Guide for Authors for Eos

Goals

The primary goal of Eos is to forge the interdisciplinary ties that are the unique feature of AGU. Eos publishes timely articles, news items, and other material of interest to the full range of Earth and space scientists. Such items concisely review or synthesize scientific activities, significant geophysical events, major scientific discoveries, or current scientific controversies and place them in perspective for readers in all fields. Eos does not publish original research results.

Eos is expected to:

Eos is a newspaper, not a research journal. Items in Eos require a writing style that is news-oriented and accessible to a broad audience. When preparing an article for Eos, the author should keep in mind that the Eos readership is primarily made up of individuals who are unfamiliar with the author’s specialty.

Eos does not consider or accept manuscripts that have previously been published or that are being considered by other publications.

Writing for Eos

All items suitable for publication in Eos must be written to inform the reader immediately of the most important aspects of the information being presented. Unlike the typical research article, which builds to the conclusion, a well-written item in Eos begins with the conclusions and provides details later. Specialists and nonspecialists alike should not need to read to the end of an item in Eos to discover what is new, interesting, and important.

The writing style should be brisk and readable. A short fast-paced item will be read and remembered, when a lengthy one may not.

Eos staff will work with authors of accepted contributions to assure that the writing standards for the newspaper are met. Authors who follow the recommendations provided here may find that their material is considered more favorably in the review process and, if accepted, is published more quickly.

Authors should:

Length Limits: Because of the space constraints of Eos, length limits have been established for all categories. Length limits are expressed as word equivalents. To gage the length standard for different types of contributions, authors should consider that a full 4-column page in the Eos newspaper format is about 2800 word equivalents.

Online Supplements: To include more items within the space constraints of Eos, the newspaper makes liberal use of online supplements for expansion on subjects or for details likely to be primarily of interest to specialists in the field. Online supplements can also be used to publish dynamic content that augments what can be published in the print version.

An online supplement is a fully integrated part of Eos, is referencable, and is archived. Items accepted for publication as an online supplement to Eos must be provided for consideration along with the content submitted for the newspaper.

Material in a supplement must be complete and understandable on it own without the necessity of reading the article in the newspaper. The lead paragraph(s) of a supplement should introduce the topic and summarize the main points for all readers, just as the opening paragraphs of an article in the newspaper should. The length limitations for a supplement can be found where the standards for the various categories of Eos content are given. Material for a supplement to Eos are subject to the same dual publication restrictions as other Eos content. Online supplements are generally not copy-edited.

Basic Editorial Style: Eos follows the same house style as AGU journals. It is based on the Chicago Manual of Style and Words Into Type. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Webster’s Third International Dictionary (and its Addendum), and The Glossary of Geology are used for hyphenation and spelling. AGU uses an open punctuation style, i.e., only as much punctuation as necessary for clarity. Units of measure must be metric; SI units are strongly encouraged.

Most frequent style changes include:

More details, including a list of words commonly occurring in AGU articles and their treatment (hyphenation, capitalization, etc.), are available in the AGU Grammar and Style Guide (PDF). Authors may also find the AGU Reference Style Guide (PDF) useful.

Categories of Contributions

Eos editors will consider for publication the following types of contributions:

Feature Articles put key issues in the Earth and space sciences in perspective for those not in the field. Scientific controversies and cutting-edge challenges are of special interest. Some of these articles may be tutorial in nature. Each must be broad enough to be of interest to individuals in more than one sphere of scientific interest (e.g., lithosphere, biosphere, heliosphere, etc.).

In order to improve the balance of subject areas covered by Eos, beginning 30 April 2007, feature articles are by invitation of the editors. Authors wishing to prepare such a contribution are encouraged to submit a brief proposal for consideration by the editors.

Maximum length: 2500 word equivalents. Each figure counts as 400 word equivalents.

Shorter articles are more likely to be read, and therefore editors will be very mindful of the thought to word ratio.

Brief Reports are shorter than feature articles and tend to be more narrowly focused. Suitable subjects for brief reports include recent geophysical phenomena, the significance of new major scientific programs or projects, historical notes, vignettes of key Earth and space scientists, or discussions of useful new software or publicly available data collections.

Maximum length: 1500 word equivalents. Each figure counts as 400 words.

Meeting Reports very briefly summarize the scientific highlights of recent meetings relevant to Eos readers. The purpose is to inform interested members about key developments in other areas of research and of new and persistent challenges. The highlights should be presented in a context that shows the importance of the results for improving readers’ understanding of the scientific area or application. The newspaper account may be supplemented by reference to a longer report published elsewhere or by longer discussions published as an electronic supplement to Eos. If the author wants a longer meeting report to be considered for publication as an online supplement, it too must concentrate on the results. In no case will simple chronologies or restatements of the program be accepted for publication as a supplement. The author should select the most important aspects of the meeting and report them in a simple narrative style. To be considered for publication in Eos, meeting reports must be submitted within two months of the meeting.

Maximum length for newspaper: 500 word words; no figures.

Maximum length for supplement: 1500 word; figures will be accepted but each figure counts at 400 word equivalents.

News Items briefly report on recent geophysical phenomena, exciting new research findings, institutional developments, significant new research programs, or important new data collections. Augmentation of the newspaper account with an online supplement is possible at the discretion of the editor. Timeliness is a critical consideration in the publication of news items.

Maximum length: 700 word equivalents; a figure counts as 400 words.

Forum contains thought-provoking contributions expected to stimulate further discussion, within the newspaper or as part of Eos Online Discussions. Appropriate Forum topics include current or proposed science policy, discussion related to current research in our fields especially scientific controversies, the relationship of our science to society, or practices that affect our fields, science in general, or AGU as an organization. Commentary solely on the science reported in research journals is not appropriate.

Maximum length: 1500 words; usually figures are not included but when they are, each counts as 400 word equivalents.

Letters to the Editor are short comments stimulated by items that appear in Eos. They are not expected to generate further discussion. Those selected for publication may be shortened to just the essence of the message; an author has the right to withdraw a letter if the shortened version is not acceptable. To be considered for publication, a letter must be submitted within 2 months of the item which prompted its writing.

Maximum length: 350 words. Only in rare exceptions would figures be considered appropriate for a letter.

Comments and Replies deal with clarification of a factual or scientific point raised in a recent Eos article. The guidelines for handling comments and replies in AGU journals govern comments and replies in Eos as well. To be considered for publication a comment must be submitted within 3 months of the publication date of the original Eos article.

Maximum length: 350 words

Obituaries are by invitation only. Those invited to prepare such a piece will be provided the necessary guidelines before they begin to write. Suggestions of members to receive such notice in Eos may be submitted to eos@agu.org.

Reviews of Books, Software, and Web Sites are considered for publication in Eos. Software considered for review may be available either commercially or non-commercially. Web sites that will be considered for review in Eos include those which are of significant interest to members and/or teachers of Earth and space sciences at any level. Sites specifically aimed at the public will also be considered.

The primary standard for all material that will be considered for review is interest for the entire readership. All reviews are by invitation; unsolicited reviews will not be considered.

A good book review for Eos should put the topic into context for all readers and thereby expand everyone’s understanding of the subject. It should comment on how well the book achieves the goals intended by its authors and evaluate its contribution to the literature. It should not be a precis of each chapter. Authors are encouraged to follow the approach of book reviews found in world-class newspapers and magazines. Good example of book review in Eos.

Reviews of software and web sites should follow the suggestions for book reviews. Web site reviews should also include something about the level of knowledge the user must have to make best use of the information on the site.

Maximum length for any review: 900 words; no figures.

GeoFIZZ is a tidbit devoted to the lighter side. These short narratives, illustrations, or cartoons take a look at a broad issue in the Earth and space sciences from a light or unusual perspective; these items often help the members of AGU to laugh at themselves.

Maximum length for narratives: 700 words plus 1 figure

How to Submit to Eos

Eos editors welcome contributions from authors throughout the world. The decision to accept a contribution for publication is guided by the standards described throughout this document. In making the decision of whether or not to publish, the editor may or may not confer with reviewers.

Acceptable file formats for submitting text are Word, WordPerfect, or pdf.

For Eos figures, authors should follow the guidelines for preparing graphics for AGU research journals. Dynamic material for Eos is published as an electronic supplement. Authors should note that the charge for color figures in the newspaper is US $1300 for the first color figure and US $325 for each additional color figure. Commitment to pay this fee is required in advance of publication.

Eos submissions should be made through the GEMS online interface. Authors will be asked to register. This registration is good for all AGU publications for the purposes of submission as well as review. Authors need to have the names of the files they intend to submit. They will be asked to provide index terms (a principal term and up to three additional index terms). There are hot links throughout the online process to guide authors through the process. Questions or requests for additional assistance can be directed to eos@agu.org.

Before publication, authors must complete the Eos copyright transfer form.