Peer Review Policy
Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India (JMBAI) undergo an initial quality check by the Editors to ensure they meet the journal's requirements. This includes evaluating the submission’s alignment with JMBAI’s scope and formatting standards and screening for plagiarism. The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject or return manuscripts at this stage without external review if they are deemed unsuitable.
Once the quality check is complete, manuscripts are assigned to independent expert reviewers through a double-blind review process, ensuring that both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to guarantee unbiased evaluation. The reviewers assess the manuscript for originality, technical rigour, factual accuracy, coherence in data analysis, and proper citation of sources. Based on the feedback from at least two reviewers, the Chief Editor makes the final decision to accept, request revisions, or reject the manuscript.
If revisions are needed, the manuscript will be returned to the authors along with detailed reviewer comments. Authors must submit the revised manuscript within 10 days, along with a separate point-by-point response or rebuttal to the reviewers' comments. The revised manuscript, along with the authors’ responses, may be sent back to the original reviewers for further evaluation, if necessary, which may involve additional rounds of revisions. The final decision on acceptance will be communicated once all revisions are satisfactorily completed. Authors can track the status of their submissions throughout the peer review and editorial process.
Editorial Policy
The Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India (JMBAI) is committed to advancing marine science by publishing high-quality, impactful research. Our editorial policy emphasizes rigorous, reproducible contributions that enhance global understanding of marine ecosystems. We maintain the highest standards of research integrity, promoting transparency, and fostering an inclusive and diverse research community. JMBAI accepts original research articles, reviews, and short communications, welcoming contributions from a global author base.
The journal's editorial board, comprising the Chief Editor, Editors, and an expert Editorial Board, ensures that all published content adheres to the highest academic standards. Authors submitting to JMBAI must ensure that their work is original, not under consideration elsewhere, and formatted according to the journal’s guidelines. Plagiarism is strictly monitored, and any instances of unethical behaviour will lead to rejection or retraction. JMBAI follows the ethical guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), ensuring rigorous handling of authorship, source acknowledgement, and research integrity.
As an open-access journal, JMBAI does not charge Article Processing Charges (APCs), however, the Corresponding author must be a bona fide member of the Marine Biological Association of India (see Author Guidelines for obtaining membership). The copyright of all accepted and published papers remains with the Marine Biological Association of India, Kochi. Transparency and clear communication are central to our operations. Authors can track their manuscript’s status throughout the peer review process, and decisions are typically provided within a reasonable timeframe.
The journal maintains strict editorial independence, with decisions based solely on academic merit. We encourage authors to make their data and materials available to enhance transparency and reproducibility. JMBAI upholds the highest standards of editorial ethics, ensuring that authors, reviewers, and editors act with integrity and professionalism at all times. The decision of the Editors is final and binding.
