Dear readers of and contributors to Ocean Science Journal

Abstract

Ocean Science Journal (OSJ) is an internationally recognized academic journal of oceanography and ocean science published by the Korean Society of Oceanography (KSO) and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST, formerly KORDI). The journal features literature covering all aspects of ocean environmental phenomena and pollution. The journal covered following subject areas during the years of 2009-2011: (1) 58% in biological oceanography and marine biology; (2) 21% in physical oceanography and geophysics; (3) 9% in chemical oceanography and marine chemistry; (4) 8% in marine pollution; and (5) 3% in geological oceanography and marine geology. With its focus on biological and physical oceanography, the journal accommodates a wide array of research and academic topics in ocean science and technology. The majority of OSJ publications come from Asian countries, comprising 74-86% during 2008-2011. South Korea takes about 30-50%. A notable number of article submissions are also from countries outside of South Korea, which shares regional seas in Asia with other countries. Although OSJ is operated and printed in South Korea, it publishes articles from all around the world beyond East Asian region and serves the world’s ocean science community. Its expertise on Asian regional seas is being recognized as more important than ever, with the rapid growth of research by Asian countries in the field of ocean science and Asian regional seas. Thus, OSJ is gaining significant recognitions from a geographic and oceanographic point of view. An average of 49 manuscripts per year was submitted to OSJ for a review during 2007-2010. The number of manuscripts submitted surged to 77 in 2011 thanks to the successful attraction of world class research papers through the Springer Global Network. OSJ emphasizes on quality rather than quantity. Thus, a significant number of the submitted manuscripts are rejected. The rejection rate exceeded 50% for the first time in 2011. OSJ aims to become an internationally acknowledged journal in oceanography that represents Asia, and it is currently enjoying a great popularity among oceanographers and marine scientists in the Asian region. Articles published in OSJ are submitted mainly by oceanographers and marine scientists researching Asian regional seas. In the future, we anticipate that researchers from around the world will share their research outcomes on Asian regional seas through OSJ and it will play an important role as a medium for scholarly communication with a regard to oceanographic research in Asia. A rapidly growing number of publications are citing OSJ articles. In 2009, KORDI and KSO entered into an agreement with Springer for joint global publication and distribution of OSJ. Subsequently, the three organizations have consistently made efforts to conduct international promotions and improve the scientific quality of articles, in order to enhance the number of citations of articles published in OSJ. These consistent and concerted efforts significantly increased the citations to OSJ in 2011. The OSJ Editorial Board is dedicated to further developing and implementing innovative programs designed to enhance the quality of the journal content. Your support and encouragement are essential to make OSJ as one of outstanding scientific journals in the world.