Author Guidelines
Manuscript Submission Instructions
All new manuscripts must be submitted online via JSR’s PeerTrack website. At your first visit to this website, you will be prompted to establish a Login Name and Password. Then you will enter information about your manuscript and upload (1) the cover letter to the editors, (2) manuscript, and (3) figure and table files. See below for specific details. Tutorials on the PeerTrack website are also available to walk you through the submission process. Any questions about manuscript submission should be directed to jsedres@gmail.com.
Manuscript Information
Before submitting a manuscript, please gather the following information. Please use proper capitalization (not ALL CAPS or all lowercase letters) when entering information, as the information goes directly into our database.
· All Authors: first names, last names, institutions, departments, phone numbers, street addresses, e-mail addresses
· Title and Running Title (you may copy and paste these from your manuscript)
· Recommendations for reviewers (either to include or exclude)
Cover Letter to the Editors
In a few sentences, please state why JSR has been chosen a place to publish your research and the significance of the work. Cover letters should be dated and on institutional letterhead.
Manuscript Formatting
- In MS Word (not PDF)
- double-spaced (abstract, text, references, figure captions)
- black typeface only
- use page numbers
- line numbers are optional
- use numbering for headings and subheadings
A title page, listing the authors and their affiliations should come first followed by the abstract and text. Headings and subheadings should not be numbered. Please add line numbering. The reference list should come after the manuscript text. For reference formatting style, please see below. The Figure Captions belong at the end of the text file, not with the figures.
In the text, first-order headings are formatted in BOLD CAPITALS CENTERED; second-order headings are formatted in Italic Capitals and Lower-Case Letters Centered; third-order headings are formatted in Bold Roman Capitals and Lower-Case Letters, at beginning of indented paragraph, followed by a period and three hyphens. In the text the word figure is capitalized and spelled out, e.g., Figure 1; it is capitalized and abbreviated when used parenthetically, e.g., (Fig. 1).
Citations in the text should be listed with author name and date, (e.g., Lester 2010). Multiple citations should list the earliest papers first (e.g., Lester 2010; Anderson 2011).
Please use present tense where relevant. For example:
- correct: Calcium concentrations are low in all samples, the highest occurs in the xx Formation...
- incorrect: Calcium concentrations were low in all samples, the highest occurred in the xx Formation...
Non-native English speakers are encouraged to have their manuscripts critiqued by a native English speaker prior to submission. SEPM members can benefit from pre-submission English editing services via SEPM’s partnership with Enago.
For proper use of stratigraphic nomenclature, refer to the North American Stratigraphic Code.
For proper use of geologic time intervals, refer to the International Stratigraphic Chart, www.stratigraphy.org.
Figure and Table Formatting
Figures and tables should be uploaded as individual files. Figures can be submitted in the following formats: JPG, EPS, PDF, and TIFF. Please keep file sizes as small as possible without sacrificing resolution. The merged PDF created by PeerTrack including text, figures, and tables must be below 9MB. For final printing, 200 dpi is required, and higher if the printer needs to enlarge an image. Figure captions should not be included with the figures.
Tables can be uploaded as MS Word or Excel files. Please do not upload tables as PDF files. The table caption should be at the top of the table.
Guidelines for Figure Preparation
- Color figures: JSR's copy of record in the online version. JSR is published in print using Print on Demand (POD) technology and there is no charge for color figures.
- Figure resolution: For review purposes, figure file size should be as small as possible without loosing clarity. For final printing, Allen Press requires a minimum resolution of 200 dpi.
- Quality of artwork: Submitting original hand-drafted artwork is discouraged; with the variety of computer drafting programs available, a computer-generated line drawing or figure has become standard. Figures drafted in PowerPoint are highly discouraged, as they do not reproduce well.
- Labels: Figure labels, such as A, B, C, etc, should be in the upper left corner. It is best to include this lettering within the frame of the figure, so as not to waste space.
- Photos: With photos, use common sense in putting white lettering on a dark background or dark lettering on a light background.
- Graphs: For graph figures, include all four axes and put tick marks on all four axes, but labels only on the two main axes. Choose a set of symbols for data points that give maximum visual distinction. Symbols should be open or solid. Use clear, sans serif typeface (e.g., Helvetica); all lettering should be at least 1 mm after reduction. Adjust word labels to be of a size that is consistent with the size of the other elements in the figure. Avoid fine lines as they may disappear when figure is reduced. Gray shading may not reproduce well.
Help with Graphics: How to keep file size small without sacrificing resolution.
Figure Sizes
JSR has three standard sizes for figures, listed below. The maximum height for all three figure sizes is 23.2 cm.
- one column (about 8.8 cm wide)
- two columns or full page (about 18.2 cm wide)
- two-thirds page (12.5 cm wide)
For the last size, the figure is placed on the left and the caption goes to the right, if it will fit. We can accommodate any size between the one-column and two column sizes. If you don't think ahead about which size your figure will be, then we will have to make the decision. We urge you to think for yourself about the appropriate size and then go to a reducing copy machine to make a test (reduce and see if words, numbers, and symbols are still legible).
Reference List Formatting
Please use the following examples as guides. Multiple references of the same author should be in chronological order, with the earliest first. Two-author papers are alphabetized. Multiple author papers are chronological. This is shown below.
- Bhattacharya, J.P., 2006, Deltas, in Posamentier, H.W., and Walker, R.G., eds., Facies Models Revisited: SEPM, Special Publication 84, p. 237–292.
- Burke, M., 2001, Stratigraphy of the Wasatch Formation, Washakie Basin, south-central Wyoming: implications for the evolution of the genus Microsyops [MS Thesis]: University of Colorado, Boulder, 233 p.
- Fielding, C.R., Trueman, J.D., and Alexander, J., 2005, Sharp-based, flood-dominated mouth bars sands from the Burdekin River Delta of northeastern Australia: extending the spectrum of mouth-bar facies, geometry, and stacking patterns: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 75, p. 55–66.
- Hattori, M., Suzuki, T., and Sato , T., 1974, Beach processes and littoral drift on the middle region of Enshu Coast: Conference on Coastal Engineering, Proceedings, v. 21, p. 127– 33.
- Tweto, O., 1976, Preliminary geologic map of Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey, Miscellaneous Field Studies Map, no. 788, scale 1:500,000.
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