International Journal of Marine Geology, Geochemistry and Geophysics
Guide for Authors
1. Editorial policy
Marine Geology accepts papers in all fields of marine geology. The journal aims to provide a forum for publication
of high quality research papers across the entire range of the discipline: from field and laboratory techniques to regional syntheses
of marine sedimentary systems. We accept papers on subjects as diverse as seafloor hydrothermal systems, beach dynamics, early diagenesis,
microbiological studies in sediments, palaeoclimate studies and geophysical studies of the seabed. We only insist that the papers are
concerned with the marine realm and that they deal with geology: with rocks, sediments, and physical and chemical processes affecting
them. Papers exclusively on hydrodynamics or marine management should be submitted to other journals. We strongly encourage papers that
are interdisciplinary and synthetic in character within the broad field of marine geology or that address emerging new fields of marine
geology. The primary criteria for acceptance of papers is that the science is of high quality, novel, significant, and clearly of interest
to an international audience.
The Letter section of Marine Geology is intended to provide rapid publication of immediate
results (which will normally arise from fieldwork, but may include significant new laboratory results). The criteria for acceptance of
a Letter is that it presents exciting and significant new results, for which the interpretation is clear, and which will have an important
impact on the international marine geology community. Authors must warrant that the material has not been previously published and explain
in a covering letter how the Letter meets the criteria in terms of a new result, its significance and its impact.
A Special Issue
of Marine Geology is a coherent set of papers on a single scientific theme. The papers must meet the normal criteria for acceptance in
Marine Geology. Although scientists intending to propose a Special Issue may consult any of the Editors-in-Chief informally, a formal
decision is taken only by all the Editors on receipt of a completed written proposal. Formal proposals for Special Issues should be submitted
to Tonny Smit (amy.smit@elsevier.com) and must include the following:
1. A one page text by the Guest Editor(s) outlining
the reason for the Special Issue, what is the scientific theme and its significance, why it is timely and needed, and why a Special Issue
is necessary rather than individual papers.
2. The proposed time schedule, considering that usually several months are required for
both reviewing and revising of papers.
3. A list of the proposed contributions (titles, authors, institutions)
4. A draft abstract
for each contribution.
Once all of this material is received, the Editors-in-Chief will evaluate each proposal on its significance,
novelty and timeliness. The proponents will act as Guest Editors, with one of the Editors-in-Chief assigned at an early stage to ensure
that the Marine Geology standards are met and to provide advice where required. Guest Editors are expected to obtain independent reviewers
who are un-associated with the Special Issue and are able to assess the quality of the manuscripts in an un-biassed manner. The assigned
Editor-in-Chief will handle the review process for any manuscripts for which the Guest Editors have a conflict of interest. All manuscript
submissions, reviewing and editorial decisions are handled through the Elsevier Editorial System.
2. Submission of regular articles
Please find a submission checklist at the end of the Guide for Authors.
Submission of Papers:
All manuscripts should be
submitted electronically through Elsevier Editorial System EES) which can be accessed at http://ees.elsevier.com/margo
With the submitted manuscript authors should provide the names, addresses, e-mail addresses and fax numbers of four suggested reviewers.
Please submit, with the manuscript, the names and addresses of 4 potential referees. Supplementary data such as lengthy tables, video
clips, maps, images etc. may be archived with the accepted paper on ScienceDirect: all such material must be submitted with the original
manuscript for review.
Letters must be short, equivalent to not more than four published pages including figures and references.
They must be carefully prepared: manuscripts not in a ready-for-publication state in terms of correctness of writing, internal consistency
and figure quality will be returned. Authors must warrant that the material has not been previously published and explain in a covering
letter how the submitted manuscript meets the criteria of a Letter in terms of a new result, its significance and its impact.
Contributors
to Special Issues will submit their manuscripts directly to the Guest Editor.
Please be informed that: 1. Colour illustrations in print will be charged to the author. Illustration costs are Euro 350 for the first figure and Euro 175 for second
and consecutive figures. 2. Colour illustrations on the web (ScienceDirect) are free of charge.
If you want a
colour illustration on the web and the same illustration in black and white in the print version of the journal, please note that you
will then have to submit two different illustration files, one colour and one black and white version. Please see detailed information
on illustrations further below in this guide.
It is essential to give a fax number and e-mail address when submitting a manuscript.
Articles must be written in good English, and authors whose native language is not English are encouraged to seek help at an early stage.
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract
or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that all authors
have seen the manuscript and approve its publication, it is approved tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work
was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without
the written consent of the Publisher.
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to transfer copyright (for more information
on copyright see http://authors.elsevier.com). This transfer will ensure
the widest possible dissemination of information. A letter will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript.
A form facilitating transfer of copyright will be provided.
If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s)
must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use
by authors in these cases: contact ES Global Rights Department, P.O. Box 800, Oxford, OX5 1DX, UK; phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44)
1865 853333, e-mail: permissions@elsevier.com.
3. Electronic format requirements for accepted articles
•General
points We accept most wordprocessing formats, but Word, WordPerfect or LaTeX is preferred. Always keep a backup copy of
the electronic file for reference and safety. Save your files using the default extension of the program used. No changes to the accepted
version are permissible without the explicit approval of the Editor
•Wordprocessor documents It is important
that the file be saved in the native format of the wordprocessor used. The text should be in single-column format. Keep the layout of
the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be removed and replaced on processing the article. In particular, do not use
the wordprocessor's options to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts etc.
Do not embed 'graphically designed' equations or tables, but prepare these using the wordprocessor's facility. When preparing tables,
if you are using a table grid, use only one grid for each individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use tabs,
not spaces, to align columns. The electronic text should be prepared in a way very similar to that of conventional manuscripts (see also
the Author Gateway's Quickguide: http://authors.elsevier.com). Do not
import the figures into the text file but, instead, indicate their approximate locations directly in the electronic text and on the manuscript.
See also the section on Preparation of electronic illustrations.
To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the 'spellchecker'
function of your wordprocessor.
4. Preparation of text
Presentation of manuscript
•General
Please write your text in good English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Italics are not to be
used for expressions of Latin origin, for example, in vivo, et al., per se. Use decimal points (not commas); use a space for thousands
(10 000 and above).
Prepare the entire manuscript using double spacing, line numbering and wide (3 cm) margins. (Avoid full justification, i.e., do
not use a constant right-hand margin.) Ensure that each new paragraph is clearly indicated. Present tables and figure legends on separate
pages at the end of the manuscript. Consult a recent issue of the journal to become familiar with layout and conventions. Number all
pages consecutively.
•Provide the following data on the title page (in the order given)
1. Title Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.
2. Author names and affiliations Where the family name may be ambiguous (e.g., a double name), please indicate
this clearly. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations
with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal
address of each affiliation, including the country name, and, if available, the e-mail address of each author.
3. Corresponding
author Clearly indicate who is willing to handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. Ensure that telephone and fax numbers (with country and area code) are provided in addition to the e-mail address and the complete
postal address.
4. Present/permanent address If an author has moved since the work described in the article
was done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name.
The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals
are used for such footnotes.
5. Abstract A concise and factual abstract is required. In general, the abstract
should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal methods and data used, the principal results and major conclusions. An
abstract is often presented separate from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. References should therefore be avoided, but
if essential, they must be cited in full, without reference to the reference list. Non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided,
but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.
6. Keywords Immediately
after the abstract, provide a maximum of 6 keywords, avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and',
'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used
for indexing purposes.
N.B. Acknowledgements. Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article and
do not, therefore, include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise.
•Structure the main
part of the article as follows:
Subdivision of the article
Divide your article into clearly defined
and numbered sections. Subsections should be numbered 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2, ?), 1.2, etc. (the abstract is not included in section
numbering). Use this numbering also for internal cross-referencing: do not just refer to 'the text.' Any subsection may be given a brief
heading. Each heading should appear on its own separate line.
1. Introduction State the objectives of the work
and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.
2. Regional setting For papers that focus on an area, provide a brief synopsis of the physical and geological characteristics of the area, sufficient
to give the new work context, but again avoid a detailed literature survey.
3. Materials and methods Provide
sufficient detail on methods to allow the work to be reproduced. Methods already published should be indicated by a reference: only relevant
modifications should be described. Samples should normally be positioned on a map or in a table. However, lengthy tables of precise
positions should be submitted as electronic files for Supplementary Data (see below)
4. Results This should highlight
the key results (and not repeat material already in figures or tables) and summarise the direct implications of these results.
5.
Discussion This should explore the inter-relationships of different data sets and the broader significance of the results.
It may include limited speculation, that will not appear in the conclusions.
6. Conclusions The short Conclusions
section should summarise the conclusions of the study that have been firmly established. It should not duplicate either the Abstract
or the Discussion.
7. Acknowledgements Place acknowledgements, including information on grants received, before
the references, in a separate section
8. Appendices If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified
as A, B, etc. Formulae and equations in appendices should be given separate numbering: (Eq. A.1), (Eq. A.2), etc.; in a subsequent appendix,
(Eq. B.1) and so forth.
9. References See separate section, below.
10. Figure legends, tables,
figures, schemes Present these, in this order, at the end of the article. They are described in more detail below. High-resolution
graphics files must always be provided separate from the main text file (see Preparation of illustrations).
•Further
information on:
a. Text graphics Present incidental graphics not suitable for mention as figures, plates
or schemes at the end of the article and number them 'Graphic 1', etc. Their precise position in the text can then be defined similarly
(both on the manuscript and in the file). See further under the section, Preparation of illustrations.
b. Mathematical
formulae Present simple formulae in the line of normal text where possible. In principle, variables are to be presented
in italics. Use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line, e.g.,
X/Y rather than
X Y
Powers of e are often
more conveniently denoted by exp. Number consecutively any equations that have to be displayed separate from the text (if referred
to explicitly in the text).
c. Footnotes Footnotes should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively throughout
the article, using superscript Arabic numbers. Many wordprocessors build footnotes into the text, and this feature may be used. Should
this not be the case, indicate the position of footnotes in the text and present the footnotes themselves on a separate sheet at the
end of the article. Do not include footnotes in the Reference list.
d. Tables Number tables consecutively in
accordance with their appearance in the text. Place footnotes to tables below the table body and indicate them with superscript lowercase
letters. Avoid vertical rules. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results
described elsewhere in the article.
e. Nomenclature and units Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions:
use the international system of units (SI). If other quantities are mentioned, give their equivalent in SI.
f. Preparation
of supplementary data Elsevier now accepts electronic supplementary material to support and enhance your scientific research.
Supplementary files offer the author additional possibilities to publish supporting applications, movies, animation sequences, high-resolution
images, background datasets, sound clips and more. Supplementary files supplied will be published online alongside the electronic version
of your article in Elsevier web products, including ScienceDirect: http://www.sciencedirect.com.
In order to ensure that your submitted material is directly usable, please ensure that data is provided in one of our recommended file
formats. Authors should submit the material in electronic format together with the article and supply a concise and descriptive caption
for each file. For more detailed instructions please visit our Author Gateway at http://authors.elsevier.com.
5. References
Responsibility for the accuracy of bibliographic citations lies entirely with the authors.
Citations
in the text: Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa).
Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full. Unpublished results and personal communications should not be in the reference
list, but may be mentioned in the text (i.e. "in preparation" is not a valid citation in the reference list). Citation of a reference
as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication.
Citing and listing of web references: As
a minimum, the full URL should be given. Any further information, if known (author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.),
should also be given. Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the reference list) under a different heading if desired,
or can be included in the reference list.
Text: All citations in the text should refer to: 1. Single
author: the author's name (without initials, unless there is ambiguity) and the year of publication; 2. Two authors:
both authors' names and the year of publication; 3. Three or more authors: first author's name followed by 'et al.' and
the year of publication. Citations may be made directly (or parenthetically). Groups of references should be listed first alphabetically,
then chronologically.
Examples: "as demonstrated (Allan, 1996a, 1996b, 1999; Allan and Jones, 1995). Kramer et al. (2000) have recently
shown ...."
List: References should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically
if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters "a", "b", "c", etc.,
placed after the year of publication.
Examples:
Reference to a journal publication: Van der Geer,
J., Hanraads, J.A.J., Lupton, R.A., 2000. The art of writing a scientific article. J. Sci. Commun. 163, 51-59.
Reference to
a book: Strunk Jr., W., White, E.B., 1979. The Elements of Style, third ed. Macmillan, New York, 243 pp.
Reference
to a chapter in an edited book: Mettam, G.R., Adams, L.B., 1999. How to prepare an electronic version of your article, in:
Jones, B.S., Smith , R.Z. (Eds.), Introduction to the Electronic Age. E-Publishing Inc., New York, pp. 281-304.
Journal names
should be abbreviated according to list of serial title word abbreviations: http://www.issn.org/lstwa.html.
6. Preparation of Illustrations
Submitting your final artwork in an electronic format helps us to produce your work to
the best possible standards, ensuring accuracy, clarity and a high level of detail.
General points • Make
sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork. • Save text in illustrations as "graphics" or enclose the
font. • Only use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Times, Symbol. •Number the
illustrations according to their sequence in the text. • Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files, and supply
a separate listing of the files and the software used. • Provide captions to illustrations separately. • Produce images
near to the desired size of the printed version.
You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from the detailed information are given here.
Formats Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalised, please "save as" or convert the images to one of the
following formats (Note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below.):
EPS:
Vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as "graphics". TIFF: Colour or greyscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum
of 300 dpi. TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi. TIFF: Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (colour or
greyscale): a minimum of 500 dpi is required. DOC, XLS or PPT: If your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office
applications please supply "as is".
Please do not: • Supply embedded graphics in your wordprocessor (spreadsheet,
presentation) document when submitting the final accepted article; • Supply files that are optimised for screen use (like GIF,
BMP, PICT, WPG); the resolution is too low; • Supply files that are too low in resolution; • Submit graphics that are
disproportionately large for the content.
Colour illustrations
If, together with your accepted article, you submit
usable colour figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in colour on the web (e.g.,
ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For
colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article.
For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork.
Please
note: Because of technical complications which can arise by converting colour figures to 'grey scale' (for the printed version should
you not opt for colour in print) please submit in addition usable black and white files corresponding to all the colour illustrations.
7. Proofs
One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding Author (if we do not have
an e-mail address then paper proofs will be sent by post). Elsevier now sends PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need
to download Adobe Reader version 7 available free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Instructions
on how to annotate PDF files will accompany the proofs.
If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations function, you may list the
corrections (including replies to the Query Form) and return to Elsevier in an e-mail. Please list your corrections quoting line number.
If, for any reason, this is not possible, then mark the corrections and any other comments (including replies to the Query Form) on a
printout of your proof and return by fax, or scan the pages and e-mail, or by post.
Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting,
editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication
will only be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor. We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly
and accurately. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication: please check
carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.
Note that Elsevier may proceed with the publication of your article if no response is received.
Reprints
The corresponding
author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail or, alternatively, 25 free paper offprints. The PDF file
is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining
the terms and conditions of use.
Submission checklist
It is hoped that this list will be useful during the final checking
of an article prior to sending it to the journal office for review. Please consult this Guide for Authors for further details of any
item.
Ensure that the following items are present:
• One author designated as corresponding author: • E-mail
address • Full postal address • Telephone and fax numbers • Keywords • Original artwork (high-quality
prints) • All figure captions • All tables (including title, description, footnotes)
Further considerations
• Article has been read and approved by all co-authors • Manuscript has been "spellchecked" • References are
in the correct format for this journal • All references mentioned in the Reference list are cited in the text, and vice versa
• Permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Web)
