INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

The Croatian Journal of Fisheries is an OPEN ACCESS scientific and technical journal which is peer reviewed. It owned by the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Croatian Journal of Fisheries was established in 1938 and possesses long-term tradition of publishing papers on freshwater and marine fisheries. Topics covered include: ichthyology, aquaculture, ecology and diseases in fish and other aquatic organisms, open water issues and other topics related to fisheries. The journal content features articles that reflect original research, interpretative content and content of interest to fisheries profession.

Original scientific communications, which have not been previously published and are not being considered for publication elsewhere, may be submitted, in either Croatian or English, in the following categories:

• original scientific papers (contain results from original research)
• preliminary communications (where in novel findings may be rapidly published)
• short communications
• review articles (must be original and concise, and provide critical and objective overviews of specific scientific fields in which the authors are considered actively involved and recognized)
• professional papers (contain useful organizational, applied and field observations, based upon literature critique, personal experience and/or following experimentation)

Editorial Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous evaluation based on their originality, scientific quality, and relevance to the journal’s scope, in alignment with the latest guidelines from recognized scientific and regulatory bodies.

To be considered for review, manuscripts must be:

·Prepared according to the journal’s official Instructions for Authors

• Proofread by a native English speaker or someone with a high level of English proficiency

Submissions that do not meet these fundamental requirements will be returned to the authors without further processing.

All manuscripts must be submitted exclusively through the submission system, accessible at https://ribarstvo.agr.hr/en/paper-submission. If you are a new user, you should create a user account and submit a paper. Upon successful upload, the corresponding author will receive an automated confirmation.

Manuscript submission

Submitted manuscripts including figures and tables must be sent:

online at http://ribarstvo.agr.hr – click on the online paper submission or go directly to https://ribarstvo.agr.hr/en/paper-submission. If you are a new user, you should create a user account and submit a paper.

Before a manuscript is published, each corresponding author has to fill out LICENSE TO PUBLISH (attached under the section For authors / Open Access Lisence at https://sciendo.com/journal/CJF ) which also must be signed by authors to confirm authorship of the manuscript. Authors must scan this signed document and submit it.

Peer Review Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial evaluation by the Editor-in-Chief. Manuscripts may be rejected at this stage without external review if they are deemed to lack sufficient interest, novelty, or if they fall outside the scope of the Journal. If the manuscript is considered appropriate for further consideration, it is first assigned to an Associate Editor. Based on the Associate Editor's assessment, the manuscript may either be rejected or forwarded for peer review.

Before entering the review process, each submission is screened using the iThenticate similarity detection software to verify originality and uphold the quality of published work. Manuscripts found to have a high degree of overlap with previously published material will be rejected without external review.

Manuscripts that pass these preliminary checks are sent to at least two impartial reviewers for evaluation. The Journal employs a single-anonymized peer review process: reviewers are aware of the authors’ identities, but authors do not know the identity of the reviewers.

The duration of the review process largely depends on the availability and responsiveness of the assigned Associate Editor and reviewers. Although they are encouraged to complete their evaluations within three weeks, this timeline may be extended due to their professional commitments. If an Associate Editor or reviewer is unable to accept the assignment, a replacement is promptly sought, which may influence the overall duration of the review process. Once all reviews have been submitted, the Editor makes a final decision regarding the manuscript’s acceptance. Authors receive the reviewers’ comments along with the editorial decision. If revisions are requested, authors are expected to submit a revised manuscript promptly. In case additional time is needed, authors should contact the editorial office at ribarstvo@agr.hr to request a possible extension.

Each revised submission must be accompanied by a new cover letter and a detailed response to the reviewers’ comments. If there are any changes in authorship during the revision process (such as adding or removing an author), the authors must provide a clear explanation for the change and submit a written consent from all involved authors, including those being added or removed.

The revised manuscript is carefully evaluated by the Associate Editor and/or the reviewers. Based on their recommendations, the Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision regarding acceptance as soon as possible. If necessary, additional revisions may be requested to ensure that all reviewers' comments and requirements have been adequately addressed.

Before a manuscript can be formally accepted, each co-author must complete and sign the LICENSE TO PUBLISH (attached under the section For authors / Open Access Lisence at https://sciendo.com/journal/CJF ).

Once a manuscript is officially accepted for publication, an acceptance letter is sent to the corresponding author, with copies also forwarded to all co-authors. The manuscript is then assigned a DOI number. The final published version will include the manuscript’s original submission date and the date of acceptance.

Before publication, during the production stage, each manuscript undergoes a linguistic and technical revision. At this point, authors are requested to review the proofs and submit any final corrections within 3 to 4 days. It is important that all corrections suggested by the editors are carefully implemented.

Authors are expected to limit their changes at this stage to typographical and minor errors only. Substantive changes to the content are not permitted.

Once finalized and printed, all manuscripts are made available online in their final PDF format and are indexed in relevant scientific databases.

Preparation of the manuscript

All manuscripts must be submitted in English. If English is not the authors' first language, it is strongly recommended that the manuscript be reviewed and edited by a native English speaker to ensure clarity and accuracy. Submissions that are poorly written in English or fail to adhere to the provided guidelines may be rejected.

The title, abstract, and keywords of the paper should be provided in Croatian, also. If the authors are unable to supply these in Croatian, the editorial team will assist in preparing them.

Manuscripts should be prepared in MS Word format (either .doc or .docx). The document must be typed in Arial font, size 11 (title in size 13) with 1.5 line spacing. Use A4 paper size with standard margins and a white background. Ensure that continuous line numbering is applied throughout the manuscript. Please avoid using multiple columns for formatting the text.

All Latin terms, phrases, and abbreviations, including generic and species names, should be written in italics. When referring to microorganisms, only the genus and species names should be italicized, with the genus name capitalized.

All research papers—whether original scientific papers, preliminary communications, or short communications—must include the following sections:

• Title of the manuscript
• Running title
• Authors' names and affiliations
• Contact details of corresponding author in the footnote
• Summary
• Keywords
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions
• Acknowledgements
• Funding
• References

Title page

The title should clearly and concisely reflect the subject of the paper, with a maximum of 90 characters. All nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in the title must begin with a capital letter.

The running title should be brief, containing no more than 6-7 words, with the first letter of each

word capitalized. It should succinctly convey the paper’s main topic.

Authors must provide their full first and last names, along with their institutional affiliations, complete addresses, and email addresses. The corresponding author’s name should be marked with an asterisk (*).

Affiliations (institutional addresses) should be written in English and numbered in superscript next to the author’s surname (e.g., ¹ for the first author, ² for the second, and so on). If multiple authors share the same affiliation, they should be assigned the same number. If all authors are from the same institution, no numbers are needed.

The contact details of the corresponding author must be included in a footnote at the bottom of the title page, formatted as follows:

Corresponding author: Phone: [number]; Fax: [number]; E-mail: [email address].

Abstract

An abstract is mandatory for all manuscripts. The abstract must consist of a single paragraph and should not exceed 300 words. It should be written in a way that it is self-contained, meaning it should be understandable without the need to refer to the main text of the paper. When writing the abstract, include sample sizes and the key statistics used in your analyses to provide a clear overview of your study’s methodology and outcomes.

Avoid using acronyms and complex abbreviations, and do not refer to literature, figures, or

tables in the abstract.

The abstract should be divided into the following sections:

• Research Background: Briefly introduce the context and purpose of the study.
• Experimental Approach: Summarize the methods or procedures used in the research.
• Results and Conclusions: Highlight the most important findings and their implications.
• Novelty and Scientific Contribution: Emphasize what is novel about the work and its contribution to the field.

The abstract should explain the aim of the paper and summarize the most relevant results and conclusions, underlining the importance and novelty of the research. Avoid including numerical data in the abstract unless it is absolutely necessary to help readers understand the core contribution of the paper.

Importantly, the abstract should not contain abbreviations, equations, illustrations, figures, tables, or references. The content of the abstract must align with the rest of the paper, and all information mentioned in the abstract should be thoroughly covered in the body of the manuscript.

Below the abstract, include 3 to 6 keywords or short phrases that will aid in the cross-indexing

of your article. Please note that do not use words from the title as keywords.

INTRODUCTION

The text should be readable, clear and concise. Do not write text in the first person.

The Introduction should provide a clear statement of the research objectives. It must include an overview of relevant previous studies, summarizing key findings and conclusions. This section should also emphasize the importance of the current research within this context, highlighting its potential contributions. Additionally, it should justify the choice of methodology and explain why it was selected to offer new insights into the subject.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Materials and Methods section should be detailed enough to allow replication of the experiments. Descriptions of novel techniques and procedures must be provided comprehensively, while established methods should be cited with brief descriptions. All chemicals and equipment used should be listed with full details, including product name, manufacturer (without citing suppliers), city, and country of origin. If applicable, the model numbers for equipment should also be specified.

For any software or databases used in the study, citations must be included in the references. Details about the origin of samples (e.g., animal, plant materials, etc.) must be clearly stated, including the source, manufacturer, or relevant market, as well as geographic information. In cases of field studies, a thorough description of the study site is necessary, covering both its physical and biological features. The sampling design must be clearly outlined, including the number of samples, controls, treatments, replication, and data format. Statistical methods and software used for analysis must be described in detail, including the significance level. For multiple methods from the same standards organization, each must be cited individually.

RESULTS

The Results section should be integrated into one unified part for clarity and flow. The results should be presented in a text-based format, highlighting the key findings and linking them to the corresponding tables and figures. Each table and figure should be numbered sequentially (e.g., Table 1, Table 2, Figure 1, Figure 2) and referenced in the text in the appropriate order. Positioning of these items should be clearly indicated.

DISCUSSION

In the Discussion, avoid simply restating the results. Instead, provide an interpretation of the findings, their implications, and how they relate to existing research. Emphasize new insights gained from your study and compare them to the findings of previous works, highlighting their significance and any discrepancies.

CONCLUSIONS

The Conclusions should succinctly summarize the significance and novelty of the results obtained, without repeating information from previous sections. This part must highlight the main contributions of the study and its implications for the field. It should be standalone and not cite any references.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Any acknowledgements should be placed at the end of the manuscript, before the references. This section should express gratitude to individuals, institutions, or organizations that provided support, assistance, or resources, excluding grants and projects. Acknowledged contributors should not be listed as co-authors of the manuscript.

FUNDING

The Funding section should list all financial sources supporting the research, including grant numbers and the names of the funding agencies. If the project has a specific title, it should also be included. If the funding comes from multiple sources, each author’s contribution can be individually specified, with the relevant agency and grant number listed beside the author’s initials.

References

References should be listed alphabetically on a separate page with 1.5 line spacing (without numbering!). References in the text should be cited using the Harvard system thus: (Smith, 1996), (Smith and Jones, 1996), Smith and Jones (1996). Manuscripts in preparation, unpublished reports and similarly difficult to obtain communications should not be cited. Personal communications should be cited in the text thus: (Smith, J. R., pers. comm.). Preferably references should include recent international publications, unless giving a review of the field, must reflect the topic of the manuscript and show the relevance to the Journal. They must all be written in English; references originally written in other languages must be translated into English and the language of origin must be written in brackets at the end of the reference.

Doi numbers must be provided for all references that contain it, and written in a separate line at the end of the corresponding reference in the format https://doi.org/.  If in doubt, doi numbers

can be checked at www.crossref.org. Authors must be careful not to repeat the same reference.

References should be presented in alphabetical order in the following manner:

Single author papers:

Author, A. B. (1995): Title of article. Croatian Journal of Fisheries, 53, 3, 105-118.

Multi-author papers:

Author, A. B., Author, D. I., Author, C. D. (2010): Title of article. Ribarstvo, 53, 4, 151-159.

Textbooks:

Author, A. B. (1989): Title of book. Rye (NY), Publisher's Name. 467pp.

Book chapters:

Author, A. B. (1993): Title of chapter. pp. 519-540. In: Schreibman, M. P., Scanes, C. G., Pang, P. K. T. (eds), Title of book. Academic Press, San Diego, USA. 607pp.

Papers in a conference proceeding(s):

Author, A. B, Author, I. J., Author, K. L. (1985): Title of conference paper. In: Able ST, editor, Title of Symposium or Conference: subtitle; 2010 Jan 1-3, location of conference. City of publisher, Publisher, p. 12-16.

Thesis or dissertation:

Author, A. B. (2012): Title of thesis or dissertation. Berkeley (CA): Name of University. 235 p.

Internet sources: