Surveys in Geophysics - Statement, Article Types, and Special Issue Guidelines
Statement of Editorial and Publication Policies
1. Papers submitted to this journal should generally be review papers. Papers should not only summarize all the relevant results available but also synthesize research on an interesting, important and well defined topic in the Earth and space sciences. Each paper should contain an appropriately full set of references.
2. Papers should evaluate the current state of knowledge of the topic, and be valuable as background information for carrying out future research. They may also contain new results. No arbitrary restriction is placed on length or on the number of figures included. Novel diagrams are especially welcomed.
3. Papers should be written in English. Either English or American spelling is acceptable, but internal consistency is essential.
4. Manuscripts submitted to this journal should not have been published in another journal, neither should they simultaneously be submitted elsewhere. They should be submitted using the journal’s Editorial Manager System.
5. Authors should provide information on, and preprints of, any papers closely related to the submitted paper not yet in the public domain (i.e. in review, or in press). If deemed necessary to the review process, these will be copied to the reviewers.
6. Authors should consult the journal’s “Instructions to Authors”, available www.springer.com/10712 for detailed guidelines which should be followed during paper preparation.
7. Where the submitted manuscript is multi-authored, one individual (normally the first author) is considered to be the corresponding author. It is required that all authors have been involved in the work, have approved the manuscript, and have agreed to its submission.
1. The lead author organises the paper, writes the first draft and co-ordinates the contributions of the co-authors, amongst other tasks.
2. The co-authors are listed in order of importance of their significant professional contributions to the paper and its intellectual content; their specific roles are to be clearly defined in a short paragraph headed “Author Contributions”, and placed at the end of the paper before the Acknowledgements which precede the References.
3. There should be no plagiarism or other scientific misconduct involved.
4. Any conflict of interest should be specifically declared.
5. Recognition of the contributions of colleagues who are not co-authors may be given in the Acknowledgements, where all funding sources and all data sources should also be listed.
At the time of submission a statement should be made in a letter to the Editor-in-Chief that all co-authors approve the final version of the review paper as being of acceptable quality before it is submitted to Surveys in Geophysics for peer review and eventual publication.
8. Papers will be subject to the peer review process. Papers will be sent to at least two reviewers, who are requested to treat the manuscript confidentially. They may choose to identify themselves to the author(s), or to remain anonymous. Authors are required to revise their papers in the light of the reviewers’ comments.
9. The Editor in Chief’s judgment is final with regard to the suitability of a paper submitted for publication.
10. The Publisher carries responsibility for typesetting, page lay-out and figure sizing, for all accepted papers.
11. Authors are responsible for carefully reading and correcting page proofs of their articles in a timely fashion. Proof corrections are normally restricted to correcting typesetting and printing errors. Major changes cannot be undertaken at the proof stage.
12. There are no page charges for publication in this journal, nor any charges for the publication of color figures.
Review Articles
Review Articles will normally comprise 30 to 40 pages in print (say 60 to 80 pages of double-spaced typing), and each article should include an Abstract, keywords and highlights.
Enquiries from prospective authors who may wish to prepare overview articles will be welcomed by the Editor-in-Chief, who will also be glad to assist authors by reviewing outlines, preliminary drafts of the Abstract, or even the entire article.
Preparation of a Special Issue Proposal
It is the policy of the Journal to enable, and even to encourage and initiate, the publication of special issues from time to time. The following are the guidelines for the preparation and publication of such special issues.
Preparation of a Proposal
The Guest Editor(s) for a special issue (SI) is (are) chosen by the Editor-in-Chief. The Guest Editor(s) should submit both to the Editor-in-Chief and to the Executive Editor Earth Science, Geography and Environment at Springer for their prior approval a proposal that contains the following information: title of the SI, a brief outline summarizing the objectives of the special issue, tentative time schedule, and a list of tentative contributions.
Concerning the tentative contributions:
GEs should have preferably none but a maximum of one review paper as author or co-author.
Authors can only have a maximum of two review papers as author or co-author.
In case there are several Guest Editors (GEs), one GE will act as the main, corresponding GE.
Documentation
Guest editors will receive, from the publisher’s Editorial Manager (EM) office, a visual guide for EM, after a special issue contract has been signed with the publisher.
Tasks of Guest Editors
All the GEs should, at the outset, guarantee to the Editor-in-Chief that they will have sufficient time available during the process of assessing the review papers that are submitted in order to:
(i) open the editorial management system at least twice each week,
(ii) identify what tasks have to be performed, e.g.,
a) agree to handle the paper(s) assigned to them, or
b) arrange for suitable referees for these paper(s), or
c) return them to the author who submitted the paper(s) for revision, and
(iii) In a timely fashion preferably on the same day, make the necessary decisions and enter these into the editorial management system, so that there are no delays in the process.
First, the GEs will select authors and formally invite them to submit top quality review papers (in terms of scientific content, English and presentation) to the journal’s editorial management system. The main GE will then provide the Editor-in-Chief and the Springer Editorial Manager Assistant with an updated Table of Contents. The GEs will keep in touch with the Editor-in-Chief and the Springer Editorial Manager Assistant on all other matters concerning the special issue and the status of the preparations, asking, if necessary, for clarifications. The main GE should prepare a strict - yet realistic - time schedule and inform the authors and reviewers of it. It is the responsibility of all GEs to ensure a thorough and speedy review process in close collaboration with the Springer Editorial Manager Assistant, as outlined in the paragraph above. Finally, the main GE will draft with the other GEs an Editorial/Preface to the SI which introduces the subject of the SI and discusses its timeliness, and which also mentions the key points of all the review papers published in the order in which they appear in the SI.
Peer Reviewing Procedure
All review papers appearing in the SI should conform to the standard editorial and publication policies as outlined on the website (www.springer.com/10712) for the journal. Although appearing as part of a SI, all review papers should conform to the same quality standard as any journal paper. This implies that each manuscript will be original and not be published elsewhere. Each manuscript will be peer reviewed by at least two international specialists in the field. In case a major revision is recommended by any of the referees, the revised script should be reviewed again by at least one referee.
Final Acceptance by the Editor-in-Chief
In consultation with the Guest Editors, the Editor-in-Chief will make the final decision concerning acceptance and will send a letter of final acceptance to the main author.
Time Schedule
Guest Editors should prepare a strict time schedule and also inform the authors and reviewers of this. It is the responsibility of all GEs to ensure a thorough and speedy review procedure.
Guest Editors will keep in touch with the Editor-in-Chief and publisher regarding the status of the special issue in a timely fashion and on a regular basis.
Size of Special Issue
Each issue will contain about 240 pages, but, when justified, and in discussion with the Editor–in-Chief and the Executive Editor at Springer, it may contain more pages. There are no page charges.
Author Instructions
Instructions, also regarding electronic submission of manuscripts, should be read by all authors; these can be found at www.springer.com/10712
Color Images
Black and white, and color, figures/images are reproduced free of charge in both print and electronic forms of the journal.
Checklist
When the peer review of a special issue is close to finalization, the following details should be communicated to the Editor-in-Chief, the Executive Editor Earth and Environmental Sciences at Springer, the Springer Editorial Journal’s Assistant and Production Manager:
1. Sequence of papers
2. Names and affiliations, and sequence, of guest editors
3. Final title of the special issue
4. Editorial by the Guest Editors
Mechanics of Publication
The Guest Editor will receive a full set of proofs for their information. The corresponding authors will receive author’s proofs for corrections. The Editor-in-Chief also receives a set of proofs for editorial correction.
It is the intention of Springer, subject to the recommendations of the Guest Editor(s) and the Editor-in-Chief, to consider the possibility of also distributing the special issue as a separate (hardcover) book.
Every first author of a paper contributing to a special issue will receive a free PDF of the paper. The Guest Editor(s) will receive two printed copies of the special issue.
For any questions regarding special issues please contact:
The Editor-in-Chief:
Prof. M. J. Rycroft
CAESAR Consultancy
35 Millington Road
Cambridge CB3 9HW, UK
e-mail: michaelrycroft@btinternet.com
The Publisher:
Melinda Paul
Executive Publisher
Earth and Environmental Sciences Journals
Springer Nature
e-mail: melinda.paul@springer.com
T +1 212 726-9293
M +1 781 244-7914