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OCEAN LIFE
Open access
About this journal
Aims and scope
Ocean Life is a biannual, peer‑reviewed, open access journal dedicated to advancing scholarship on maritime occupations, seafaring practices, and sea security. Its mission is grounded in the recognition that the Philippines, as an archipelagic nation, relies on both the lived experiences of its seafarers and the strength of its maritime governance. This commitment is reinforced by key legislative measures: Republic Act No. 10635 (2014), which empowers the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to implement the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) for Filipino seafarers; Republic Act No. 9522 (2009), which defines the country’s baselines in accordance with UNCLOS to secure maritime zones; Executive Order No. 57 (2011, strengthened in 2024), which established the National Coast Watch System for coordinated domain awareness; and Republic Act No. 10668 (2015), which modernized maritime trade through foreign ships co‑loading while mandating vigilance against smuggling. These laws provide the institutional grounding for the journal’s role in linking research with occupational safety, maritime governance, and national security.
The journal highlights the intersection of seafaring practice, occupational safety, and maritime governance. It invites contributions that examine training systems, policy frameworks, maritime domain awareness, and the lived realities of seafarers within Philippine and regional contexts. Its methodological scope encompasses original research articles, literature reviews, policy briefs, theoretical or conceptual papers, and convention papers, enabling a wide range of scholarly outputs from empirical studies to conceptual and policy‑driven analyses. As an academic platform, Ocean Life contributes by linking research to practice, advancing occupational standards, informing governance, and reinforcing sea security. Its readership includes seafarers, maritime professionals, maritime educators, policymakers, and industry leaders who seek laborious yet reachable scholarship that bridges law, practice, and security imperatives. It also welcomes international submissions, though, the journal places Philippine maritime contexts at the center of its inquiry.
The journal encompasses a wide range of scholarly and applied studies that reflect the realities of maritime work, safety, and domain protection, while opening space for emerging areas of inquiry.
- Perspectives of seafarers on essential port services and support systems
- Adaptability and performance of maritime graduates with leadership training
- Work–life balance and coping mechanisms among cruise line employees
- Impact of digitalization on maritime safety and cruise ship operations
- Safety and security experiences of coast guard personnel in regional contexts
- Maritime domain awareness and monitoring systems for sovereignty protection
- Policy and legal frameworks on territorial waters and international maritime law
- Occupational health and psychological resilience of seafarers in long voyages
- Technological innovations in navigation, communication, and vessel safety
- Environmental protection and sustainability practices in shipping and port operations
- Risk management strategies for accidents, piracy, and natural hazards at sea
- Training and compliance with international standards (STCW, IMO conventions)
- Gender, diversity, and inclusion in maritime occupations
- Digital transformation in port services, logistics, and maritime education
- Cross‑disciplinary studies linking maritime safety with coastal community development
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Editorial board
The editorial board of Ocean Life unites professionals whose expertise bridges maritime practice, academic leadership, community services, and scholarly publishing. Their collective backgrounds encompass decades of international seafaring, higher education management, research mentorship, and training in global standards. With strengths in curriculum design, peer review, communication, and welfare advocacy, the board ensures that submissions are evaluated with both technical precision and human-centered insight. Guided by a commitment to advancing maritime knowledge and fostering educational innovation, the board curates works that highlight the evolving challenges and opportunities of life at sea, reinforcing OL’s mission to promote resilient, ethical, and transformative scholarship in the maritime field.
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Victor M. Cajala, DComm
Former Research Dean, Asian Institute of Maritime Studies, Philippines
Doctoral Researcher, Innovative Information Technology Solutions, Philippines
Editor-in-Chief
Ocean Life
Maritime Research, Research Productivity, Communication Barriers & Competence, Instructional Delivery, Maritime Education, Tracer Studies, Teaching Methodologies, Media, Communication Theories
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Dec Airo Mari S. Ausan, MICD
Lecturer
Acknowledge Education, Sydney, Australia
Associate Editor
Social Science Lens
Community development and social services, Education and training in higher education, Aged care services and disability support, Maritime welfare and seafarer well-being, Curriculum development and assessment design, Stakeholder engagement and outreach coordination
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Alberto H. Florida, MATMT
Instructor I/Onboard Training Supervisor
Jose Rizal Memorial State University, Philippines
Associate Editor
Ocean Life
Maritime education and training, Marine transportation and seamanship, Shipboard operations and navigation management, Academic program leadership and curriculum delivery, Onboard training supervision and student mentorship, Compliance with MARINA and IMO international standards, Safety management and risk assessment in maritime practice
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Journal indexing, cataloguing and archiving
In scholarly publishing, indexing, aggregating, cataloguing, and archiving are critical pillars that ensure a journal’s content is discoverable, accessible, and preserved for future generations. Indexing enhances the visibility of articles in global databases, aggregating consolidates research across platforms, cataloguing integrates journal holdings into institutional libraries, and archiving safeguards scholarly output in trusted repositories.
As a promising publication in the field of social sciences, Ocean Life is dedicated to achieving recognition and accessibility through inclusion in leading indexing bodies and repositories. This commitment reflects the journal’s vision to serve as a trusted platform for scholars, researchers, and practitioners across diverse disciplines. By fostering rigorous scholarship and timely dissemination, Ocean Life aspires to strengthen its role in advancing knowledge, encouraging dialogue, and supporting the global academic community in addressing contemporary social challenges.
Indexed by
- Crossref – Provides Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) and metadata, ensuring persistent citation linking and discoverability across scholarly platforms.
Catalogued by
- Harvard University HOLLIS Library – Catalogues OL in Harvard’s discovery system, expanding visibility to one of the world’s largest academic communities.
- University of California Berkeley Library – Integrates OL into its academic catalog, making the journal accessible to students and researchers.
- University of California Los Angeles Library – Catalogues OL within its holdings, supporting educational and pedagogical research.
Aggregated by
- Scilit – Aggregates OL’s metadata and articles, enhancing discoverability through MDPI’s comprehensive scholarly database.
- Semantic Scholar – Uses AI-driven aggregation to index OL’s articles, improving searchability and contextual relevance for education and pedagogy research.
- Scispace – Aggregates articles by sourcing metadata, indexing research papers, and organizing them into accessible thematic collections.
- Mendeley – Aggregates articles by importing metadata from publishers and databases, indexing research outputs, and organizing them into searchable libraries for citation management, collaboration, and academic discovery.
- Dimensions – A research analytics platform that indexes publications, grants, patents, and clinical trials to map scholarly impact.
- OpenAlex – An open, community‑driven index of scholarly works, authors, institutions, and concepts, designed as a free alternative to proprietary databases.
- WorldCat – A global catalog maintained by OCLC that aggregates library collections, making journals and articles discoverable through thousands of libraries worldwide.
Archived in
- Internet Archive – Ensures long-term preservation of OL’s content, safeguarding scholarly contributions against digital loss and maintaining open access for future researchers.
Through partnerships with indexing services (Crossref), aggregators (Scilit, Semantic Scholar, Scispace, Mendeley), cataloguers (UC Berkeley, UCLA, Harvard HOLLIS), and archiving repositories (Internet Archive), Ocean Life guarantees that its publications are discoverable, accessible, and preserved. This multi-layered approach strengthens OL’s role as a reliable and enduring resource in the advancement of education and pedagogy.
Author Appeals
In cases where an article is yet to be indexed, aggregated, catalogued, or archived, authors are encouraged to contact the Executive Editor and make an appeal. A window of 4 to 6 weeks should be allowed for the processing of such appeals and for receiving a formal response. Ocean Life assures that all appeals forwarded will be addressed accordingly, ensuring transparency and accountability in the journal’s dissemination process.
Contact: Executive Editor – vmcajala@digi-journalphils.com