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Instructions for Authors

Contents

Editorial correspondence including manuscripts for submission should be addressed to:

Bogdan P. Onac
Email: bonac@usf.edu

Style Guide

Manuscripts should be in English. Authors for whom English is not a native language must have their manuscripts reviewed by a colleague who is fluent in English before submitting their manuscripts.

The Title should be informative but not longer than 15 words. Please supply a short title of up to 70 characters (running title).

Name of the author(s). Give the full author(s) name(s). Full addresses should be keyed to the author’s names using numbers in superscript. In case of more than one author, please indicate the email, telephone, and fax of the author to whom the correspondence should be addressed.

Abstract & Keywords. The abstract (not exceeding 250 words) must be written in English, outlining concisely the main findings and major conclusions of the paper. Literature citations and figure references should not appear in the abstract. Include up to 8 keywords beneath the abstract for indexing purpose.

Text. Manuscripts should be typed (double spacing) on A4 paper (21 x 29.7 cm) leaving a margin of 3 cm all around. Authors should use IUGS terminology and metric units. All pages should be numbered consecutively and illustrations and tables must be printed on separate sheets, and NOT be incorporated into the text.

References. All references cited in the text should be given in the reference list and vice versa. The reference list should be arranged alphabetically and chronologically, with the authors always listed with their last (family) name first. The suffixes "a", "b", etc. should be added to the date of papers by the same author and the same year. Citations in text should be as follows: Collins, 2005; Filipescu (2004), Ford and Williams (2007), or where three or more authors in the reference please cite in the text as (Onac et al., 2004) or Ionescu et al. (2002). Journal and book titles must be spelled out in full (not abbreviated) and cited in the text. Include diacritical marks (accents, umlauts etc) in all titles and names. For books and articles with a non-English titles, please translate them into English and mention in parentheses at the end of the reference the original language. (This is not necessary for Spanish, German, Italian or French titles). When a DOI link is available, it should be included with the reference. Examples:

Articles
Antonescu, E. 1973, Palinologic assemblages characteristic to some Cretaceous formations from Metalifferous Mountains. Dari de Seama ale Institutului de Geologie, LIX (3): 115-169 (in Romanian).
Allen, B.D., Anderson, R.Y. 1993, Evidence from western North America for rapid shifts in climate during the Last Glacial Maximum. Science, 260: 1920-1923. Cora, F., Alfredsson, M., Barker, C.M., Bell, R.G., Foster, M.D., Saadoune, I., Simperler, A. & Catlow, C.R.A. 2003, Modeling the framework stability and catalytic activity of pure and transition metal-doped zeotypes. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 176 (2): 496-529.
Froh, J. 2004, Archaeological ceramics studied by scanning electron microscopy. Hyperfine Interactions, 154 (1-4):159-176. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:HYPE.0000032074.98045.cc
Hoeck, V., Ionescu, C., Ghergari, L. & Precup, C. 2009, Towards mineralogical and geochemical reference groups for some Bronze Age ceramics from Transylvania (Romania). Studia UBB Geologia, 54 (2): 41-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1937-8602.54.2.8

Book
Hill, C.A., Forti, P. 1997, Cave minerals of the world (2nd ed.). National Speleological Society, Huntsville, Alabama, 464 p.
Pettijohn, F.J., Potter, P.E. & Siever, R. 1987, Sand and sandstone (2nd ed.). Springer Verlag, New York, 553 p. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1066-5

Book Chapter
Constantinescu, E., Marincea, S. & Craciun, C. 1999, Crandallite in the phosphate association from Cioclovina cave, (Sureanu Mts., Romania). In Mineralogy in the system of the earth sciences (Anastasiu, N., Ilinca, G., Eds). Imperial College Press, London, p. 1-5.
Ross, S.D. 1974, Phosphates and other oxy-anions of group V. In The infrared spectra of minerals (Farmer, V.C., Ed.), Mineralogical Society, Monograph 4: 383-422, London.
Roth, P.H., Bowdler, J. 1981, Middle Cretaceous calcareous nannoplankton biogeography and oceanography of the Atlantic Ocean. In: The Deep Sea Drilling Project: a Decade of Progress, Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Special Publication 32 (Warme, J.E., Douglas, R.G., Winterer, E.L., Eds.), p. 517-546. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0377-8398(86)90031-9

Proceedings
Martini, J.E.J. 1997, Pyrocoproite (Mg(K,Na)2P2O7, monoclinic), a new mineral from Arnhem Cave (Namibia), derived from bat guano combustion. In Proceedings of the 12th International Congress of Speleology (Jeannin, P.-Y., Ed.), La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, 1: 223-225.

MS and PhD thesis
Veres, D. 2001, A comparative study between loss on ignition and total carbon analysis on Late Glacial sediments from Atteköps mosse, southwestern Sweden, and their tentative correlation with the GRIP event stratigraphy. MSc thesis no. 145 in Quaternary Geology, Lund University, 20 p.
Pana, D.I. 1998, Petrogenesis and tectonics of the basement rocks of the Apuseni mountains: significance for the alpine tectonics of the Carpathian-Pannonian region. Unpubl. PhD Thesis, University of Alberta, Canada, 356 p.

Field trip guide
Cioflica, G., Savu, H., Nicolae, I., Lupu, M. & Vlad, S. 1981, Alpine Ophiolitic Complexes in South Carpathians and South Apuseni Mountains. Guide for excursion A3, Carpatho–Balkanic Geological Association XII Congress, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, 18: 1-80.

Maps
Lupu, M., Borcos, M., Dimian, M, Lupu, D. & Dimitrescu, R. 1967, Geological map of Romania, scale 1:200.000, Turda Sheet. Institutul de Geologie si Geofizica, Bucuresti.

Reports
Simion, G. 1982, Hydrogeological studies on Cerna Valley basin, in order to establish a new hydrogeological protection perimeter for the Baile Herculane hydrothermal water. IPGG Archive, Bucharest. (add pages if available)

WEB sites
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2007, http://www7.ncdc.gov/IPS/CDPubs?action=getpublication (please include the date you accessed the site).

Illustrations. Photographs, artwork and drafting are expected to be submitted in JPG, PSD, EPS or TIF format, with a preferred resolution of 300 dpi. The artwork must be sized to the text width of 8 cm (single column) or 17 cm (double column). Make sure each artwork has a scale bar or specifically mention the scale in the caption. The numbering of the illustrations (e.g., Fig. 3) or (Pl. II, Fig. 1 or Figs. 3-5) must correspond to their order of appearance in the text. Supply the captions on a separate page.

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How to Submit Your Paper

Please make sure you have read through these instructions carefully before beginning the submission process. To contact the Journal Staff regarding a submission that is already in progress, simply click the "My Account" link at the top of the page, then the title of your submission, and then on "Email editor." If you need to contact staff prior to submitting a manuscript, please email bonac@usf.edu.

New Account Registration

To register a brand new account, click the "Submit" in the sidebar. Then click on "Create Free Account" and enter your first and last name, email address, and preferred password. You should receive immediately a confirmation email at the address you provided (you may need to check your Junk mail); click in the link in the email and proceed with your submission if ready. If you attempt to create an account at an address already in the system, you will be sent your password as a reminder. If you require assistance, contact the Journal Staff at bonac@usf.edu.

Review Process

The manuscript submission and peer-review process consists of the following steps:

  1. The Author submits a manuscript.
  2. One of the Editors assigns a member of the editorial board to manage the peer review and assigns a second member of the editorial board to provide an independent review.
  3. The first member of the editorial board assigns the manuscript to at least two reviewers.
  4. The Reviewers review the manuscript.
  5. The first member of the editorial board collects the peer reviews and drafts a recommendation to the Editor. The second member of the editorial board provides the independent review to the Editor.
  6. The Editor reviews the two sets of reviews and drafts a decision that is sent to the Author.

Preparing to Submit

Before submitting a manuscript, please gather the following information:

  • All Authors
    • First and Last Names
    • Postal Addresses
    • Work Telephone Numbers (for Corresponding Author only)
    • E-mail addresses
  • Title (you can copy and paste this from your manuscript)
  • Abstract (you can copy and paste this from your manuscript)
  • Manuscript files in Word (Please make sure the "Language" is "English (U.S.)" via Tools->Language->Set Language), WordPerfect, text, PDF, RTF or Latex format. All figures (low resolution) should be embedded at the end of the Word document for the initial submission.
  • Cover Letter, including job title and institution for EVERY Author listed on the manuscript.
  • High resolution Figures/Images (submitted only with the post-review, revised manuscript) should be in TIFF, GIF, JPG, PDF, Excel, or Photoshop format.

Submission Process

The online manuscript submission process consists of four steps:

Author Information

A submission form will collect all information about the author and co-authors, if any.

Submission Information

A screen will ask for the Manuscript Title, Abstract, and Manuscript Classification. You will also be prompted for the actual file locations (via an open file dialog), a cover letter, and any acknowledgments you would like to provide. NOTE: You will not be able to save your work in progress and come back later, so we recommend that you try to submit your paper in one session if possible.

Confirmation

A completion screen will provide you with a specific manuscript number for your manuscript. If necessary, use the "Upload related files" link provided to submit supplemental tables, figures, and data sets.

Revisions

If you uploaded a native version of your submission, the system will send you an email to confirm when it has converted to PDF. Please check over the PDF carefully to ensure the conversion was satisfactory and that the manuscript is ready for review. If no revisions are necessary, you do not need to notify the editor. If revisions are necessary, go to your My Account page, click on the submission title, and then use the "Revise submission" link to provide a revised version. Both you and the editor assigned to your submission will be notified when the revision has been uploaded, so there is no need to confirm with the editor.

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Getting Help

Context-Sensitive Help

If you need additional help, you can click on the help signs (a question mark icon) spread throughout the system. A help dialog will pop up with context-sensitive help.

Contact Journal Staff

You may contact the Journal Staff at any time. To contact the Journal Staff regarding a submission that is already in progress, simply click the "My Account" link at the top of the page, then the title of your submission, and then on "Email editor." If you need to contact staff prior to submitting a manuscript, please email bonac@usf.edu.

Log-in Help

If you are prompted to enter your log-in, and you no longer remember it, simply click the "Forget Password" link and follow the prompts to have your log-in emailed to you. If a single account cannot be identified from the information provided, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) or contact bonac@usf.edu for assistance.

Manuscript Status

After you submit your manuscript, the submission process is complete. You will be notified via email if the editors need more information or have registered a decision on your manuscript. You can also check on the status of your manuscript or review past decision letters via your My Account page.

Initiating the Process

You start the manuscript submission process by pressing the "Submit Manuscript" link on the home page. If you have a Bepress log-in, you will be prompted to enter it and continue. If you do not have one, follow the prompts to create a free account. After you have logged in, please review the list of required elements provided to make sure your submission will be complete.

File Formats

Word processors:

The following are acceptable for the main manuscript document:

  • Microsoft Word (.doc)

Image formats:

Once your manuscript has been accepted, we will need the original figure files at the highest resolution. You will need to revise your submission and add “related files.” The following image formats are acceptable:

  • Tagged Image File Format (.tif or .tiff)
  • Microsoft Excel (.xls)
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jog or .jpeg)
  • Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)

Data formats:

Once your manuscript has been accepted, we will need the original data files. You will need to revise your submission and add “related files.” The following data formats are acceptable:

  • Tab Separated (.tds)
  • Comma Separated (.cvs)
  • Excel (.xls)
  • Microsoft Word (.doc)

Attachment formats:

Once your manuscript has been accepted, we will need the original the original attachment files. You will need to revise your submission and add “related files.” The following formats are acceptable:

  • Acrobat (.pdf)
  • JPEG (.jpg)
  • MS Word (.doc)
  • GIF (.gif)
  • MS Excel (.xls)
  • Rich Text Format (.rtf)
  • Text (.txt)
  • Tiff (.tif)

Table formats:

Once your manuscript has been accepted, we will need the original the original table files. You will need to revise your submission and add “related files.” The following table formats are acceptable:

  • Excel (.xls)

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