SUMMARY
GeoArabia welcomes original scientific or technical manuscripts that are an important contribution to the Middle East petroleum geosciences. Before being accepted for publication, the manuscript has to be favorably reviewed by at least two anonymous referees, usually in about four weeks.

SUBMISSION OF AN ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT
Manuscripts should be submitted in paper form in triplicate, and on a CD to the Editor-in-Chief, GeoArabia, and sent by

Registered Air Mail to:
P.O. Box 20393,
Manama, Bahrain;

or preferably by Courier to:
Manama Centre, Entrance 4, Suite 504,
Manama, Bahrain
Tel: +973 17 214 881; Fax: +973 17 214 475.

Electronic files should be sent on a CD labeled with the author’s name. The text, acknowledgements, references, figure captions, tables, vector graphics, and raster images should be in separate files.

If the manuscript is considered relevant to the Middle East petroleum geosciences, then it will be posted on a password-protected website so that the referees can review it. Accepted manuscripts will be edited and designed for press via the website.

During press runs, 100 colored reprints are routinely printed for the authors. If a greater number of reprints is required the author must inform GeoArabia in advance.

Brief biographies and colored passport photographs (with names labeled on back) of the author(s) should accompany the submission. Contact details of each author should be included (e-mail, company, position, mailing and courier address, telephone and fax number).

PERMISSION AND COPYRIGHT
It is the Author’s responsibility to obtain written permission to use previously published material or new data that belong to Government Ministries or Petroleum Companies. The use of proprietary information, such as well logs and seismic lines, requires both an acknowledgment and written permission from the owner. A statement of such permission must appear in the figure captions in the form: “Reprinted from (name of Author and publication) and published with permission.”

Once submitted and published, the copyright of the paper will be held by GeoArabia.

FORMAT OF MANUSCRIPT
The text of submitted manuscripts should be printed on numbered A4 paper using:

either British or American English spelling throughout
font size 12
single column
left-justified
double-spaced
without hyphenation
three levels of headers can be used
paragraphs should be separated with a skipped line and not be indented
periods should be followed by one space
italicized words should be underlined
a single space should separate digits and units of measure (e.g. 200 m)
four or more digits should include a comma (e.g. 2,500)
unfamiliar abbreviations should follow in parentheses when the word is first used
figure captions and the figures (each on a separate page) should follow at the end of the text.
The figures of manuscripts should be submitted as follows:
each graphic should be on a separate page. A full-page GeoArabia graphic should be planned for about 16 cm x 24 cm (portrait or landscape).
If required, larger illustrations (2-facing page, foldouts and posters) are welcome.

GRAPHICS
GeoArabia’s graphics are unmatched in the petroleum industry’s journals. No effort is spared to ensure that the resolution and size of graphics are generous with respect to detail. GeoArabia edits the colors, lettering and symbols to highlight phenomenon in a consistent manner throughout the journal. A full-page GeoArabia graphic should be planned for about 16 cm x 24 cm (portrait or landscape). If required, larger illustrations (2-facing page, foldouts and posters) are welcome.

Although many graphics software are used in the industry, GeoArabia goes to press electronically using an Adobe-Macintosh platform. To streamline the publication process GeoArabia requires preparation of text and figures according to specific standards.

Text should be saved in Microsoft Word rich text format (.rft). Submitted manuscripts should be printed on numbered A4-size paper using: double-spacing; font size 12; single column; left-justified; and without line-break hyphenation. Paragraphs should be separated with a skipped line and not indented. Periods should be followed by one space and italicized words should be underlined. Spelling should be either British or American. A space should separate digits and units of measure (e.g. 200 m). Four or more digits should include a comma (e.g. 2,500). Do not send text files with embedded tables, figures, etc. and Save your text in rich text format without any hypertext links, indexing or special formatting.

Tables should be in Microsoft Excel version 5.0 or higher (.xls)

Vector graphics (contour maps, electrical logs, cross-sections, etc.) for example prepared with Macromedia Freehand (.fh), CorelDraw (.cdr), Deneba Canvas (.cv) must be exported as Adobe Illustrator files versions 6.0-8.0 (.ai or .eps). In all figures use only pastel color fills (do not use pattern fill, e.g. cross-hatches, stripes).

Raster graphics (photos, images, seismic lines, etc.) should be sent as high quality original photographs or laser prints on white paper in full A4 size.

Annotations or overlays (text, arrows lines etc.) should not be visible on these prints. Annotations and overlays will be added by GeoArabia based on the paper copy of the original accepted manuscript. In addition, high-resolution electronic raster graphics can be included on the CD. These files have to be saved in Tagged Image File Format (.tif) or Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpg). The size of these raster graphics needs to be at least 20 x 30 cm with 300 dpi resolution.

GeoArabia has a complete collection of country and regional base maps that are available from previous publications. New or modified maps should include latitude and longitude cross lines, with a north arrow and scale (km). GeoArabia stratigrapic columns are also available to Authors. These may be photocopied and annotated for new manuscripts. New columns, measured sections, cross-sections, etc. should try to adopt lithological symbols and colors as seen in the journal.

Log curves should be drawn as continuous lines (not dashed) and without patterns fills and minimum gridlines. It should be in separate tracks on a clear or white background. If logs can not be exported as vector files than these have to be submitted as high resolution photo quality A4 size print (curves in separate tracks on a clear or white background).

PROOFS AND REPRINTS
All manuscripts are designed in collaboration with the Authors who must approve the final pre-press proofs. During press runs, 100 colored reprints are routinely printed for the Authors. If a greater number of reprints is required the Author must inform GeoArabia in advance.

TITLE OF PAPER AND RUNNING HEADER
The title of a paper should be concise and informative. Where appropriate a country or geological age should be included in the title. The running header appears at the top of every other page and is a short extract from the title of the paper.

AUTHORS OF PAPER
In the case of multiple Authorship, names should be placed in order of importance of contribution. The first-named Author normally assumes the responsibility of corresponding with GeoArabia. The corresponding Authors must provide mail and courier addresses, e-mail address, and telephone and fax numbers. The corresponding Author must also provide biographies, photographs, and e-mail addresses of the co-Authors for GeoArabia. The Authors should update their details regularly using the Gulf PetroLink Geoscience Directory website (www.gulfpetrolink.com).

ABSTRACT
An abstract should briefly state why the work was done, the method(s) used, the principal data, and the conclusions. The abstract should not use acronyms, uncommon abbreviations and references.

According to Landes (1966): “The abstract is of the utmost importance, for it is read by 10 to 500 times more people than read the entire article. It should not be a mere recital of the subjects covered. Expressions such as “is discussed” and “is described” should never be included! The abstract should be a condensation and concentration of the essential information in the paper.”

INTRODUCTION
Claerbout (1996) suggests a simple and effective formula for an introduction that consists of three consecutive parts: (1) review, (2) claim, and (3) agenda.

For the review, cite several key papers that provide a background to your research and paraphrase a sentence or two from each of their abstracts. Organize the review so that it leads up to your claim. The claim should show that your work is a worthwhile extension of the review you just wrote. The agenda is found at the end of many introductions. It summarizes what you will show the reader as your paper progresses. Your agenda will be dull if it is merely a recital of the topics you will cover. Instead, it should tell how your paper works to fulfill your claim.

If possible some of the conclusions can be made in simple statements after the agenda. If so, state them early, right after your agenda. Unfortunately, many technical papers do not lend themselves to early conclusions.

DATA
A data section usually follows the Introduction and provides an account of the basic data and information used in the paper. This section should refer to key figures and tables that show the data and its geographic location.

GEOLOGICAL SETTING
Most geological papers and many geophysical papers include a geological setting section that reviews the relevant stratigraphic column (formation, member, reservoir, etc.) and evolution (tectonics, environment, etc.). A stratigraphic column and a summary regional geological map are useful and, in most cases, essential.

PROGRAM OF STUDY
The main body of the paper should describe in detail the types of investigations carried out and how. It is essential to arrange the work segments in the most logical sequence so that the reader can follow the strategy of the investigation. Describe the program of study, and the methods used.

DISCUSSION
This semifinal section of the paper should discuss the interpretation or model arrived at by the Author.

CONCLUSIONS
This final section brings together the components of the work, shows how far the stated objectives have been satisfied, and may recommend future action.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is always appropriate for the Authors to thank colleagues and organizations who have provided assistance, information or concepts, even as part of the normal course of their duties. Company Management and Government Ministries should be thanked for releasing data and studies. Specific pieces of work (internal reports and discussions) must be credited to the person who made them. Such credits should be carried, if possible, in the tables, lists, figure captions, or statements in which the work is reported. Authors also thank the anonymous Referees, Editors, and the design staff of GeoArabia.

REFERENCES
Authors must ensure that all references in the text (and in the illustrations) are shown in the Reference list and vice versa, and that bibliographic details are correct.

The Reference List should be in alphabetical-chronological order. Names of Authors are listed alphabetically by family name. Names beginning with “Al-”, “de”, “El”, “van”, for example, are listed under “A”, “D”, “E”, and “V”.

All papers by a single Author are listed chronologically. Listed subsequently are papers written by that person as senior Author with one or more coauthors. Examples (all listed chronologically within each group):
Smith 1978
Smith 1989
Smith and Brown 1979
Smith, Brown and Jones 1984
Smith and Jones 1999
Smith, Jones and Brown 1986
Use letters a, b, c, etc., where an Author (or a group of Authors) has more than one paper published in the same year.

Examples in Reference List

Journal: Stewart, I.C.F., T.C. Connally and J.H. Copley 1996. Stratigraphic interpretation of magnetotelluric data in central Saudi Arabia. GeoArabia, v. 1, no. 1, p. 52-63.

Abstract: Al-Husseini, M.I., J. Letouzey and M.C. Cacas 1996. Characterizing fractured reservoirs in the Arabian Gulf. 2nd Middle East Geosciences Conference, GEO’96. GeoArabia, Abstract, v. 1, no. 1, p. 105.

Book: Beydoun, Z.R. 1988. The Middle East - Regional Geology and Petroleum Resources. Scientific Press Limited, UK, 292 p.

Books with Editors: Whyte, S.J. 1995. Natih field, Oman. In, M.I. Al-Husseini (Ed.), Middle East Geosciences Conference, GEO’94. Gulf Petrolink, Bahrain, v. 2, p. 917-925.

GeoArabia Special Publication: Sharland, P.R., R. Archer, D.M. Casey, R.B. Davies, S.H. Hall, A.P. Heward, A.D. Horbury and M.D. Simmons 2001. Arabian Plate Sequence Stratigraphy. GeoArabia Special Publication 2, Gulf PetroLink, Bahrain, 371 p.

Note: separate page numbers with a hyphen (-) not endash (–).

Reference in the text
In the text, a reference shown in a parenthesis indicates the source of the information. It is written as follows: “The Formation is 135 m thick (Smith, 1997); or “According to Smith (1997) the Formation is 135 m thick.” When several references appear together they are listed chronologically, except where the same Author appears: (Smith, 1978, 1979; Smith and Brown, 1979).

Reference in Figure Captions
In addition to any general acknowledgment of a book or article in the text, credit for each borrowed graphic/table should be shown on it or in its caption/title (Hansen, 1991). Use “From Smith (1995)” if the material is reproduced essentially as originally published even if the style/format has been slightly changed or it has been redrafted. Use “Modified from Smith (1995)” if the substantive content has been changed in any way. The term “After Smith (1995)” is more nebulous and implies use of an idea but not a direct copy. Uncredited photographs are assumed to be the work of the Author(s). Borrowed photographs should be acknowledged in the caption, even if modified by the borrower.

Unpublished References and Communications
Communications and unpublished company reports are generally not listed in the References and are indicated in the text as follows:
A. Smith, written communication, 1995
Smith, oral communication, 1999
(“written communication” or “oral communication” is preferred to the more nebulous “personal communication”.)
A. Smith, unpublished XYZ [company] report [give title], 1989

Non-English Journal Names
The following is a list of some common non-English language societies, organizations, and publications in the Earth Sciences:

Annales: Société Géologique du Nord, France, v.
Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, v.
Comptes Rendus de l’Academie des Sciences de Paris, Sciences de la terre et des planètes (Série II, etc.)
École Nationale Supérieure de Géologie de Nancy
École Nationale Supérieure des Pétroles et Moteurs, Ruiel-Malmaison, France
Erdöl und Kohle, v.
Geologie en Mijnbouw, v.
Geologische Rundschau, v.
Geologisches Jahrbuch. Reihe B: Regionale Geologie Ausland, v.
Geologisches Jahrbuch. Reihe D: Mineralogie, Petrographie, Geochemie, Lagerstättenkunde, no.
Mémoires du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, Peri-Tethys Mémoire
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Abhandlungen, v. [monthly volume]
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Monatshefte, v. [annual volume]
Notes et Memoires Moyen-Orient, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris,
Notes et Memoires sur le Moyen-Orient. Museum Nationale d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, Tome XIII,
Paläontographica, Abteilung A: Paläozoologie-Stratigraphie, v.
Revista de la Sociedad geológica de España
Revista Española de Micropaleontologia, v.
Revue de l’Institut Français du Pétrole
Revue de Paleobiologie
Revue Micropaleontologie, v.
Revista de la Sociedad Geológica de España
Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia
Schweizerische Mineralogische und Petrographische Mitteilungen, v.
Science de la Terre Memoire
Symposium sobre Yacimientos de Petroleo y Gas, XX Congreso Geologico Internacional.
Verhandelingen van het Koninklijke Nederlands Geologisch Mijnbouwkundig Genootschap, v.
Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft, Bd. 117/II–III, p.
Zeitschrift für Geologische Wissenschaften, v.
Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie, Teil 1: Allgemeine, Angewandte, Regionale und Historische Geologie, v.

BIOGRAPHY
The biography (typically 100 words) should begin with the name of the Author, including middle initials, and “nickname” or shortened first name (if preferred). It should then follow with five statements:

Author’s present job title, department/division, organization, city and country. Capitalize the first letters of the job title (e.g. Reservoir Engineer, Professor).
List of the degrees (use BSc, MSc, PhD for abbreviation), followed by the subject of study, year of graduation, and university/institute.
Summary of employment history including dates (years) of employment, job position and area of responsibility.
Affiliation to societies, awards received, and papers/books published. Abbreviate well-known geoscience society names (AAPG, AGU, EAGE, SEG).
Particular areas of professional interest.

COMMON ABBREVATION AND ACRONYMS
Abbreviations (abbr.) should be placed in parentheses when the word is first used. Commonly used abbreviations (ft, m, km, sec, sq km, ºC, N, NW, etc.) need not be explained.

Acronyms are coined words and symbols. Capitalize an acronym throughout when only the first letter of each word is used (for example: DHI = direct hydrocarbon indicator). When shortened names are used with more than the first letter of each word, capitalize the first letter only (for example: Bapco = Bahrain Petroleum Company).

Do not use abbreviations and acronyms in the Abstract or in the title of a paper.

Scientific and Technical Terms

Abbreviations and symbols

Multiples and submultiples, SI Unit

Organizations and companies

Compass Directions and coordinates are expressed as one word without a hyphen; for example: Northeast. If the direction is compounded then hyphenate: for example: North-northeast. Other conventions include the following examples:

N-trending, NW-trending
the fault trends northwest
ENE-SSW-trending is redundant. Use the northern quadrant to describe the trend; for example, “The fault trends ENE, or ENE-trending”
N35°E (no spaces after “N”, or before or after degree symbol)
Adopt N-S for North-South
Capitalize N-S, NE, SW, etc.
Do not capitalize but write in full: northeast Arabia, south Oman, north, etc.

Coordinates of wells and outcrops are written as latitude and longitude (not UTM) and in hours, minutes and seconds; for example: 35°22’10’’N, 55°30’28”E.

SPELLING AND LANGUAGE
British or American English can be used in GeoArabia, but consistently within any one paper. The following are commonly confused English-American counterparts: capitalise-capitalize; centimetre-centimeter; centre-center; colour-color; focussed-focused; grey-gray; kilometre-kilometer; metre-meter; modelling-modeling; mouldic-moldic; Palaeozoic-Paleozoic (in general: palaeo-/paleo-); realise-realize, recognise-recognize; summarise-summarize.

Arabic
The Arabic word “al” commonly precedes family names and name places. It can be capitalized or not: “al” or “Al”. It may be followed by a hyphen: “Al-Husseini”; or not “Al Khalifa”. It may be joined to the name with and without capitalization: “Alsharhan”, “AlMatroushi”. In Egypt it is spelled as “el” instead of “al”. In order to make bibliographic sorting easier, GeoArabia hyphenates Arabic family names beginning with Al or El where the “Al” or “El” are not joined to the name.

Common Arabic spellings: Jabal (not Gabal, Jebel, etc.), Rub’ Al-Khali, Shu’aiba

Accents and Diacritical Marks
Çelal, École, España, Faculté des Sciences, Française, Générale, Geológica, Géologie, Géologique(s), Géophysique, Jörg = Joerg, Minières, Pétroles, Sengör, Série, SociétéSupérieure, Université.

Latin
c. approximate; not ca. [use only in parentheses or tables]
cf. compare/compared with [use only in parentheses or tables]
e.g. for example [use only in parentheses or tables]
et al. and others [use in reference citations]
i.e. “that is” [use only in parentheses or tables]
sl sensu lato
ss sensu stricto
in situ [no hyphen; but better to use “in place”]
Do not use, viz (namely)
Pluralize hiatus as hiatuses not hiatii

CAPITALIZATION

Geological time and position
Subdivisions of Eons (Precambrian/Phanerozoic) and Eras (Paleozoic, Mesozoic, etc.) are informal and so modifiers are lowercase (lower, middle, upper; early, middle, late).

Subdivision of Periods (Systems) are formal and so the modifier (e.g. Lower, Early, etc.) should be capitalized. Subdivisions of the Tertiary and younger are lowercase.

Precambrian PC lower, middle, upper; early, middle, late
Archean lower, middle, upper; early, middle, late
Proterozoic lower, middle, upper; early, middle, late
Paleozoic Pz lower, middle, upper; early, middle, late
Cambrian Cm Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Ordovician O Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Silurian S Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Devonian D Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Carboniferous C Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Permian P Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Mesozoic Mz lower, middle, upper; early, middle, late
Triassic Tr Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Jurassic J Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Cretaceous K Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Cenozoic Cz lower, middle, upper; early, middle, late
Paleocene Pal Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Eocene E Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Oligocene O Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Miocene M Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Pliocene Pl Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Tertiary Tt lower, upper; early late
Paleogene Pg Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Neogene Ng Lower, Middle, Upper; Early, Middle, Late
Quaternary Qt lower, upper; early, late
Pleistocene lower, middle, upper; early, middle, late
Holocene (Recent) lower, middle, upper; early, middle, late

Modifiers such as earliest, basal, lowermost, mid-, latest and uppermost should not be capitalized when preceding Periods/Systems (e.g. latest Permian, mid-Jurassic).

Adopt Precambrian (not pre-Cambrian or preCambrian).
Adopt Neoproterozoic (not Neo-Proterozoic)
Adopt infra-Cambrian (not Infracambrian)
Adopt Holocene (not Recent; the term recent is informal and denotes any very recent time)

Abbreviate multiperiods in tables and figures. For example:
Cambro-Ordovician (in text Cambrian-Ordovician)
Permo-Carboniferous (in text Permian-Carboniferous)
Permo-Triassic (in text Permian-Triassic)
Plio-Pleistocene (in text Pliocene-Pleistocene)

Subdivisions of Stages are not generally formal and should not be capitalized. Examples of ages (stages): early Albian, late Bathonian.

For Ordovician stages drop “ian” for ending of stages; for example:
Tremadoc, Llanvirn, Caradoc (not Tremadocian, etc).

Note: early, middle, late refer to time; lower, middle, upper refer to rock position.

Features and Events
Geographic features, name places or events should be capitalized if considered well know; for example: Arabian Sea, Arabian Peninsula, Arabian Plate, Arabian Shield, Central Arabian Arch, Ghaba Salt Basin, Oman Mountains, Zagros Mountains, Zagros Fault, Najd Fault System. Less well known features and hydrocarbon fields are not capitalized; for example: central Arabia, Ghawar field, Neo-Tethys passive margin, Oman foredeep, Proterozoic basement, Zagros crush zone.

Stratigraphic units (Reservoir, Member, Formation, Group, Supergroup, etc.) should be capitalized when formally defined. Do not capitalize their plurals; for example, Shu'aiba Formation but Shu’aiba and Kharaib formations.

Unconformities are not capitalized; for example: pre-Khuff unconformity.

ITALICS AND QUOTATIONS
Scientific names of genera, species, and subspecies or varieties of organisms are ordinarily italicized. Names of families (-idea/-aceae) and higher groups are capitalized but not italicized. Informal names and adjectives based on fossil names are neither capitalized nor italicized. Some examples are: Brachiopoda, hominids, Homo sapiens, foraminifers, Spinachitina fragilis Zone and Shirbuirina fauna.

Titles of books or journals, a new or uncommon term, and similar special text is printed in italics. It is preferable for Authors to submit this text with an underline and GeoArabia will accordingly italicize it.

Quotation marks are used to enclose direct quotations. At the ends of quotes, the comma and the final period are placed inside quotation marks. Other punctuation marks are placed inside the quotation marks only if they are part of the matter quoted. Matter following “entitled,” “the word,” “the term,” “marked,” “designated,” “classified,” “named,” and “signed” is usually italicized.

CONVERSIONS
barrel (U.S.) = 42 U.S. gallons = 0.159 cu. m. = 159 litres = 34.97 Imperial gallons
cubic meter = 6.3 U.S. Barrels
foot = 0.3048 m
kilometer = 0.621 miles (c. 5/8 mile)
meter = 3.28 ft
mile = 1.609 km (c. 9/5 km)

UNITS AND SYMBOLS
Units of measurement are abbreviated following numbers (e.g. 4 km) and the same abbreviation is used in the singular and plural. A space is left between the number and the unit of measurement. When used without numbers, however, units of measurement are not abbreviated (e.g. The formation is exposed for several kilometers.).

º = degree. The degree mark is always used in place of the word “degree” following a figure denoting measurement.
% = percent [use only in parentheses or tables]
< = less than [use only in parentheses or tables]
> = greater than [use only in parentheses or tables]
µ = micrometer [one millionth of a meter; micron is the obsolete synonym]

The mathematical signs +, -, ±, x, ¸, =, >, =, <, =, etc., are separated from the accompanying number by a space. For example: 2 x (24 + 2) - 9 = 43 (Use 2 x 2 = 4, not 2*2 = 4)
< 1 cm long

Magnification is shown thus: x 100

Any symbol that is set close up to figures (such as º, %, $), is used before or after each figure in a group or series: 45º to 65ºC (not 45 to 65ºC), 15 to 30 percent; ± 2 to ± 7; 2º ± 1º.
Isotopes are written in the form 14C (tables or text) or carbon-14 (text).

NUMBERS IN A PAPER
Where possible, avoid beginning a sentence with a number.

Where possible, avoid beginning a sentence with a number.

Decimals numbers should include the decimal point, with a zero placed before the decimal point if there is no unit, both in text and tables: 0.157, not .157. Use a period (.) not a comma (,) for the decimal point.

Large numbers are usually spelled out: 20 million, 3 billion, $5 million; or use a power of 10 to reduce the length of the number: 16 ´ 106 (= 16 million). But use figures if other numbers in a series are given in figures: The cost in 1997 was $750,000 and in 2000 was $2 million. GeoArabia uses “billion” in the US sense of (1 ´ 109).

Long numbers are grouped in threes and are separated by commas: 3,057,985.

Decades are written without an apostrophe: 1980s not 1980’s.

US style dates are used in GeoArabia: May 3, 2001. Do not use forms like 05-03-2001 to avoid confusion with the opposite British style.

Numbers less than 10 are written as words. For larger numbers, figures are used. Figures are also used in a group of two or more related numerical expressions, whether or not each number is less than 10: The wells were tested at 4, 28, and 160 days.

Ordinal numbers are expressed as figures: 10th-20th century, 55th meridian.

Quantities and measurements such as age, degree, measurement, money, percentage, proportion, time, etc., are expressed in figures: 6 years, 15º, 45 km, 24 pages, $24, 17 percent, ratio of 1 to 4, scale of 1:50,000, (but four centuries, three decades).

Numerals are used whenever a number is followed by a unit symbol: 6 kg, 100 m, 45 km, 17%, etc.

Round numbers are spelled out as follows: about one hundred wells; nearly thirty kilometers; almost one hundred and fifty years ago.

Singular verbs should be used for a single noun; for example: “Eight hundred feet of sandstone was measured”, or “Three million years was required for the deposition of the formation.

Mixing units should be avoided (ft, cm, m, etc. in the same sentence); for example: The units are 10, 30 and 150 cm thick (not: 10 cm, 30 cm, and 1.5 m).

PUNCTUATION AND SENTENCE LENGTH
Use a period to separate sentences, one for each single thought. Vary the lengths of sentences to heighten interest. Studies have shown that 90% of readers easily comprehend an eight-word sentence. A seventeen-word sentence is considered standard and comprehended by 75% of readers. Only 24% of readers understand a 25-word sentence.

Use a colon (:) when preceding a listing; for example: “These rocks crop out in the area: sandstone, limestone, dolomite, and shale.

HYPHENATION
If words commonly go together, or their combined meaning is clear, hyphenation is unnecessary. The following examples have clear meanings without hyphens: “low angle, open hole, rare earth element, sea floor, solid waste disposal, time line, water flood, well casing (see also one word or two words).

If several words or a phrase are better qualified together then use hyphens to stress their grouping. For example: “blue-green algae” has a single blue-green color. It is not sometimes blue and other times green. Other common examples are: back-of-the-envelope calculation, dark-gray shale; coarsening-upward sequence, fine-grained sandstone; log-interpreted lithology; oil-bearing shale; open-hole log, out-of-plane reflection, NE-trending anticline, plate-wide deformation; sea-floor spreading; thin-bedded sandstone; well-dated formation; 2-D seismic survey; 6- to 10-m-thick unit; twenty-one to ninety-nine; two-sided question; thirty- (30-) day period

If a modifying word follows a verb it is not hyphenated. For example: “The shale is oil bearing”, or “The sandstone is fine grained and thin bedded.”

If the modifying word is an adverb it is not hyphenated; for example: “well defined aquifer”, “poorly defined surface”, or “highly condensed section.

ONE WORD OR TWO WORDS
Common one words: beachrock, biostratigraphic, buildup [limestone buildup], chronostratigraphic, coauthor, crossplot, database, dipmeter, downlap, downdip, downcutting, downthrow(n), drawdown, drillstem, fluviolacustrine, fluviomarine, geochronology, glaciomarine, hardground, highstand, hypersaline, intrashelf, lapout, lithostratigraphic, lowstand, megasequence, microplate, multidisciplinary, multistorey, etc (use hyphen if “i” is doubled; e.g. multi-index), onlap, paleoenvironment, paleo-, postgraduate, preregistration, reorganization, seawater, southeastern, subparallel, subsurface, tectonomegasequence, tectonostratigraphic, timescale, turnaround, updip, waterflooding, wavefield, wellbore, wellsite, worldwide.

Common two words: deep marine (but deep-marine sediments), deep water, deeper water (but deep-water environment), fold belt, fourth order, etc. (but fourth-order cycle), fresh water (but fresh-water fish), graded bed/bedding, highly condensed, low angle, low relief, low order (but low-angle fault, etc), open hole (but open-hole log), sea floor, sea level (but sea-level oscillations), shallow marine (but shallow-marine sediments), time line, water breakthrough, water cut (but waterflooding), well known.

PAST AND PRESENT TENSES
Day (1998) presents these four points that distinguish the Author’s own findings from what is accepted scientific knowledge:

Previous results should be given in the present tense.
Description of methods and results in the Author’s paper should be given in the past tense.
Presentation (for example: “Table 1 shows that … ”) is given in the present tense.
Attribution (for example “Jones reported that … ”) is given in the past tense.
Most of the Abstract should be in the past tense as it refers to the results being presented. On the other hand, much of the Introduction and Conclusions should be in the present tense, because these sections often emphasize previously established knowledge.

FURTHER READING
Claerbout, J.F. 1996. A scrutiny of the introduction. GeoArabia, v. 1, no. 2, p. 364-365.

Cooray, P.G. 1992. Guide to Scientific and Technical Writing. P.G. Cooray, Hindagala, Sri Lanka, 159 p.

Day, R.A. 1998. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. 5th Edition. Cambridge University Press, 275 p.

Gowers, E. 1973. The Complete Plain Words. 2nd Edition revised by Sir Bruce Fraser. Penguin Books, 332 p.

Hansen, W.R. (Ed.) 1991. Suggestions to Authors of Reports of the United States Geological Survey. 7th Edition. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 289 p.

Jackson, J.A. (Ed.) 1997. Glossary of Geology. 4th Edition. American Geological Institute, Alexandria, Virginia, 769 p.

Landes, K.K. 1966. A scrutiny of the abstract, II. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 50, no. 9, p. 1,992.

Malde, H.E. 1986. Guidelines for Reviewers of Geological Manuscripts; with a Checklist for Reviewing Geologic Maps by J.C. Reed, Jr. American Geological Institute, 28 p.