Paper Writing for Geoscience Research

When to Use This Skill

Invoke when:

• Drafting manuscript sections
• Formatting citations and bibliography
• Preparing figures and tables
• Adapting to journal-specific styles
• Organizing supplementary materials

IMRAD Structure

Standard structure for geoscience papers:

Introduction

• Hook: Why should anyone care? (1-2 paragraphs)
• Context: What's known? What's the gap?
• Objective: What question are we answering?
• Approach: Brief methodology preview
• Findings preview: "Here we show that..."

Methods

• Study sites: Location, geology, relevance
• Data collection: What, when, how
• Analytical methods: Lab procedures, quality control
• Statistical analysis: Tests used, software
• Reproducibility: Data availability statement

Results

• Present findings WITHOUT interpretation
• Lead with most important result
• One main finding per paragraph
• Reference all figures/tables
• Use past tense

Discussion

• Interpretation: What do results mean?
• Comparison: How do they fit prior work?
• Implications: Why does this matter?
• Limitations: What could be wrong?
• Future work: What's next?

Conclusions

• 3-5 key takeaways
• No new information
• Broader significance

Journal-Specific Styles

Nature Geoscience

• Length: 3,000 words main text
• Abstract: 150 words, no refs
• Methods: Separate section (online)
• Refs: Numbered, Nature style
• Style: High impact, accessible to broad audience

EPSL (Earth and Planetary Science Letters)

• Length: 6,000-8,000 words
• Abstract: 300 words, structured OK
• Keywords: 5-6 required
• Refs: Author-year (Harvard style)
• Style: Technical, detailed methods OK

GSA Bulletin

• Length: 8,000-12,000 words
• Abstract: 250 words
• Refs: Author-year, GSA style
• Supplementary: Encouraged for data
• Style: Regional focus, detailed stratigraphy

Citation Formatting

Author-Year (Harvard/GSA)

In-text: (Smith and Jones, 2020) or Smith and Jones (2020)
Multiple: (Smith, 2018; Jones, 2019; Chen et al., 2020)
Three+ authors: (Chen et al., 2020)

Reference list:
Smith, J.A., and Jones, B.C., 2020, Title of paper: Journal Name, v. 50, p. 100-120, doi:10.1234/example.

Numbered (Nature)

In-text: Previous work¹⁻³ showed...

Reference list:
1. Smith, J.A. & Jones, B.C. Title of paper. J. Name 50, 100-120 (2020).

Database Citations

SISAL v3:

Comas-Bru, L., et al. (2020). SISALv2: A comprehensive speleothem isotope database with multiple age-depth models. Earth System Science Data, 12, 2579-2606.

USGS Earthquake Catalog:

U.S. Geological Survey (2023). Earthquake Hazards Program. https://earthquake.usgs.gov

DISS:

DISS Working Group (2021). Database of Individual Seismogenic Sources (DISS), Version 3.3.1: A compilation of potential sources for earthquakes larger than M 5.5 in Italy and surrounding areas. https://diss.ingv.it

DOI Resolution

To get citation metadata from DOI:

1. Use CrossRef API: https://api.crossref.org/works/{DOI}
2. Extract: authors, title, journal, year, volume, pages
3. Format according to target journal style

Example:

DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2681
→ Toohey, M. & Sigl, M. Volcanic stratospheric sulfur injections and aerosol optical depth from 500 BCE to 1900 CE. Earth Syst. Sci. Data 9, 809-831 (2017).

Figure Standards

General Guidelines

• Resolution: 300+ DPI for publication
• Width: Single column (8.5 cm) or double (17.5 cm)
• Font: Sans-serif (Arial, Helvetica), 8-10 pt
• Colors: Colorblind-friendly palette
• Labels: A, B, C for panels (bold, upper left)

Required Figures for Paleoseismic Paper

1. Location map: Study site with tectonic context
2. Stratigraphic column: Sample positions, ages
3. Time series: Main proxy data with anomalies marked
4. Discrimination plot: Seismic vs climatic signals
5. Correlation figure: Cross-validation evidence

Figure Captions

• First sentence: What the figure SHOWS
• Subsequent: Methods, abbreviations, interpretation hints
• No conclusions in captions

Table Standards

• Horizontal lines only (no vertical)
• Units in header, not cells
• Footnotes for exceptions (a, b, c)
• Round to appropriate precision

Supplementary Materials

What to Include

• Extended methods (lab protocols, code)
• Additional figures (supporting evidence)
• Data tables (raw measurements)
• Sensitivity analyses

What to Keep in Main Text

• Key results
• Essential methods
• Most compelling figures

Writing Tips

Clarity

• One idea per sentence
• Active voice preferred
• Define acronyms on first use
• Avoid jargon when possible

Hedging Language

• "We suggest that..." (uncertainty)
• "Our data are consistent with..." (not proof)
• "One interpretation is..." (alternatives exist)

Transitions

• "Building on this..."
• "In contrast to X..."
• "These findings suggest..."
• "Taken together..."

Checklist Before Submission

• Word count within limits
• All figures/tables referenced in text
• References formatted correctly
• Data availability statement included
• Author contributions listed
• Conflicts of interest declared
• Cover letter written
• Suggested reviewers listed