<p>The Central Nervous System (CNS), composed of the encephalon and spinal cord, has recently gained prominence in the comparative biology of fishes. These complex anatomical structures hold key morphological information that provides insights into the evolutionary history, ecology, and behavior of various taxa. Despite their informative potential, studies on encephalon morphology in fishes remain scarce, with few species described and a lack of standardized methodologies for dissection. The family Cichlidae, currently comprising approximately 1,700 species across 257 genera, has been the focus of several studies involving CNS anatomy in both ecomorphological and systematic contexts. However, no standardized protocol for encephalon extraction has been proposed for this family, limiting the development of neuroanatomical research. Here, we present a protocol for encephalon extraction in Cichlidae, tested across eight genera and nine species. The selected taxa encompass a broad spectrum of morphological diversity, including variation in head height, length, and width, as well as representative phylogenetic diversity within the family. In addition to the dissection technique, we provide a generalized model of encephalon morphology in Cichlidae and propose a standardized nomenclature for its main anatomical regions. We expect that this protocol and reference model will facilitate future neuroanatomical studies in cichlids and enhance our understanding of the structure and evolution of the CNS in this diverse fish family.</p>