> Oceanography > Author Guidelines

AUTHOR GUIDELINES



> Initial Submissions
      - Overview
      - Language Style
      - Oceanography Style Guide (252 K pdf)
      - Product Reviews
      - Approximate Length Limitations

> Submitting Final Files
      - Uploading Files
      - File Formats
      - File Naming Guidelines
      - Cover Art
      - Graphics Permissions

> Proof Review

> Publication Charges
> Offprints, PDFs, and Copies
> Copyright Release



Initial Submissions

Submissions for review must be provided electronically in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Text should be double spaced and include:
• manuscript title
• e-mail and mailing address of the lead author
• name, title (e.g., Associate Professor, Research Scientist, Graduate Student), and affiliation (including city, state and country) of each author

Acknowledgements, callouts, references, tables and figures should follow the stylistic conventions defined in the Oceanography Style Guide (252 K pdf).

Please submit manuscripts to the Editor, Dr. Ellen S. Kappel, at ekappel@geo-prose.com. If a manuscript is being submitted as part of a special issue, it should be sent to the guest editor for that issue.

Submitted material will be reviewed for style, relevance to The Oceanography Society's mission, and quality by the Editor, associate editors, and by external reviewers. We endeavor to complete the review process within three months of manuscript submittal.

Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication, the Editor reserves the right to request the author to submit the final text and graphics files in publishing-compatible electronic formats (see section on Submitting Final Files).

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Language Style

Oceanography is a scientific magazine, not a technical journal. Submitted manuscripts should be of broad interest to our readership. The desired writing style is less technical and more compact than that typically used in scientific papers. Strive for clarity and simplicity. Target your article to graduate students, professional oceanographers of all traditional disciplines, and other scientifically literate audiences. Avoid technical or mathematical jargon. Write captions so that readers can get the main points of the manuscript by perusing them.

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Product Reviews

Reviews are solicited for marine-related scientific materials (e.g., books, video, software, databases, equipment, etc.), and also for marine-related published materials with a potentially wider appeal (e.g., novels, biographies, historical anecdotes, etc.). Reviewers should keep in mind that a well-written review helps readers decide whether or not it is worth their time to obtain the product. The reader of a review expects basic information about the content, organization or application of the product, as well as a subjective opinion about the product's quality.

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Approximate Length Limitations

Feature Articles

  • Text: 16-18 double-spaced, typed pages including:
    > author information
    > abstract (not to exceed approximately 200 words)
    > acknowledgements (including relevant grant numbers)
    > references
    > figure captions

  • Figures
    > 4-5 figures
    > graphic for opening spread (if available)

Review and Comment Pieces

  • Text: 5-8 double-spaced, typed pages including:
    > author information
    > acknowledgements (including relevant grant numbers)
    > references
    > figure captions

  • Figures
    > 2-3 figures

Other Pieces (e.g., news and information, meeting reports, book reviews)

  • Should be as concise as possible. Meeting reports should describe goals, activities, and accomplishments; not agendas, programs, and attendance.

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Submitting Final Files

Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication, arrangements for file transfer will be made with the author. The Editor will provide the author access to the TOS FTP site, where all text, graphics, and tables should be placed. FTP, or file transfer protocol, is a common method of moving files from one computer to another using the Internet. Authors can login to an "FTP site" and post/upload files or retrieve/download files.

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File Formats

Text Files

Text (including references and captions) should be submitted in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. Tables and graphics must be submitted as separate files as indicated below.

Table Files

Table files should contain only the body of the table. Accepted file formats include .doc, .docx, .xls, and .xlsx.

Graphics Files

Each figure must be submitted as a separate file and should be an eps, pdf, or tif file. Graphics embedded in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel are not acceptable.

  • eps (vector graphics created in drawing programs such as Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Deneba Canvas, and saved in eps format)
    > color mode must be set at CMYK or grayscale
    > fonts must be embedded or changed to outlines
    > any embedded rasterized artwork must be at least 300 dpi resolution at print size

  • pdf
    > color mode must be set at CMYK or grayscale
    > fonts must be embedded
    > any embedded rasterized artwork must be at least 300 dpi resolution at print size

  • tiff (rasterized graphics such as photos)
    > at least 300 dpi resolution at print size
    > color mode must be set at CMYK or grayscale

If there is a problem with any graphic, we will contact you for a revised electronic graphic file. The Editor reserves the right to reject poor-quality graphics.

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File Naming Guidelines

When naming a file, use the lead author's last name and then some short descriptive information. For example:

• lastname_ms.doc (for a manuscript text file)
• lastname_t1.doc (for a table 1 text file)
• lastname_f1.tif (for a figure 1 tif file)
• lastname_f2.eps (for a figure 2 eps file)

Use lower case letters when naming files and always include the file extension (for example, .eps, .tif, .doc).

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Cover Art

Any person may submit cover material to be considered for use on the front or back covers. Cover material must be pertinent and complementary to the articles within the issue. In some relevant cases, cover figures with extended captions will be considered for publication without an accompanying article. Cover images must be oriented vertically and submitted with adequate resolution for enlargement and reproduction.

If you are supplying art for the cover of Oceanography, please make certain that the image is 600 dpi at the size you would like it to appear on the cover. Our magazine size is 8.5 x 11 inches. Full page artwork should be 8.75 x 11.5 inches to allow for trimming (outer 1/4 inch of graphic will be trimmed away). If the image will wrap around the back cover, the image should be is 17.75 x 11.5 inches (1/4 inch in the middle of the image will be the magazine spine; 1/4 inch around the edges will be trimmed away).

See File Formats for more info on submitting graphics.

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Graphics Permissions

Authors are responsible for obtaining copyright permission from other publishers for any figures/images they submit to Oceanography. Most publishing companies and journals have instructions on how to obtain copyright permission on their Web sites. Please send a copy of the letter(s) granting permission via fax and mail to:

Vicky Cullen
Oceanography Assistant Editor
PO Box 672
Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA
t: (1) 508-548-1027
f: (1) 508-548-2759
vcullen@whoi.edu

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Proof Review

Proofs are distributed as low-resolution documents in portable document format (PDF) by email to the lead author (unless delegated to another representative of the lead author) only once during production of the magazine. The lead author is allotted three business days to review the proofs and return all edits via email to Dr. Ellen Kappel, Editor, at ekappel@geo-prose.com.

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Publication Charges

A flat rate of $500 will be charged to offset the costs of publishing articles that are not part of the invited special issue section. Payment information (Credit Card number or Purchase Order Number) must be provided at the time the article is accepted for publication. Authors can request a waiver from TOS (email to info@tos.org) for all or part of the publication fee if they document their inability to cover the expense.

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Offprints, PDFs, and Copies

Low-resolution PDFs of each article will be available from the Oceanography Archive soon after issue publication.

The following are offered to the lead author for purchase:
• Article offprints
• Articles as high-resolution PDF files
• Additional copies of Oceanography

Information on ordering will be emailed to lead authors when the issue goes to print. Contact info@tos.org if you have any questions.

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Copyright Release

All authors must sign and return the appropriate agreement via fax and mail to:

Vicky Cullen
Oceanography Assistant Editor
PO Box 672
Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA
t: (1) 508-548-1027
f: (1) 508-548-2759
vcullen@whoi.edu

Each author can sign a form individually and send it in. If you have any questions regarding copyright permission, contact the Assistant Editor. Note there are two different types of agreements:
• the certification form (32 KB pdf) to be signed by U.S. Government employees only, and
• the copyright form (32 KB pdf) to be signed by all others.

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