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Writing geoscience papers: A list of useful resources

Open book with globe behind to represent writing geoscience papers resources“About 10 percent enjoy writing; the other 90 percent consider it a necessary chore”, says David R. Lindsay in Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words.

Writing geoscience papers becomes less of a chore if you have access to all the resources you need. Having to pause in the middle of a sentence to look up whether a term is hyphenated or check the capitalization of a geological unit can slow you down. And being unsure about what to include in an illustration can set you back days or weeks.

To help you speed up the process of writing and editing geology manuscripts, in this article I will discuss several resources for earth scientists and editors.

Editorial style guide for earth sciences papers: AGU’s Grammar and Style Guide

This is the style guide you need to follow if you want to publish geoscience papers in AGU journals. But it’s also useful if you’re writing a geology paper or thesis and don’t have any geology style guide or instructions for authors. And if you decide to hire a freelance editor for a geology manuscript, asking them to follow this editorial guide can help you save time when giving your editor detailed instructions.

Based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, the AGU Style Guide explains citations and references, hyphenation, and elements of punctuation and grammar. It also includes a glossary of commonly used terms in earth sciences manuscripts.

Based on my experience as an academic editor and former earth sciences researcher, I know that geoscientists use lots of proper nouns—geographical terms, names of stratigraphic units, geological time scale terms, and more. And I’ve noticed misspelling or incorrectly capitalizing proper nouns is a frequent mistake in geology manuscripts. It is also an easily avoidable mistake. The use of correct spelling and capitalization makes a geology research paper appear more professional to journal editors and referees.

The AGU Style Guide is a good starting point when you’re selecting the most useful guidelines for writing and editing earth sciences papers. In addition, consider using other resources, such as

Units of measurement for geoscience papers: The International System of Units

Those writing or editing earth science manuscripts should be familiar with SI units. The latest edition of the SI Brochure will tell you everything you need to know about SI units.

Most units used in geoscience manuscripts should be SI units. However, some non-SI units are accepted for use in scholarly publications (for example, gram per cubic centimeter for density). To know which non-SI units are accepted by the geology journal you’re considering, ask its editor or consult the journal’s instructions for authors. When in doubt, convert non-SI units into SI units.

Figures and tables for geology manuscripts

Scientific writing in the earth sciences requires lots of visuals. Open any geoscience journal and you will see maps, tables, photographs, drawings, and all sorts of diagrams.

Some faculty members or industry researchers enlist the help of professional illustrators to prepare figures for earth science publications. But most geoscientists need at least basic graphic design skills to be able to make figures for their manuscripts.

For more details about making figures for manuscripts, read my post How to make scientific figures for publication: A 10-step guide.

If you’re not sure which software to use to make geology graphics, try the open-source Inkscape. Many researchers claim it’s a valid alternative to commercial programs such as Illustrator and CorelDraw.

Also, it’s worth reading the journal’s manuscript preparation guidelines for tables and figures. Two examples are the University of Chicago Press guidelines and GSA Publications figure guidelines.

Mathematics in geosciences manuscripts

Depending on the branch of earth sciences you’re an expert in, chances are your manuscripts will include either some or a lot of mathematics.

If you rarely use math in your papers, read my post The basics of editing research papers with math. Also read the journal’s instructions before you submit your manuscript. Guidelines for authors usually include at least some basic instructions about how to use mathematical symbols and formulas in manuscripts.

The art of writing in the geosciences: Books, courses, and other resources

Writing in the geosciences hasn’t received as much attention from writing instructors as writing in the sciences in general or writing in the biosciences. This means you may have to dig deeper to find resources on writing geology papers. Some resources that may help you write better geoscience manuscripts include the following:

Books about writing in the geosciences

Courses or guidelines from geology departments

Books about writing in the sciences

Geoscience Communication journal

You may also want to browse the papers in this EGU journal for inspiration or advice on communication in the earth sciences.

Examples of great titles for earth sciences papers

The title of your geology article needs to be catchy but descriptive. You may not be able to beat a title such as “Tubey or not tubey: Death beds of Ediacaran macrofossils or microbially induced sedimentary structures?” but aim to be creative.

In my opinion as a freelance editor, the following are examples of good titles for geology articles:

Beyond writing geoscience papers: Data repositories

Your geoscience paper is based on data that other researchers may need to find, access, and reuse, whether to reproduce the results reported in your paper, take your research to the next level, or open new research avenues. Consider passing the baton to other researchers by placing your data in a public repository.

Choose a repository specialized in your scientific domain so your data will be FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Two examples of repositories are DRYAD and figshare.

For more information on repository selection, read AGU’s recommendations.

The ultimate resource for writing geoscience papers?

Dictionaries, glossaries, guidelines, books, rules, and standards are some of the resources you need to write or edit a geoscience manuscript. But the ultimate resource you should rely on is your determination to write well.

No good earth sciences paper goes straight from “draft 01” to “published”. Writing, rewriting, revising, and editing are necessary steps to create a geoscience research paper that informs readers but doesn’t bore, confuse, or annoy them. I believe that the 10 percent who enjoy writing academic articles don’t see it as “writing up the research”. They see it as an opportunity to make a difference in the world of geosciences through effective communication.

Do you need a freelance editor for geoscience papers? Send me a message at editor@languageediting.com

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Last revised on 7 September 2022

Cristina N.

A freelance editor and writer with a keen interest in science, nature, and communication, I love to craft articles that help and inspire people.