Submission guidelines

Submission guidelines

Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal must ensure that:

• The work is original and has not been published previously, except in preliminary form (e.g., abstract or conference proceeding).
• The manuscript is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• All data presented are accurate and have not been fabricated, falsified, or inappropriately manipulated.
• Proper acknowledgment of the work of others is provided, and all sources are appropriately cited.
• Authorship reflects significant scientific contributions to the study.
• All co-authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.
• Any financial support or funding sources are disclosed.
• Any potential conflicts of interest are clearly declared.

Research involving animals complies with relevant ethical standards and institutional or national guidelines.

Plagiarism, duplicate publication, data manipulation, or any other form of scientific misconduct will result in rejection of the manuscript or retraction of the published article.

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 Open Access License (attached under "Documents" at https://reference-global.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.

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
• Experimental Approach: Summarize the methods or procedures used in the
• Results and Conclusions: Highlight the most important findings and their
• 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.

Tables

Placement: Tables should be placed within the text, right after the paragraph where they are first mentioned.

Numbering & Caption: Every table must have a clear, descriptive title placed above the table (e.g., Table 1. Length-weight relationship of...).

Format: Use the standard Word table function. Avoid using vertical lines; use only horizontal lines to separate the header, data body, and the bottom of the table.

Data clarity: All columns must have brief headings with units of measurement in parentheses—for example: Length (cm).

Footnotes: Any abbreviations, symbols, or statistical significance (like p-values) used in the table should be explained in a footnote directly below the table.

Figures

Placement: Like tables, figures should be embedded within the text at the appropriate positions. Numbering & Caption: Every figure must have a caption placed below the figure (e.g., Fig 1. Map of the sampling locations...).

Quality & Resolution: Figures must be clear and of high quality. If using photographs, they must be sharp and have good contrast.

Formats: Preferred file formats for charts and images are usually TIFF, JPEG, or EPS.

Color vs. B&W: Graphs and charts should be clean. If possible, use distinct patterns or shades of grey so they remain readable even if printed or viewed in black and white.

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.

CREDIT AUTHORSHIP CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT

Authors are required to include a Credit authorship contribution statement following the Acknowledgements section, specifying individual contributions according to the CRediT taxonomy (https://credit.niso.org/).

DECLARATION OF COMPETING INTEREST

A Declaration of Competing Interest must be provided. Authors should disclose any financial or personal relationships that could be perceived to influence the work. If no competing interests exist, this must be explicitly stated.

ETHICS AND PERMIT APPROVALS

All necessary ethical approvals and research permits must be clearly indicated. If ethical approval was not required, this should be stated explicitly.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

A Data Availability Statement must describe where the data supporting the findings can be accessed. Authors are encouraged to deposit data in a public repository with a DOI. Any restrictions on data access must be clearly justified.

FUNDING STATEMENT

All sources of financial support must be acknowledged in a Funding Statement. 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.

AI USE STATEMENT

Croatian Journal of Fisheries does not permit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for the generation, drafting, or substantive revision of manuscripts. AI technologies may not be used to create scientific content, interpret data, formulate conclusions, or replace intellectual contributions of the authors.

AI tools may be used solely for language editing purposes, including grammar correction and linguistic refinement. Such use must not alter the scientific meaning or introduce new content. All authors are required to provide a transparent disclosure of AI use in a dedicated AI Use Statement included in the manuscript. If AI tools were used for language editing, authors must specify:

• The name of the tool,
• The purpose of its use (e.g., grammar correction, language refinement),
• A confirmation that all scientific content, analysis, and conclusions remain the sole responsibility of the authors.

If no AI tools were used, authors must include the statement: “AI Use Statement: None.”

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and ethical compliance of their manuscript, regardless of any permitted AI-assisted language editing. Failure to disclose AI use may result in manuscript rejection or retraction in accordance with the journal’s ethical policies.

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:

Author, C. H. (Date of publication): Title. [cited 2013 May 31]. Available from: http://ribarstvo.agr.hr

Figures and Tables

It is generally preferable to use tables for presenting detailed numerical data, while graphs are more suitable for illustrating broad comparisons and trends. Each table and figure should be self- explanatory, containing all the necessary information to be understood without referring to the main text. Redundant presentation of the same data in both tables and figures should be avoided. All figures (graphs, photographs, diagrams, etc.) and tables must be cited in the order in which they appear in the manuscript, and their placement should be clearly indicated within the text. Figures and tables should be referenced as Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Table 1, Table 2, and for supplementary material as Fig. S1, Table S1, and so on.

For tables and table headings, use Arial font, size 11, on a white background. The table heading should appear above the table, without the use of bold text or background shading. The lines in tables should be no thicker than 1 pt, and outer borders should be omitted. If there are footnotes in the table, they should be marked using superscript letters or symbols, unless abbreviations are used, in which case superscripts are not needed. All abbreviations should be explained in the table footnotes, where each abbreviation is written in full, followed by an equals sign and its definition.

For figures, all images (graphs, photographs, diagrams) should be submitted in formats such as JPEG or TIFF, with a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Whenever possible, figures should be in color. Arial font should be used for both the axes labels and the figure legend. The figure legend should be placed below the figure and not embedded in the image itself. Any symbols used in graphs should be included directly within the figure, rather than in the figure legend.

Axes labels must include the physical quantity and units being measured. For figures with multiple panels, each panel should be labeled with lowercase letters: a), b), c), and all panels must be referenced in the text (e.g., Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b). The size of the text and other symbols on diagrams and figures should be chosen so that they remain legible even when reduced to column width. Numerical values on the x- and y-axes must be clearly marked, with decimal points used (not commas). Where applicable, standard deviation should be indicated.

Lastly, ensure that all components of the figure (e.g., panels, labels, axis labels) are aligned properly and written in the same font (Arial). Do not place any borders around the chart area.

Cover page image

A full-colour illustration is featured on the cover of each issue, the cost of which is borne by the journal. Authors are encouraged to submit images for consideration as cover page image. For electronic submission of potential cover images, please send the image at 350 dpi CMYK as both a .jpg and a .tif or .eps file to the Editorial office (ribarstvo@agr.hr). Please look at recent Journal issues for examples of cover images.

Peer review

Peer Review Process & Editorial Policies

All published articles undergo a rigorous peer-review process. The process begins with the manuscript submission and an initial editorial assessment. During this editorial screening, the Editor-in-Chief evaluates the manuscript's alignment with the journal's scope and basic technical requirements.

If the manuscript passes the initial screening, the editorial team initiates the reviewer selection process. A minimum of two independent peer reviewers with relevant scientific expertise are invited to evaluate the manuscript.

The journal follows a single-anonymized review model (single-blind), where reviewers are aware of the authors’ identities, while authors remain unaware of the reviewers’ identities to ensure anonymity during the evaluation.

During the active review process, reviewers are not financially compensated for their work on behalf of the journal. The peer-review process is conducted on a voluntary basis, in line with academic tradition and the shared commitment to upholding the quality and integrity of scholarly publishing.

The Journal strictly adheres to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, jointly published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). Authors and reviewers can access the full statement of these principles here: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/principles-transparency-and-best-practice-scholarly-publishing

The Journal adheres to the principles and ethical standards outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Reviewers and authors are highly encouraged to familiarize themselves with these principles by accessing the official COPE Core Practices at: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

Authors are fully responsible for the integrity and originality of their submissions. Each manuscript must be accompanied by a signed cover letter affirming that the work complies with the internal policies of their affiliated institutions and that it has not been submitted elsewhere. All submissions are subject to thorough checks, and in cases of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or duplicate submission, the Journal will act in accordance with COPE guidelines, ensuring that all relevant parties are duly informed.

Principles Peer Reviewers Should Adhere To:

• Review all articles objectively, without bias or favouritism based upon the origin of the article, gender, race, national origin, ethnicity, religious or political beliefs, sexual orientation or age of the authors, or commercial considerations. All evaluations must strictly comply with the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, which can be viewed directly at: https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines-new/cope-ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers
• Review articles solely in subject areas in which they have expertise.
• Before consenting to review an article, ensure sufficient time and resource availability to complete a comprehensive assessment of the article in a timely manner.
• Decline to review articles that create a conflict of interest, or the appearance thereof, which can arise from the content of the article, its authors and/or its funders. When in doubt, peer reviewers should disclose the potential conflict of interest to the publisher and seek advice before proceeding with the review, following the COPE guidelines on undisclosed conflicts of interest available at: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/flowchart/undisclosed-conflict-interest-published-article
• Provide reviews that are constructive and impartial, devoid of any hostile, inflammatory, libellous, unfair or unnecessarily derogatory comments, in accordance with the COPE ethical standards for reviewer conduct which can be accessed at: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers
• During and after the peer review process, maintain the confidentiality of unpublished articles and refrain from discussing them with others.
• Refrain from using research or information contained in unpublished articles for any purpose, including personal gain or the advantage or disadvantage of any other person or organisation.
• Promptly disclose to an article’s editor that the article has not properly cited its sources, or contains errors or material omissions, allowing the editorial team to take action in line with COPE core practices for handling allegations of misconduct, accessible at: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/case/editorial-misconduct

Timeline and Decision-Making

The duration of the review process largely depends on the availability and responsiveness of the assigned Associate Editor and reviewers. While the standard expected timeline for completing reviews is three weeks, this period may be extended due to the reviewers’ and editors’ professional commitments. If an assigned Field Editor or reviewer is unable to take on the task, a replacement will be appointed, which may further influence the overall timeline.

Once the reviews are submitted, the editorial decision-making process begins. The Editor promptly evaluates the feedback and makes a decision regarding the manuscript’s potential acceptance. Following this, the manuscript revision procedures are initiated, where authors are required to address the reviewers' comments and submit a revised version. Based on the quality of the revisions, the Editor makes the final decision regarding final acceptance or rejection, adhering to the systematic workflows detailed in the COPE Flowcharts for journal editors, which can be found at: https://publicationethics.org/media/609/download?attachment

In cases where reviewers provide contradictory recommendations (e.g., one recommends acceptance while another recommends rejection), the Editor-in-Chief or the assigned Field Editor will carefully assess both arguments. Depending on the scientific merit of the comments, the manuscript may be accepted conditionally with a request for major revisions, rejected, or sent to a third, additional reviewer to secure a tie-breaking evaluation. Following this, the manuscript revision procedures are initiated, where authors are required to address the reviewers' comments and submit a revised version. Based on the quality of the revisions, the Editor makes the final decision regarding final acceptance or rejection, ensuring full compliance with COPE Council guidelines on editorial decisions and accountability, accessible directly at: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/cope-position/editorial-independence

Article processing charges

The Croatian Journal of Fisheries has no publication charges. The journal provides open access to all content free of charge, with no article processing charges (APCs), publication fees, or any other review-related costs for the authors.

Copyright

Copyright Ownership and Retained Rights

Copyright © The Authors.

Authors retain copyright of their work and grant Croatian Journal of Fisheries the right of first publication. Articles published in Croatian Journal of Fisheries are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This license permits non-commecial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Starting with the September 2026 issue (Vol. 84, No. 3), the journal has updated its licensing terms from Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Copyright and Licensing Guidelines

Authors must include a dedicated Copyright and Licensing section in their submission. This section must clearly state the following information:

Creative Commons License

• License Type: State the specific Creative Commons licence used by the journal: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International).
• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en

Description of License Terms

• Permitted Uses: Users are allowed to share, copy, and redistribute the material in any medium or format, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and the journal.
• Restricted Uses: The material cannot be used for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.