Publishing Instructions for ODP Scientists

Scientific Results Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

Manuscript Sections

Each manuscript should contain the following parts:
Abstract: Any paper more than five pages long must contain a short abstract. Abstracts must not run longer than the first page of the published paper.
Introduction: A clear and succinct statement of the purpose of the research. (Note: This explanation does not formally have to be in a separate section.)
Methods/Materials: A brief description of analytical methods and materials or a reference to this information if it has been published elsewhere.
Conclusion/Summary: A brief conclusion or summary.
Acknowledgments: Authors must acknowledge the receipt of data or samples from ODP and acknowledge the funding agency that supported the research.
References: Authors, not ODP, are required to make sure all reference information is complete and formatted correctly at the time of initial submission. Follow guidelines outlined in Guidelines for Formatting References in ODP Publications which include citation examples.

See Usage and Writing Style Guidelines.

Manuscript Formatting Checklist

The following guidelines must be followed when preparing a manuscript for the Scientific Results volume. For more detailed instructions see

Guidelines for Formatting References in ODP Publications

Table and Range Chart Formatting Specifications

Figure, Photograph, and Plate Formatting Specifications

Back-Pocket Material Formatting Specifications

Software Specifications

Usage and Writing Style Guidelines

Terminology Guidelines

For specific questions contact the ODP publications coordinator: PubCrd@iodp.tamu.edu, (979) 845-1909.

All manuscripts must be submitted in English. If English is an author's second language, the manuscript should be reviewed by someone who is fluent in English. All corrections must be made by the author before the initial submission deadline. See Deadlines for publishing in the Scientific Results volume.

Include all manuscript components (text, tables, figures, plates) with the initial submission. Incomplete manuscripts will be rejected before the peer-review process begins. See Author Requirements for Initial Submission and Author Requirements for Revised Submission.

Double-space all text. List figure captions, table captions, and plate captions at the end of the manuscript after the references (in the same electronic file).

Number tables and figures consecutively in the order of their first mention in the text.

Include figure or table numbers on each page that contains all or part of a figure or table.

See Author Requirements for Initial Submission and Author Requirements for Revised Submission for detailed instructions on the number of printed copies to submit and electronic submission requirements.

Print all manuscript components on white paper with dimensions not to exceed 8.5 by 14 in. (21.5 by 35.5 cm); use margins of at least 1.2 in (3 cm).

On one copy of the manuscript (a) rank all headings and subheadings to show the structure of your paper and (b) highlight the first appearance of all tables and figures.

Identify mathematical and Greek (or other non-English) characters, as well as units of measurement, by writing out their names in the margin of the paper where they first appear.

Obtain prior permission to reproduce any copyrighted illustrations or other material that appear in papers submitted to the Proceedings. ODP automatically assumes that the correspondence author has obtained advance permission to publish any such material submitted.

Guidelines for Formatting References in ODP Publications

Authors are responsible for making sure all reference information is complete and formatted correctly at the time of initial submission.

All references must be cited in the text, taxonomic lists, tables, plates, figures, or caption material.

All works cited in the text, tables, plates, figures, and captions must be included in the reference list.

For examples of references formatted in ODP style, see Typical References in ODP Format.

What should be included in the reference list

Include:

All published works explicitly referenced in the paper except papers from the current volume of the Proceedings.
All "in press" references (e.g., "MacLeod, in press").

Don't include:

Work that is not explicitly referenced in the paper.
Manuscripts in preparation.
Papers that will appear in the current volume of the Proceedings.
Personal communications.
Unpublished data.
ODP "informal publications" (e.g., Scientific Prospectus or Preliminary Report).
Submitted but not yet accepted papers may be included. However, if the paper is not accepted by the time of galley preparation they will be deleted from the reference list and the text citation will be changed to "unpubl. data."

What should be included in references

Spell out all authors' and editors' surnames and include initials.

List all authors' names in a reference in the reference list, except when citing ODP Proceedings volumes or DSDP Initial Reports (see Typical References in ODP Format).

Include volume, beginning page number, and ending page number for articles in journals and chapters in books. For multivolume books, include volume number.

Abbreviate journal titles according to the standards outlined in the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index, published by the American Chemical Society. (To order, see http://info.cas.org/PRINTED/cassi.html [leaving ODP web pages])

For all articles and book chapters cited, provide inclusive page ranges.

How to organize references

List references in alphabetical order.

In multiple citations of identical authorship, list references by date of appearance from earliest to most recent.

In multiple citations where both authorship and date are identical, distinguish citations by adding "a," "b," "c," etc., to the date, according to title alphabetization, not according to where the citation is called out in the text.

How to cite in-text citations

Include sufficient information to guide the reader to the appropriate entry in the reference list. Examples: (Smith, 1970), (Alt and Emmermann, 1985), (Berggren et al., 1985a), (Weis et al., 1988).

Identify personal communications within the text but do not include in the reference list. Example: "(M. McLeod, pers. comm., 1991.)"

Cite unpublished data within the text only. Example: "(M. McLeod, unpubl. data)."

Cite other chapters in the current volume of the Proceedings as follows:
"Various studies correlate with these data (Howell et al., Chap. 13; Kroon et al., Chap. 14; Staerker, Chap. 20; all this volume)."
and
"Howell et al. (Chap. 13, this volume) studied the stable isotope chronology and paleoceanographic history of Sites 963 and 964."
Note: When you submit your final manuscript if you do not know the chapter number for a specific paper just write "(Chap. XX, this volume)" and the volume editor will add the correct chapter number.

Usage and Writing Style Guidelines

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