Earth Sciences Research Journal

Author Guidelines

Guidelines for the preparation of your manuscript

• Papers must be written entirely in English and must be spell-checked using a word processor. Please make sure that structure and grammar are appropriate. Keep in mind that ESRJ is a wide-scope journal, and scientists from other disciplines may read your article.
• Please use size 12 Times New Roman or Arial fonts, with double line spacing.
• Include the full address information for every author.
• It is also recommended that, whenever possible, each article reports the information on the funding source supporting the research presented.
• Please, provide us with the best quality of the images.
• Please always include geographic coordinates and scale in maps.
• The sizes of the letters are essential. Try to use the same size text. Avoid using light text on a dark background.
• We require the use of the International System of Units (m, kg, s)
• Every figure must have a number and a figure caption. The latter describes, as completely as possible, the content of the graphic. Please make sure that all symbols and abbreviations are fully explained.
• All tables should be numbered, have a title, and must be in Ms. Excel format and word.
• Please number all equations to the right.

Format for References

References should be arranged alphabetically and should follow the format that appears in the examples below.

Reference to a paper published in a Journal:
Barrow, J. P. & Smith, C. (2004). Ground motions in Colombian basins. Earth Sciences Research Journal, 10(1), 824-832.

Reference to a book:
Kodiak, D. C. & Gómez, D. (2003). Geology and Seismicity. International University Press, Bogotá, Colombia, 256 pp.

Reference to an edited book:
Bonilla, O. P., Tapias, D. & Ortega, F. (2002). Water supply in desert areas. In: Posada L.P. (Editor). Geological Special Publication No. 2, Colombian Society of Geologists, Bogotá, Colombia, 115-125.

Reference to a Thesis:
Smith, J. (2006). Pipelines and constructions in seismic regions. Ph.D. Thesis, School of Geosciences, International University, Bogotá, Colombia.

Reference to a technical manual:
International Institute of Geological Sciences (1999). Methodology for Estimation of Model Parameters: Technical Manual, Latinoamerican Disaster Management Agency, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Reference to a report:
Colombian Earthquake Research Institute (COER) (1990). Report on seismicity in Colombia, Earthquakes Bulletin, 3.

Reference to a conference:
Sánchez, J. J., Smith, J. & Barrow, J. P. (2004). Volcanology and hazards assessment, 4th National Conference on Geology and Geophysics, Bogotá, Colombia, August, 436-444.

Reference to a website:
Aragón, P. B., Rosas, R., Taborda, P. & Koyohama, Y. (2005). Internet Site for Data on Earthquakes, Latinoamerican Commission, Earthquakes Programme, http://www.geociencias.unal edu.co/ESRJ_htm (last accessed February 2004).

Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts submitted to ESRJ will only be considered if they have not been or not will be reproduced in the same extension and form in a different journal. Contributions falling into the following categories will be considered for publication:

* Regular Papers: Regular papers constitute most of the works published in ESRJ and contain original information (e.g., that has not been published, and is not being considered for publication elsewhere). There are no limitations to the length of regular papers, but we encourage authors to express their views concisely. From our experience, we have found that the shorter the article, the better they are received.

* Comments, Praise, and Replies: Sometimes differences in opinions and views arise from published research, and the Earth Sciences community may benefit from open discussion. Sometimes an author's outstanding contribution may be publicly praised as a way to acknowledge the good work. Comments on and praises to contributions, as well as their replies, should not exceed two (2) pages in length.

Except for Comments, Praises, and Replies, all submissions must contain the following parts:

* TITLE.
* NAME(S) OF AUTHOR(S). Please underline the name of the corresponding author.
* ABSTRACT. Should not exceed 300 words. A list of keywords must appear following the abstract.
* INTRODUCTION.
* DATA.
* METHOD.
* RESULTS.
* DISCUSSION.
* CONCLUSIONS.
* REFERENCES.
* ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.(Optional)
* APPENDIX. (If any).

All submissions will undergo peer-review by experts in the subject area being considered. Usually, we need that two reviewers provide us with useful feedback for making an editorial decision.

Potential Reviewers of your Manuscript

ESRJ maintains a database of reviewers and experts in various disciplines of Earth Sciences. To speed up the process of review, however, we request that the author suggests at least five potential reviewers for their work. The list of potential reviewers should contain full contact information and must be included along with the submission for consideration in ESRJ. Suggested reviewers must fulfill the following requisites:

* MS or Ph.D. academic degree in a discipline related to the work under review.
* Scientific production (publications) during the last two years.
* Preferably affiliated with an institution that is different from that of the author.

To guarantee high standards and ethics during the review process, the Editorial Board of ESRJ reserves the right to send manuscripts to those reviewers whom we consider appropriate.

We only received the submission of manuscripts using our online system; also, files would be .doc or .docx format.

The process of your submitted manuscript

Once your manuscript has been classified as submitted by the Editor, ESRJ will seek reviewers for the work. If two reviewers are found, then ESRJ will e-mail you with an update. Usually, we allow reviewers 3-4 weeks for returning comments to ESRJ (first round of review). Once both reviewers have sent their comments back to us, we will contact the authors and provide them with the evaluation forms (filled out by the reviewers) and any additional comments and suggestions that we receive. Because we are a growing Journal, we need to keep an eye on deadlines, and we strongly encourage authors to incorporate the reviewers' comments and send their revised work as soon as possible. Please attach a letter (e-mail is acceptable) indicating your responses to the comments of both reviewers. After receiving the revised manuscript from the authors, ESRJ will contact both reviewers again to request a (hopefully) final review (second round). The last review should not take longer than the first round. Usually, we allow reviewers 1-2 weeks to send their final comments (if any) along with a note stating their recommendation/rejection of the manuscript for publication. ESRJ will contact the authors as soon as comments are received.