsinki Ethical Norms; that all coauthors participated in the main aspects of research and agree to publication; and that the study is original, scientifically valid, has not been published before, and was not sent simultaneously to another journal. Board and staff members can publish in the journal but are excluded from all decisions regarding their manuscripts.

Authors, reviewers, board members and staff must report conflicts of interest as soon as they arise. Any cases of error, citation manipulation, piracy, plagiarism, duplicate submission, republication, fabrication or falsification of data, and financial conflict, must be informed to the Editorial Committee, which will investigate them even if the report is from anonymous sources. Articles found in fault can be rejected, retracted or be added errata.

The COPE guidelines on policies on retractions, corrections, and publishing malpractices do apply to a broader range of post-publication matters, beyond just fundamental errors or fraud. These mechanisms are intended to protect the integrity of the scholarly record and ensure transparency. The following areas are covered under the umbrella of post-publication amendments:

• Expressions of Concern (EEoC): Used when there is inconclusive evidence of research misconduct, ongoing investigations, or potential problems that are not yet finalized.
• Authorship Disputes: Changes to the author list, including adding, removing, or changing the order of authors, require formal post-publication amendments.
• Conflicts of Interest: Failure to disclose significant financial or personal conflicts that could influence the study's interpretation.
• Ethical Violations: Studies that did not receive ethical approval or used unauthorized human/animal data.
• Redundant/Duplicate Publication: Publication of the same data in multiple journals without cross-referencing.
• Data/Image Manipulation: Even if it doesn't entirely invalidate the paper, inappropriate manipulation warrants a correction or retraction.
• Legal/Security Concerns: Issues regarding confidentiality or potential hazards.
• Author Name Changes: Formal changes to author names, including those based on gender identity, are now handled sensitively post-publication.

Studies in animals

All animal experiments should comply with ARRIVE guidelines and should be carried out in accordance with institutional, national and international guidelines concerning the use of animals in research abd/or the sampling of endangered species. Authors should clearly indicate in the manuscript that such guidelines have been followed. Authors are expected to provide details on the housing, husbandry and pain management of animals in their manuscript, along with steps taken to minimize suffering.

When doing research on free-living animals, scientist should make every effort to reduce the influence of their work on populations and ecosystems under investigation. Every field of study needs the proper licenses and permits, which should be detailed in the manuscript´s Material and Methods section.

Authorship

It is very important to make clear people who have made substantial intellectual contributed to a paper, are given credit as authors. And also that people who are recognized as authors, understand their responsibility and accountability for what is being published. Criteria typically require meeting four standards: substantial contributions to conception/design or data acquisition/analysis; drafting or critically revising the work; final approval of the version to be published; and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

In addition to being accountable for the parts of the work done, an author should be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for specific other parts of the work. In addition, authors should have confidence in the integrity of the contributions of their co-authors. 

The corresponding author is the principal point of contact with the journal throughout the paper submission, peer-review, and publication process. The corresponding author is typically responsible for ensuring that all of the journal's administrative requirements, such as authorship details, ethics committee approval, and disclosures of relationships and activities, are completed and reported correctly, though these duties may be delegated to one or more co-authors. The corresponding author should be available during the submission and peer-review process to respond to editorial queries in a timely manner, as well as after publication to respond to work critiques and cooperate with any requests from the journal for data or additional information if questions about the paper arise after publication. 

This journal encourages collaboration with colleagues in the locations where the research is conducted, and expect their inclusion as co-authors when they fulfil all authorship criteria described above. Contributors who do not meet all criteria for authorship should be listed in the Acknowledgements section. The authors should decide the order of authorship together.

MAFIS implemented CRediT taxonomy at the end of articles. You can use Table 1 from Allen et al. (2019) to check and select credits for authors.

Declaration of interest

All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Grants or other funding permitting the realization of the research must be stated. Please use the Acknowledgment section to do that.

Submission declaration

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract, a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form or in any other language without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

Artificial Intelligence usage statement

Authors utilizing Artificial Inteligence (AI) tools during manuscript preparation, image creation, data collection and/or analysis should disclose its use and specify the tools employed in the Methods section or its equivalent. Authors bear full responsibility for all content in their manuscript, including sections generated with AI tools (if any), and are accountable for ensuring compliance with publication ethics. For directives on AI use and ethics, author should refer to the Committee on Publications Ethics (COPE) statement.