A searchable database of marine science bibliographic references relating to the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina is presented. A total of 422 documents were located, including scientific articles, books and book chapters, and thesis works, plus 103 internal technical reports. The database is used to formulate a diagnosis of advances and needs in marine science research in the archipelago. Despite having received the most attention, the species inventory is not complete and is biased toward certain groups. The biology of most species is poorly known, as well as their interactions. Static aspects like the co-occurrence of species in a certain time period predominate, while dynamic aspects including responses to climate change have been barely touched upon. Hence, there is a wide scope and need for new and modern initiatives in marine science research for the archipelago.