Cover Image
PUBLISHER: MERSIN UNIVERSITY

Marine Science and Environmental Research

Submit a Manuscript Send Reviewer Request

Author Guidelines

Marine Science and Environmental Research (Mar. Sci. Environ. Res.) is an international peer-reviewed journal published twice a year, with issues released in March and September. The journal accepts manuscripts in English and Turkish and aims to disseminate high-quality scientific contributions in the fields of marine and environmental sciences.

All submissions undergo a rigorous double-blind peer-review process and are evaluated by a minimum of two independent expert reviewers. Acceptance for publication is based on scientific quality, originality, relevance to the journal’s scope, and compliance with ethical and editorial standards.

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must be original works that have not been published previously and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Publication, reproduction, distribution, or presentation of the published material in whole or in part requires appropriate acknowledgment of the original source and, where applicable, the permission of the Editorial Board. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have agreed to both the content of the manuscript and the order in which authors are listed before submission.

The journal publishes the following categories of manuscripts:

a) Research Articles
Full-length papers reporting original research findings, novel data, and significant scientific advances.

b) Review Articles
Comprehensive and critical syntheses of current knowledge, recent developments, and emerging trends within a specific research area.

c) Short Communications
Concise reports presenting preliminary, novel, or time-sensitive research findings that warrant rapid dissemination to the scientific community.

Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

Title Page

The title page should contain the following information:

Title

The title should be concise, informative, and accurately reflect the content of the manuscript.

Author Information

Please provide:

  • Full name(s) of all author(s)
  • Affiliation(s) of all author(s), including institution, department (if applicable), city, and country
  • Full postal address of the corresponding author
  • A valid and active e-mail address of the corresponding author
  • The 16-digit ORCID iD of each author

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments, including information on grants, funding sources, institutional support, and contributions from individuals who do not meet the authorship criteria, should be included in a separate section on the title page. Funding organizations should be identified by their full official names.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

The use of Large Language Models (LLMs) or other AI tools should be disclosed in the Methods section (or another appropriate section if a Methods section is not available) when such tools contribute to content generation, analysis, interpretation, or other substantive aspects of the manuscript.

Disclosure is not required when AI tools are used solely for copy-editing purposes, including:

  • Improving readability and writing style
  • Correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, and tone
  • Minor wording and formatting revisions

These activities are considered AI-assisted copy editing and do not constitute content generation or autonomous authorship. In all cases, authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and final content of the manuscript.

Abstract

Please provide an abstract of 150–300 words.

The abstract should:

  • Clearly summarize the objectives, methods, principal findings, and conclusions of the study
  • Avoid undefined abbreviations
  • Avoid citations and references to the literature

Keywords

Provide 4–6 keywords suitable for indexing and literature searches.

Text Formatting

Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx).

Please ensure that:

  • A standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, 10-point) is used throughout the manuscript
  • Italics are used only where appropriate
  • Pages are numbered using the automatic page-numbering function
  • Field functions are not used
  • Indentation is created using tab stops or paragraph formatting rather than spaces
  • Tables are prepared using the Word table function rather than spreadsheet software
  • Equations are created using Equation Editor or MathType
  • Files are saved in .docx or .doc format

Headings

A maximum of three levels of headings should be used throughout the manuscript.

Abbreviations

All abbreviations should be defined at first mention and used consistently throughout the manuscript.

Footnotes

Footnotes may be used to provide supplementary information.

Please note that:

  • Footnotes should not consist solely of reference citations
  • Full bibliographic information should not be included in footnotes
  • Figures and tables should not appear within footnotes
  • Text footnotes should be numbered consecutively
  • Table footnotes should be indicated using superscript lowercase letters
  • Asterisks may be used to indicate significance levels and other statistical annotations
  • Endnotes should not be used

Scientific Style

Authors should adhere to internationally accepted scientific conventions.

Units

Use the International System of Units (SI) throughout the manuscript.

Nomenclature

Where applicable, systematic nomenclature consistent with IUPAC recommendations should be used.

Scientific Names

Genus and species names must be written in italics (e.g., Merluccius merluccius, Sardinella aurita).

Drugs and Pesticides

Generic names are preferred. If trade names are used, the corresponding generic name should be provided at first mention.

Mathematical Notation

Use standard mathematical conventions:

  • Italic: variables, unknown quantities, and mathematical constants
  • Roman (upright): numbers, operators, punctuation, and standard functions (e.g., sin, cos, log, exp, max, min)
  • Bold: vectors, matrices, and tensors

References

Marine Science and Environmental Research follows the American Psychological Association (APA) Style, 7th Edition, for both in-text citations and the reference list. Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of all references. Whenever available, Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) should be included in the reference list and presented as active URLs (e.g., https://doi.org/xxxxx).

In-text Citations

References should be cited in the text using the author–date system.

Single author

  • (Smith, 2020)
  • Smith (2020) reported that...

Two authors

  • (Smith & Jones, 2021)
  • Smith and Jones (2021) demonstrated that...

Three or more authors

  • (Smith et al., 2022)
  • Smith et al. (2022) found that...

Multiple references

  • (Brown, 2018; Smith, 2020; Zhang et al., 2023)

Direct quotations

  • Include the page number:
    • (Smith, 2020, p. 45)
    • (Smith, 2020, pp. 45–47)

Reference List

The reference list should appear at the end of the manuscript under the heading “References.” References must be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author and formatted according to APA 7th Edition guidelines.

Journal Article

Format

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of the article. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Example

Cossa, D., Harmelin-Vivien, M., Mellon-Duval, C., Loizeau, V., Averty, B., Crochet, S., Chou, L., & Cadiou, J. F. (2022). Influence of bioavailability, trophic position, and habitat on mercury in fish from the northwestern Mediterranean. Science of the Total Environment, 824, 153823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153823

Book

Format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book (Edition if applicable). Publisher.

Example

Levinton, J. S. (2017). Marine biology: Function, biodiversity, ecology (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Book Chapter

Format

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Example

Duarte, C. M. (2021). Marine ecosystem restoration. In S. Ferse & J. Glaser (Eds.), Marine conservation in practice (pp. 45–62). Springer. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Conference Proceedings

Format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of paper. In Title of proceedings (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Thesis or Dissertation

Format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis [Master’s thesis or Doctoral dissertation, Institution Name]. Repository Name or URL.

Website

Format

Organization or Author. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Website Name. URL

Example

Food and Agriculture Organization. (2024). The state of world fisheries and aquaculture. FAO. https://www.fao.org

Additional Notes

  • Ensure that every in-text citation has a corresponding entry in the reference list and vice versa.
  • Journal titles and book titles should be written in italics and in title case.
  • Reference entries should include all available bibliographic information.
  • Authors are encouraged to use reference management software (e.g., EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero) configured for APA 7th Edition formatting.
  • Manuscripts with incomplete, inconsistent, or incorrectly formatted references may be returned to authors for revision before entering the review process.
Last Update Time: June 22, 2026