Submitting Papers for Publication
AIG Journal will publish original work in any applied geoscientific field. Details of applied research, new geoscientific techniques, reviews, case studies and short technical notes will be considered for publication. Papers will be peer reviewed prior to publication.
Who Can Submit Papers for Publication?
The author, or at least one co-author of any paper submitted for publication must be a member of AIG. The editor may exercise discretion in accepting papers from non-AIG members in instances where the paper is deemed to be of interest to AIG members, but the author cannot be expected to be a member of AIG, and is a member of a relevant professional association.
How Should Manuscripts be Submitted?
The guide to authors page contains detailed information on formats for the submission of manuscripts, figures, photographs and other materials. Manuscripts should be submitted in electronic form to assist with the review and preparation of papers for publication.
How Will Papers Actually be Published?
Papers will be added to this web site in two forms:
* HTML text with accompanying figures and plates for reading on-line; and,
* Documents in Adobe Acrobat format that may be downloaded for reading off-line, printing and adding to personal reference collections.
The HTML and Acrobat versions of papers will be as similar as possible, within constraints imposed by formatting features associated with each format. Presentation of papers in both HTML and Acrobat formats is designed to best cater for readers who prefer to read papers on-line or download papers for future reference respectively. Papers in HTML format will also allow access to journal content by readers using computer systems for which an Acrobat reader is not readily available. Papers published in AIG Journal will be allocated a unique reference number to allow them to be cited in other work and located rapidly on the journal web-site. Papers will be chronologically organised into volumes, each referenced with a table of contents. The current plan is to retain papers on-line for at least three years, after which archival copies of the journal will be available on CD-ROM.
What About Discussions of Papers Published in AIG Journal?
Discussions of published papers represent an important form of peer review and are encouraged. Discussions will be linked to the original paper and published in conjunction with replies from authors.
How Quickly Will Papers be Published Following Submission?
That depends entirely on the peer review process. AIG Journal aims to facilitate rapid publication of papers in order to make the journal an attractive forum for authors, and ensure journal content is timely and topical, thereby increasing the value of the journal to readers. Publication of AIG Journal on-line means that there is no need to adhere to a publication schedule, allowing papers to be added to the journal as soon as they have been reviewed and prepared for publication.
Any Other Requirements?
All contributions to AIG Journal should adhere to the ethical guidelines relating to publication of geoscientific work.
Can I Help?
Absolutely! All AIG members can help make the journal a success by submitting papers for publication, or volunteering to assist with the peer review of papers. To volunteer as a reviewer please e-mail a short summary of your professional experience and the subjects which you would be able to review to the editor.
Further Questions?
Contact the editor by e-mail should you have any further questions or comments regarding AIG Journal.
Instructions for Authors
AIG Journal is unique amongst Australian geoscientific publications in being published exclusively by electronic means. Publication of the journal in electronic form via the Internet allows AIG to provide members with a high quality publication in a very cost effective manner. Additional advantages include rapid distribution, no restrictions on the use of colour photographs and other diagrams and an ability to support papers with other media such as short video sequences and animations. It will also be possible to link related papers and articles and provide text search facilities to help locate items of interest in papers available on-line. Papers, reviews, case studies and technical notes will be made available to readers as HTML files, for reading on-line, and as an Adobe Acrobat document which may be downloaded by readers for reading off-line, for reference purposes and printing. In many respects, however, these instructions differ little from those for print journals.
Manuscript and File Formats
Manuscripts, including all diagrams, photographs and other supporting materials should, if possible, be submitted in digital form. Text should be submitted as a Microsoft Word (Windows or Macintosh) or Corel Wordperfect document, or using one of the common document interchange formats such as Real Text Format (.rtf). Contact the editor with any queries regarding the suitability of a document format. Photographs and illustrations should be submitted using any of the common image file formats (TIFF, GIF, JPEG, Windows bitmaps or metafiles, Paintbrush, Macintosh PICT, encapsulated Postscript) in addition to Kodak Photo CD, Corel Draw (V7 or earlier), Micrografix Designer or Draw and Targa image files. Contact the editor with any queries regarding other graphic formats. Photographs and diagrams will be resampled to a suitable file format and resolution to minimise download times (usually GIF format for diagrams and JPEG format for photographs). Include all figures and plates as separate files.
If submitting a printed manuscript please provide double spaced text on A4 pages with wide margins. Follow all other instructions for manuscripts submitted in digital form. Hardcopy illustrations should be submitted as clear black and white or colour line work. Please provide three copies of each manuscript. If submitting colour illustrations avoid light colours which may not reproduce readily. Use of high quality white paper will improve the quality of the illustration when reproduced. Photographs should be submitted as colour or black and white prints of postcard size or larger. Photographs will be returned by ordinary mail if required. Responsibility for photographs submitted for publication with manuscripts cannot be accepted.
Media
Manuscripts may be submitted by e-mail, 3.5 inch disk, 100 Mbyte Zip disks or CD-ROM. Please compress manuscripts and illustrations submitted by e-mail or on 3.5 inch disk. E-mail message attachments should not exceed 4.0 Mbytes in size.
Page Layout
Manuscripts should be presented using Times New Roman 12pt type. Use an A4 page with the following margins: left 4.5cm, top and bottom 2.5cm and right 2.0cm. The wide left margin provides space for navigation controls for on-line presentation. Use single line spacing for paragraphs and leave a 12pt (one line) space between paragraphs. The first lines of paragraphs should not be indented. Paragraph text should be left justified.
Abstracts
Particular attention should be paid to ensuring abstracts are an informative linear summary of the paper. The abstract is the first part of the paper readers will see on screen. A good abstract wil help to ensure that the paper receives the attention it deserves.
Headings
Up to four levels of heading may be used:
LEVEL 1 - BOLD TYPE, CENTRED CAPITALS
Level 2 - Bold Type, Sentence Case
Level 3 - Normal Type, Underlined, Sentence Case
Level 4 - Plain Text
Level 1 and Level 2 headings should be followed by a blank line. Do not leave a line after Level 3 and Level 4 headings. All headings, like paragraph text, are 12 point Times New Roman type.
Captions
All illustrations and tables should have a numerical reference and a brief, concise caption. Maps, diagrams and material such as satellite imagery should be referred to as Figures, photographs as Plates. Tabulations of data should be referred to as Tables. Figures, tables, and plates should be numbered sequentially (e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2) and referred to in the text of the paper. Supporting materials other than figures, tables and plates should be referred to in the paper's text as an appendix. Supporting materials will be stored as seperate files that may be downloaded by readers.
References
References should be cited at appropriate points in the text of all contributions to the journal. All cited references should be listed in full at the end of the paper. Examples of the format required for journal articles, papers, published geological mapping and unpublished material such as reports. Cite references using the author's surnames and year (eg. Daniels and Gurney, (1986)). Use the surname of the first author followed by et al., for papers and articles with more than two authors. The list of references should be sorted alphabetically. Examples of appropriate formats for journal articles, books and other publications follow:
Daniels L.R.M. and Gurney J.J., 1986. The chemistry of concentrate minerals and diamond inclusions of the Dokolwayo kimberlite, Swaziland. In Fourth International Kimberlite Conference, Perth, Extended Abstracts, Abstr. Geol. Soc. Aust. Ser. 16, 380-382.
Lloyd F.E., 1987. Characterisation of mantle metasomatic fluids in spinel lherzolites and alkali clinopyroxenites from West Eifel and southwest Uganda. In Menzies M. and Hawkesworth C.J. eds, Mantle Metasomatism, pp 91-124. Academic Press, New York.
Mercher J.C. and Carter N.L., 1975. Pyroxene geotherms. J. Geophys. Res. 89, 5549-8862.
Robey J.vA., 1981. Kimberlites of the central Cape Province, R.S.A. Unpublished PhD thesis, Univ. Cape Town.
Manuscript Review
Papers submitted to AIG Journal will be peer reviewed. Short technical notes and discussions of papers will be reviewed at the editor's discretion. Discussions of papers will be published in conjunction with replies from authors. Authors may nominate up to two suitable reviewers for papers. Reviewers will, however, be selected by the editor.
Copyright
Authors submitting papers to AIG Journal will be required to transfer copyright to AIG upon publication. AIG will permit papers published in AIG Journal to be transferred copied and stored electronically. Papers may also be reprinted for personal use or for use by reference libraries provided the content and presentation of papers is not altered in any way. Papers may not be made available from, or reproduced on another web site without the specific prior written permission of a current AIG Council member or AIG Journal's editor.
Publication Guidelines
These guidelines are based generally on the American Geophysical Union's Guidelines for Publication of Geoscientific Research, which are in turn based on "Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research" of the American Chemical Society. AGU's statement of guidelines is available on the AGU web site. The guidelines provide recommendations and ethical standards for the preparation, editing and review of manuscripts relevant to any scientific discipline.
Obligations of Authors
The principal obligation of an author is to present a concise, accurate account of their paper's subject matter.
Publications that have contributed to current understanding of the subject of any paper or will provide readers with relevant background information should be formally cited. Criticism of a published paper may be justified. Personal criticism, however, is not considered acceptable under any circumstances. Information obtained from sources other than the author's own work or published papers should not be used or reported without the permission of the person or organisation from which the information originated.
Fragmentation of papers should be avoided. Extensive work on a single subject, or closely related series of topics should be published in a manner such that each paper gives a complete account of a particular aspect of the subject.
Publication of manuscripts dealing with essentially the same subject in more than one journal or submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is considered unethical and unacceptable.
Authors should not make changes to papers after they have been accepted for publication unless there is a compelling reason for doing so. The editor has final authority to approve changes of this nature.
Only persons who have made a significant contribution to research or other information presented in a paper should be named as authors. The author responsible for manuscript submission is obliged to, and accepts responsibility for ensuring that all those named as co-authors have seen the final version of the paper and have agreed to it being published.
Obligations of Editors
Editors should give unbiased consideration to all manuscripts offered for publication. All manuscripts should be processed promptly. Editors must respect the intellectual independence of authors. Information relating to any paper being considered for publication should not be disclosed to anyone other than reviewers and potential reviewers by the editor or any person assisting with preparation of papers for publication.
Editorial responsibility and authority for a manuscript submitted by an editor to the editor's journal should be delegated to some other qualified person such as an associate editor of that journal, Editors should avoid situations of real or perceived conflict of interest. If an editor chooses to participate in an ongoing scientific debate within the journal, the editor should arrange for another qualified person to take editorial responsibility. Unpublished information presented in a manuscript submitted for publication should not be used in an editor's own research without the permission of the author.
An editor presented with convincing evidence that the main substance or conclusions of a paper published in an editor's are erroneous should facilitate publication of an appropriate paper pointing out the error and, if possible, correcting it.
The editor has complete responsibility and authority to accept a paper for publication, or to reject it. The editor may confer with associate editors and reviewers in making this decision.
Obligations of Manuscript Reviewers
Reviewing manuscripts is an essential step in the publication process. A nominated reviewer who feels inadequately qualified or lacks time to adequately review a manuscript should promptly advise the editor. Reviewers should objectively assess the quality of a manuscript and respect the intellectual independence of the authors.
Reviewers should avoid situations that may be perceived as a conflict of interest. Where a manuscript is closely related to the work of a reviewer, the reviewer should advise the editor of the situation and not proceed with reviewing the manuscript. A reviewer should not evaluate a manuscript authored or co-authored by a person with which they have a personal or professional relationship if the relationship would affect assessment of the manuscript.
Manuscripts received for review should be treated as confidential documents which should neither be shown to nor discussed with others, except persons from whom special advice may be sought, and then only with the approval of the editor. Reviewers should not use or disclose unpublished information contained in a manuscript under consideration.
Reviewers should be alert to the failure of authors to cite relevant work by others. A reviewer should call the editor's attention to any substantial similarity between the manuscript being reviewed and any other publication or manuscript submitted concurrently to another journal.
Comments made by reviewers should be constructive and adequately supported so that both editors and authors may understand their basis. References to other works should accompany comments where appropriate.
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