Books

THE GSA BOOK SERIES

As part of its mission to advance the science of geology, the Geological Society of America publishes peer-reviewed scholarly books, most of them as Special Papers or Memoirs. The science editor will decide whether a proposed volume is more suitable for the Special Paper or Memoir series.

The Special Paper series is for state-of-the-art treatments of rapidly evolving subjects; nearly all symposium-based volumes fall into this category.

The Memoir series presents thorough, well-illustrated treatments of topics—expected to be definitive works on a subject for a decade or more.

Often of general interest, Field Guides are written for field trips held at GSA and other organizations’ meetings. Contact books@geosociety.org if you are interested in compiling a Field Guide for a GSA Section or Annual Meeting.

All book chapters are subject to GSA's Ethical Guidelines for Publications.

Online First

Online First is GSA's method of online book delivery. Finished Special Paper and Memoir book chapters are published online as the volume is being assembled, which means that authors no longer have to wait on their colleagues to reap the benefits of citation, and readers have the earliest possible access to research.

By publishing with GSA Books, your in-depth science research will benefit from stringent peer review, responsive editorial handling, and international exposure. And Online First ensures your research will be published and available even faster!

Author Perks

  • Responsive editorial staff
  • Peer-reviewed
  • Indexed in CrossRef, GeoRef, and abstract services
  • Global marketing of your volume
  • Special Papers and Memoirs are included in the Web of Science Group Book Citation Index and contribute toward H-indexes
  • Accepted Special Paper and Memoir chapters appear Online First before book completion
  • Published online ahead of print: pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa
  • Volume editors each receive two complimentary copies of the book
  • Corresponding chapter authors each receive one complimentary copy of the book and an ebook PDF of their chapter
  • All authors may purchase additional copies of the book at a 50% discount off the list price
  • Searchable through Google BooksTM

Author Information

GSA Books

Book Proposal and Manuscript Submission

Preparing your proposal

Key Items for Proposal

  1. One-page description: Introduce subject, provide background and significance, state why GSA should publish the book, note whether the book is for specialists or a general audience.
  2. Schedule: Proposed time frame for original submission, review, revision, and final submission.
  3. Preliminary Table of Contents: Preliminary list of chapter titles, authors (if edited volume), and author contact information.
  4. Curricula vitae: Provide for all volume editors or authors if book would be an authored work.

Submit Proposal

Email your proposal to books@geosociety.org. Your proposal will be accepted or declined by the Science Editor.

Preparing your manuscript

Key Items for Manuscript Submission

  1. Manuscript file: line-numbered Word document. Manuscript Guidelines | Manuscript Template | GSA Reference Style
  2. Separate figure files: clearly labeled TIFF, GIF, JPG, PDF (reduced-sized PDFs preferable). Figure Guidelines
  3. Tables: Excel or Word. Table Guidelines
  4. Supplemental materials (optional). Supplemental data requirements

Process for GSA Books

Receiving Your Decision

Acceptance or rejection of a manuscript is based on the appraisal of the paper by two or more reviewers and an editor designated by GSA (Note: Nearly all manuscripts are returned to the author with suggestions for revision, condensation, or final polish.) The final decision will be emailed to you by the Science Editor.

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Contact Information

GSA Books Questions:

books@geosociety.org

April Leo, Managing Editor
telephone: +1-303-357-1037
aleo@geosociety.org

Katelyn Turner, Associate Editor
telephone: +1-303-357-1020
kturner@geosociety.org

Mailing Address

The Geological Society of America
Publications Department
3300 Penrose Place
PO Box 9140
Boulder, CO 80301-9140

telephone: +1-303-357-1000
fax: +1-303-357-1070