Copyright and Licensing Policy

Journal of Marine Studies (JoMS) is an open-access journal governed by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license allows unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction of published materials in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. The policy below outlines the rights and responsibilities of authors and users under this license.

1. Copyright Retention

Authors publishing in JoMS retain the copyright of their work. By submitting and publishing with the journal, authors agree to grant JoMS the right of first publication. The work will then be simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits others to share and adapt the work freely as long as proper attribution is provided to the original author(s) and the initial publication in JoMS is acknowledged.

2. Author Rights and Reuse

JoMS supports the principle that authors should have broad freedom to disseminate their research. Accordingly, authors are entitled to:

  • Retain full ownership of their intellectual property while granting JoMS the right to publish and distribute the article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  • Enter into separate, non-exclusive agreements for additional distribution of the published version of the article (for example, posting it in an institutional repository, sharing it on a personal website, or including it in an edited volume), provided that the work’s initial publication in JoMS is acknowledged.
  • Use and share their work for educational, scholarly, or non-commercial purposes, including in teaching, conference presentations, and future publications, with appropriate citation of the original source.

3. Open Access and Early Dissemination

JoMS encourages authors to maximize the visibility and impact of their research by posting their work online both before and during the submission process. Authors may:

  • Deposit working papers, preprints, or submitted manuscripts in institutional or disciplinary repositories,
  • Share their work on personal websites or academic networking platforms (e.g., ResearchGate, Academia.edu), and
  • Engage in scholarly discussions or share early versions of their research for feedback and collaboration.

Making research available early promotes academic exchange, transparency, and faster dissemination of knowledge, which can lead to earlier recognition and greater citation of the published work. (See also The Effect of Open Access.)

4. Licensing Terms and Conditions

Under the CC BY 4.0 License:

  • Anyone may copy, redistribute, remix, transform, or build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use;
  • Proper credit must be given to the author(s), a link to the license must be provided, and any changes made to the original work must be clearly indicated;
  • No additional restrictions may be applied that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

For the full terms of the license, please visit the Creative Commons website.

5. Commitment to Open Access

The Journal of Marine Studies believes that open access to scientific knowledge fosters innovation, collaboration, and equitable dissemination of research findings. By publishing under the CC BY 4.0 license, JoMS ensures that all published articles are freely available to readers worldwide without subscription or access barriers.