Geological Society of America

GSA Books

Manuscript Preparation

These guidelines are for authors preparing manuscripts to be published in the GSA Special Paper, Memoir, and the Reviews in Engineering Geology series.

The books these guidelines apply to are all printed in an 8½ x 11 inch (21.6 x 27.9 cm) format with two columns of text per page.

MANUSCRIPT OUTLINE

Brief

1. Abstract
2. Body of text (include footnotes and references
to figures and tables in appropriate places)
3. Acknowledgments 4. Appendixes
5. References Cited
6. Figure Captions
7. Style

Books Guidelines
1.	Submission, Review, and Acceptance
2.	Suggestions to Organizers
3.	Manuscript Preparation
4.	Figures
5.	Tables
6.	Appendixes, Data Repository, and Cover Art
7.	Contact Information
8.	Ethical Guidelines for Publication

Abstract

The abstract should present information and results in capsule form and should be brief and objective, containing within a 250-word maximum the content and conclusions of the paper. The topic sentence should give the overall scope and should be followed by emphasis on new information. Omit references, criticisms, drawings, and diagrams.

Body of the Text

All parts of every manuscript must be typed double-spaced in Times or Times New Roman 12-point typeface. Margins of at least 2.5 cm should be allowed on all sides of the text. Authors must provide an electronic file for each manuscript in Microsoft Word (PC or Macintosh). If you are using a different word-processing program, please contact us for instructions.

All headings of different ranks should be typed using uppercase and/or lowercase letters as shown below.

Title of chapter: First word begins with uppercase letter; all other words begin with lowercase letters, except for proper nouns; boldface and italic, centered on page
First-level subhead: BOLD CAPS; (flush left; one line space above and below)
Second-level subhead: Bold, Initial Caps; (flush left; one line space above and below)
Third-level subhead: Bold, Italic, Initial Caps; (flush left; one line space above, none below)
Fourth-level subhead: Bold, italic, sentence capitalization.; (indented; run into text, with a period)
Fifth-level subhead: Italic, sentence capitalization.; (indented; run into text, with a period)

Footnotes

Avoid footnotes and parenthetical statements. Textual footnotes that are deemed necessary should be numbered consecutively with superscripts and also typed double-spaced.

Appendixes

The Appendix is optional and contains brief descriptions of methods, laboratory techniques, and other supplementary information. Title all appendixes (for example, APPENDIX 1. SAMPLE DESCRIPTIONS); number appendixes only if there are two or more. Place appendixes at the end of the text before the References Cited. Tables and figures within the Appendix should be numbered separately from the text (e.g., Figure A1, Figure A2, Table A1, etc.).

References Cited

All references mentioned in the text, figures, captions, tables, and appendixes must be listed in the References Cited section. Only references cited in the paper are to be listed. Do not cite or list papers that are in preparation, submitted, in review, or in revision. At the end of the text, list references alphabetically by author's surname. For references with two authors, list alphabetically by first author and then alphabetically by second author. For references with more than two authors, list alphabetically by first author and then chronologically, earliest year first. Do not abbreviate journal titles or book publishers in references. Include the city of publication for books. For references that do not match any of the examples given here, include all information that would help a reader locate the reference.

Samples of different reference styles:

Abstract Book Comment, Discussion, Reply

Journal Guidebook Paper in a Multi-Author Publication

In Press Thesis Proceedings from a Symposium or Conference

Map Open-File Report Paper in a Government or University Serial Publication

Figure Captions

Make captions precise and explain all symbols and abbreviations used. Type captions in consecutive order, double spaced, on a separate page and include at the end of the manuscript. (They should not be typed on the same sheet as the figures or within the body of text.) If an object such as a hammer or lens cap appears in a figure for scale, please list the size of the object in the caption (e.g., "Lens cap for scale, 55 mm.").

Style and Manuscript Outline

Writing, Spelling, Capitalization, etc.
Authors are responsible for providing manuscripts in which approved geological and other scientific terminology is used correctly and which have no grammatical or spelling errors. Authors must check their manuscripts for accuracy and consistency in use of capitalization, spelling, abbreviations, and dates. GSA copy editors will change spelling to American preferences.

The following resource books are recommended for reference:

Grammar, Spelling, and Usage: The Elements of Grammar, by Margaret Shertzer, Macmillan, 1986.; Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition, 1993.; The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White, third edition, Macmillan, 1979.
General Style and Typography: The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, University of Chicago Press, 2003.; Mathematics into Type, by Ellen Swanson, revised edition, American Mathematical Society, 1987.
Geological Usage, Practice, and Spelling: Suggestions to Authors of the Reports of the United States Geological Survey, seventh edition, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991.; Glossary of Geology, fifth edition, American Geological Institute, Alexandria, Virginia, 2005.; Geowriting, fifth edition, American Geological Institute, Alexandria, Virginia, 1994.; North American Stratigraphic Code, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin (v. 67, no. 5, p. 841-875), 1983.

Units of Measure
Use the International System of units (metric) in captions, illustrations, and text. Measurements in feet are allowed in some circumstances, such as elevation measurements that correlate to topographic maps. In such cases, authors must provide metric equivalents in parentheses.

Mathematical Expressions
All variables (except vectors) should be italicized. Define your use of symbols in the text the first time each appears. Equations should be set off from the rest of the text by line spaces above and below. Equations should be numbered sequentially; the numbers should be enclosed in parentheses and set to the right of the equations.

What should authors include with each new submission?

Two paper copies of the manuscript, including all figures and tables. Print the manuscript on only one side of plain, white paper; A4 paper is acceptable. Double-space all copy. Use 12-point Times or Times New Roman type with a minimum 2.5 cm margin along all four edges of each page.
A computer disk (floppy, 100 MB Zip, 250 MB Jazz, or CD) that includes electronic files of all hard copy material. The preferred formats for figures are Adobe Illustrator, Canvas, Adobe Photoshop, CorelDraw, and Freehand. If the author cannot prepare electronic files of the figures in one of these formats, GSA will electronically scan the paper copy of the figures. Each file should be labeled with the author's last name and figure number, with the proper program extension attached. Please follow the guidelines for Figures.

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