For Authors

Focus

AJS publishes research that expands our knowledge of the Earth, with an emphasis on the structure, composition, and evolution of our planet, and the physical, chemical, and biological processes that have influenced that evolution. Recent papers have focused on geochemistry, geochronology, geodynamics, geomorphology, basin analysis, Earth history, petrology, tectonics, and thermochronology. New directions are welcomed.

Submission Checklist

Before submitting, please confirm that your manuscript and submission materials meet the following requirements.

Publication Options

AJS publication options are distinguished in part by length, measured in publication units (PU). Each 500-word increment of the main text counts for 1 PU, and each figure and table counts for 1.5 PU.

Publication type	Description	Submission	Length / fee
Science Paper	Original research with full documentation of research questions, literature, methods, results, and conclusions.	Open submission	Free length: 45 PU. Excess fee applies above the free limit.
Science Review	Assessment, integration, and synthesis of previously published work.	By invitation; unsolicited proposals considered	Free length: 45 PU. Excess fee applies above the free limit.
Science Note	Short contribution on new data, a new hypothesis or interpretation, or an opinion or perspective.	Open submission	Maximum length: 4 PU. No fees.
Technical Report	Methods with significant utility for scientific research, such as a procedure, computer program, or database.	Open submission	Free length: 45 PU. Excess fee applies above the free limit.
Comment	Short critical assessment of a recent AJS publication.	Open submission	Maximum length: 4 PU. No fees.
Reply	Authors' reply to a Comment about their AJS publication.	Usually invited after a Comment	Maximum length: 4 PU. No fees.
Errata	Corrections to an AJS publication, as provided by the authors of that publication.	As needed	Usually very brief. No fees.

Evaluation Criteria

AJS seeks papers that rank high in terms of the following criteria, after Larsson and Patriksson (2016). Authors are encouraged to consider these criteria while writing their papers.

1. Relevance: How does the paper relate to current scientific imperatives?
2. Generality: What is the reach of the paper in terms of research focus and results?
3. Originality: Is the research unique, creative, or innovative?
4. Progress: Does the paper provide a significant advance in scientific knowledge?
5. Accessibility: Is the paper accessible to a broad audience?
6. Scientific Foundation: Does the paper establish a clear foundation based on accepted theory and/or methodology?
7. Integration: Does the paper integrate previous knowledge with new results and make connections with other fields?
8. Consistency: Are the results and conclusions consistent with the claims and ambitions stated in the introduction?
9. News Value: Is the paper of interest to the broader scientific community or to the general public?

Web-Based Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted through the AJS Manuscript Manager system. The submission tool asks authors to provide information that is important for the initial evaluation by the Editorial Board.

1. Overview: A brief description of the essential research question, originality, and significance of the paper.
2. Authors: Authors, affiliations, and ORCID numbers.
3. Statement of Original Content: Confirmation that the content is original and not in review, in press, or already published elsewhere. Any overlap with other publications should be disclosed.
4. Reviewers: Five or more potential reviewers, with a brief statement of expertise for each. Authors may also identify reviewers to avoid, with explanations.
5. Editors and Associate Editors: Authors may suggest AJS Editors and Associate Editors who are well suited to handle the paper.

Authorship

At AJS, the lead author is generally the person who has done most of the work and taken the lead in writing the paper. Coauthors are those who have made significant scientific contributions and are generally listed in order of the declining size of their contributions. The paper must include an accurate statement of each listed author's contribution, and all coauthors must agree to the submission.

Correspondence during review, revision, and publication will be directed to the corresponding author. Usually this is the lead author, but another author may take on this role when appropriate.

Paper Length

AJS uses publication units (PU) to measure publication length. This measure sets limits for short-form publications and defines the free limit for long-form publications. An excess length fee of $100 per excess PU applies if a long-form publication exceeds the free limit.

• Text content: 1 PU per 500 words.
• Each figure and table: 1.5 PU.
• The total PU is rounded up to the next whole number.
• The first 10 equations count as 1 PU. Additional equations are counted as excess PU, with 1 PU added for every 10 additional equations.

The result is rounded up to the next whole number.

Statistical Terms and Reporting Errors

Authors should report errors and uncertainties clearly and consistently throughout the paper. When errors are cited, the method and level of the error estimate should be stated.

• Common methods include SE, the standard error or standard deviation of the mean, and CI, a confidence interval.
• The level of the error estimate should be specified, such as 1SE, 2SE, 68% CI, or 98% CI.
• Authors are encouraged to report errors in the same fashion throughout the paper.
• SE should not be confused with SD. SD estimates dispersion of sample data; SE estimates expected dispersion of the sample mean, where SE = SD/√n.
• AJS advises against using 1σ, 2σ, etc. to denote the level of an error estimate, because σ is widely used to represent population standard deviation.

Preparing Your Manuscript for Submission

The initial submission must be MS Word or PDF. The manuscript should use 12-point Times New Roman font with 1.5 line spacing. Each line should be numbered to help with the reviewing process. AJS will not start evaluation or review until a line-numbered manuscript is received.

Submitted manuscripts may not exceed 30 MB for the review process. After acceptance, AJS will coordinate with authors regarding large files needed to ensure full-resolution figures and other content.

Manuscript Order

1. Title: Specific, informative, and brief. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms unless they are defined in the abstract.
2. Author List: List authors after the title, followed by affiliations. Use numbered footnotes to link authors to affiliations. Indicate the corresponding author with an asterisk and email footnote.
3. Abstract: A concise, freestanding summary of fewer than 300 words. Define all abbreviations in the abstract. Do not refer to external information such as references, tables, or figures.
4. Keywords: Provide at least three keywords summarizing the topic, content, or focus of the paper.
5. Main Text: Divide the text into numbered sections with headings. Three section levels are allowed.
6. Acknowledgments: Indicate funding sources and thank colleagues, contributors, and reviewers.
7. Author Contributions: Provide a brief summary of each author's contribution.
8. Data and Supplementary Information: Report the nature and location of data and supplementary information essential to the paper.
9. References: Provide full references for all published sources cited in the paper.

Equations

Equations should be centered and numbered sequentially, with numbers in parentheses on the right margin. Equations are referenced in text as equation (1), or in parentheses as (eq. 1) or (eqs. 14 and 15). For publication, manuscripts and equations must be provided in files created using a current version of MS Word.

Tables

Each table must be submitted as a single file and prepared using the Table option in MS Word. Use only separate cells, ordered lists, or unordered lists to separate content within a cell. Do not use spaces, tabs, HTML tags, or manual line breaks inside a table.

Figures

Figures should be prepared in JPEG, TIFF, or PNG format. Vector formats such as EPS and PDF are not allowed. Raster resolution should be at least 300 dpi. Each figure must be submitted as a single file, including composite figures. Larger figures may be included as Supplementary Information.

Citations and References

AJS follows the Publication Manual of the APA, 7th Edition, 2020, for citations and references to published sources. A published source is defined as content that is publicly accessible in print or digital form, including journal articles, books, theses, dissertations, databases, software releases, and technical reports.

Citations of published sources must be matched by full references in the References section. AJS allows in-text citations of unpublished sources, but those citations are not included in the References section.

Author Type	Parenthetical Citation	Narrative Citation
One author	(Fisher, 1953)	Fisher (1953)
Two authors	(Dewey & Pitman, 1973)	Dewey and Pitman (1973)
Three or more authors	(Davis et al., 1983)	Davis et al. (1983)

Multiple citations should be sorted in alphabetical order. Unpublished items should be cited directly in the text, for example: (F. A. Adams et al., unpublished data, 2021; S. W. Jones, personal communication, 2022; G. S. Smith, written communication, 2020).

Reference Examples