The Journal of Marine Science celebrated 50 years of publishing scientific knowledge

cove.- The Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) celebrated the magazine’s 50th anniversary Marine sciencespublished by the Institute of Oceanographic Research (IIO), has established itself as a reference in interdisciplinary research.

Its mission is to support the dissemination of scientific knowledge by publishing articles in English and Spanish through an open access platform, with minimal publishing costs to authors. This editorial policy allows researchers to communicate their findings to the global scientific community, eliminating language barriers and ensuring free access to content in both languages.

In his speech, UABC President Dr. Luis Enrique Palafox Maestre highlighted the importance of this anniversary for the university and for the field of aquatic sciences in Mexico and Latin America. This was explained by the magazine Marine sciences There is no record of another similar publication, suggesting that it is the first academic journal of the UABC.

“For UABC, having a magazine like Marine sciences It is a source of great pride, as it is a 100% chestnut scientific publication, supported by the quality indicators it contains, and is considered a national reference.”

The university president highlighted the challenges the journal faced, particularly the need to compete with other open access publications that offer shorter publication times. In response, the editorial team improved its processes, and was able to reduce production times to a minimum of six months and a maximum of twelve, without compromising the quality of work.

“This has allowed us to achieve bibliometric indicators that position the UABC journal as the most attractive option existing in Mexico and Latin America for publishing high-quality research works,” which provides basic scientific knowledge for new findings and decision support. Dr. Palafox-Meister explained – working on the problems and needs of aquatic and oceanographic sciences, thus positively impacting the marine ecosystem.

He also praised the academics who contributed to its success Marine sciences Since its inception. He singled out Dr. Saúl Álvarez Borrego, Director of the Faculty of Marine Sciences from 1973 to 1975, and the oceanographer Katsu Antonio Nishikawa Kinomura, Director of the Institute from 1968 to 1973, as well as the teacher María Guadalupe García y Lippi, founding editor. And to the editorial teams that formed this publication. He also highlighted the leadership of current researchers who in 2023 achieved a significant increase in the productivity of the journal and renewed its format to adapt it to current science requirements.

Concluding his participation, the UABC President congratulated those who were part of the magazine for the work they have done over 50 years. “Thank you for contributing to the advancement of marine science and inspiring others with your passion and commitment,” he said.

For his part, the Director of the Institute, Dr. Louis-Walter Desley Heuser, Director of the Institute, reviewed the relevant events in 1974, the year in which the journal was established, and highlighted the changes in the panorama of scientific publications, highlighting the accelerated growth of articles and journals, as well as About current challenges, such as reviewer workload overload and the emergence of predatory journals. Despite these challenges, he celebrated the unique features of marine science, such as open access, continuous publication, and the bilingual format. He also thanked those responsible for this project, highlighting the positive impact that the magazine has had and will continue to have in disseminating knowledge in marine sciences.

Current co-editor-in-chief and editorial coordinator of Marine sciencesDr. Armando Felix Bermudez, who pointed out how the magazine has evolved from its beginnings from a local initiative to become a source of global knowledge. It has currently published more than 1,400 articles on its website and has received 49,000 international visits so far this year, from countries such as Japan, Brazil, the United States and others.

Dr. Felix Bermudez pointed to future challenges, such as the spread of paid open access journals and the use of artificial intelligence in editorial processes. However, he stressed that marine science is always adapting to changes, while maintaining its commitment to quality and innovation in disseminating scientific knowledge, while ensuring that it continues to be a leader in the field of marine science for another 50 years.

Magazine Marine sciencesedited by the Institute of Oceanic Research since 1974, has published 50 volumes and more than 1,480 articles throughout its history. Currently, it is indexed in prestigious databases such as Journal Citation Reports (JCR), Scopus, Ebsco, SciELO, Latindex and the Mexican Journal Classification System of the National Council for the Humanities, Sciences and Technology (Conahcyt), strengthening its position as one of the most important and influential scientific publications in its field. It can be found on the website: https://cienciasmarinas.com.Mix/.