Submission, Review, and Decision Processes

Submit your manuscript via the online submission and review system, eJournalPress, at

• Geology: https://geology.msubmit.net
• GSA Bulletin: https://gsabulletin.msubmit.net
• Geosphere: https://geosphere.msubmit.net

First-time users need to register for an eJournalPress account using a current email address. The same username and password are used to log in as an author and as a reviewer, so if you have reviewed for GSA before, you may already have an account.

For help using the eJournalPress system, select Author Instructions from the menu at the top of every page. All submissions, reviews, and revisions are handled electronically. If you are unable to access the site, please contact the journal editorial office:

• Geology: geology@geosociety.org
• GSA Bulletin: gsab@geosociety.org
• Geosphere: geosphere@geosociety.org

1. Cover letter (required): Must include the following items:
   1. Please explicitly explain how your paper is innovative, provocative, or a significant advancement in the field; of timely significance; and of broad interest, within a discipline and/or across disciplines.
   2. List any papers that have been published in the last year, under review, or in press by any of the authors on related topics. In cases where other publications contain content that might be viewed as overlapping with the current submission, please explain how the content differs.
2. Manuscript file: line-numbered Word document. See Preparing your Manuscript, Manuscript Template, and Reference Guidelines.
3. Figure files: Clearly labeled TIFF, GIF, JPG, or PDF files (reduced-sized PDFs preferable; if your paper is accepted, you will be asked for higher-resolution figures). See Figure Guidelines.
4. Table files: Excel or Word. See table example.
5. Supplemental materials: Select File Type “Supplemental Material” for all supplemental files. Select a subtype. For ALL supplemental Excel files, select file subtype “Dataset.” See Supplemental Material section of Preparing your Manuscript for more information.

1. Cover letter
2. Two manuscript files (required):
   1. A clean, revised manuscript file with no changes tracked or marked. Word or text file.
   2. A version of the revised manuscript file with changes from the original submission tracked, highlighted, or otherwise marked.
3. Response to reviewers file (required): A point-by-point response to each of the reviewers’ and editors’ comments.
4. Figure files: Clearly labeled TIFF, GIF, JPG, or PDF (reduced-sized PDFs preferable; if your paper is accepted, you will be asked for higher-resolution figures). See Figure Guidelines.
5. Table files: Excel or Word. See Table Example.
6. Supplemental materials: Select File Type “Supplemental Material” for all supplemental files. Select a subtype. For ALL supplemental Excel files, select file subtype “Dataset.” See Supplemental Material section of the Preparing your Manuscript page for more information.
7. Alt text file (required): Submit one editable (e.g., MS Word) file that contains the alt text for all of your figures. Figures themselves and figure captions should not be included in the alt text document. The alt text for each figure should be 2–3 meaningful sentences that represent the figure itself without analysis. On average, alt text should be ~125 characters, but no more than 250 characters. It should not simply repeat the captions. See Alternative Text (Alt Text) for your Figures for more guidance.

eJournalPress has a maximum file size for the merged PDF of 20 MB. Therefore, please ensure that your manuscript file(s), figures, tables, and response to reviewer file (if applicable) are no more than 20 MB combined.

Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the concept, design, execution, or interpretation of the work reported in a manuscript; others who have contributed should be acknowledged.

All those listed as contributing authors must know of and concur with the submission and must have approved the final version of the manuscript.

When you submit the paper, you will be asked to list the specific contributions of each author to the research and/or manuscript. You may use the Contributor Role Taxonomy (CRediT) if you would like.

In eJournalPress, you may suggest a science and/or associate editor to handle your manuscript. However, editors are assigned based on a number of factors; we cannot guarantee that your preferred editor will be assigned your manuscript.

When you submit your manuscript, you must suggest at least three reviewers. They should be knowledgeable in your area and able to give an unbiased review of your work. DO NOT list colleagues who are close associates, collaborators, or family members.

All papers go through these steps:

1. The author submits a manuscript and it goes through a quality control check.
2. The science or associate editor conducts a desk review of the manuscript to determine if it is suitable for external, peer review. If so, they assign reviewers to the manuscript.
3. The peer reviewers review the manuscript.
4. The editor makes the final decision.
5. The editor contacts the author with the decision.

1. After your paper is submitted, it will be checked to determine that all needed elements are present. The paper will be returned to you to fix if it does not follow GSA and journal-specific requirements. Your manuscript will be considered officially submitted only after it has passed the quality check.
2. After the paper passes the quality check, it is assigned to a science editor. The science editor will examine the manuscript to ensure it meets the basic acceptance criteria. Papers may be rejected without review if they are inappropriate for the journal, clearly of poor quality, previously published, etc. See our Preprint Policy regarding posting manuscripts on preprint servers prior to submission. See our Authorship and Artificial Intelligence Tools Policy regarding the use of AI.
3. For GSA Bulletin and Geosphere manuscripts, the science editor will assign an associate editor to handle the manuscript review process.
4. Most manuscripts are sent out for peer review. The acceptance or rejection of a manuscript is based on the appraisal of the paper by two or more reviewers and the editor.

1. The editor will solicit reviews of the manuscript.
2. Reviewers are expected to treat the manuscript confidentially. Reviewers may choose to be identified to the authors or to remain anonymous.
3. The reviewers evaluate the manuscript and submit their reviews.
4. Critical review determines the suitability and originality of the paper and the adequacy and conciseness of the presentation.

Note: The review process typically takes anywhere from one to four months, but may take longer, depending on the availability of reviewers, their timeliness in returning reviews, and the journal you have selected. Authors will be contacted immediately after a decision has been made.

1. On the basis of the external reviews and their own reading, the editor makes a decision on the manuscript (accept, revise, reject but encourage resubmission, or reject).
2. The decision is sent to the author. The science editor has sole responsibility for the decision to accept or reject a manuscript, and that decision is final.

• Before acceptance, nearly all manuscripts receive at least one revise and resubmit decision. The author is provided with a due date for submission of a revised paper. Authors can request an extension if needed.
• When submitting a revised manuscript, the author follows the same submission steps, and the revised paper again goes through an initial quality check.
• Depending upon the nature of the revisions, the revised paper may be sent out for additional review or the science editor may make a decision without further review. This decision is the sole responsibility of the science editor.

After all revisions have been made (papers may be returned to the author more than once for revision), if the paper is found suitable for publication in a GSA journal, GSA staff will reach out for needed materials, and the science editor’s final decision letter to the author will follow, accepting the manuscript for publication.

After you approve your manuscript, you are finished with the submission process. You can access the status of your manuscript at any time by following these steps:

1. Log into the system with your password.
2. Under Author Tasks, select Live Manuscripts.
3. Click the manuscript ID.
4. Check the Current Stage row of the manuscript details table.

If at any point you wish to withdraw your manuscript, contact the journal’s staff and advise them of the specific manuscript number of the manuscript that you wish to withdraw. You will receive an email acknowledging the withdrawal.