Physical Geography
(ISSN 0272-3646)

Information for Authors

Physical Geography is dedicated to the dissemination of significant research articles in geomorphology, climatology, biogeography, and related sciences, including those that link humans and their environments. Review articles may be considered by prior arrangement with the Editor-in-Chief. All articles should be original, relevant, timely, well organized, and written in clear, concise English. Manuscripts should be submitted electronically in PDF or Microsoft Word format to Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, or one of the Associate Editors. All manuscripts will be peer reviewed. Manuscripts that do not conform to the instructions listed below will be returned to the authors. Initial submission to the editor for review should contain the illustrations in the Word doc or PDF but by the time of submission of a revised manuscript, authors should submit accompanying tables and figures electronically in their original file formats (e.g., Excel). Figures embedded in a word processing file are not acceptable as an electronic submission format for the accepted version of the manuscript. Please see the Illustrations section for graphics submission guidelines.

Form and style. Manuscripts should be submitted electronically, double-spaced, with 2.5-cm (1-in.) margins. Ideally, articles should approximate 5000 words, or 20 double-spaced pages, including tables, figures, and references. Longer articles will be considered but these should never exceed 10,000 words. Methodology and discussion papers should not exceed 3000 words. All figures and tables should be pertinent to the text and should not duplicate information. Each article should have a separate cover page showing the paper's title (brief), author(s), affiliation(s), and address(es), including zip code or postal district. All correspondence will be addressed to the first named author, unless otherwise instructed.

Organization. The manuscript should not employ more than three orders of headings in the following sequence: (1) free-standing capitals, centered; (2) free-standing upper and lower case italics, at margin; (3) lower case italics, indented in line.

Abstract. A brief, informative abstract of no more than 200 words should precede the body of the manuscript. It should summarize the whole paper, not just the approach or conclusions. The abstract should conclude with key words in brackets.

Units. The metric system should be used throughout the text, tables, and figures. Use of non-metric units will cause the manuscript to be returned to authors. English equivalents may be given in parentheses if the original data were in English units, but this is rarely necessary. When used in conjunction with numerals, units should be abbreviated and unpunctuated (e.g., cm, g, %). Numbers less than 10,000 should be expressed without a comma (e.g., 3936). Those of greater value should use commas to separate each triad of digits (e.g., 1,234,567). Decimal values less than 1 should be preceded by 0 (e.g., 0.65).

Notations. All notations should conform to international usage (e.g., 18O, 14C for chemical notation). Temperatures should be expressed in degrees Centigrade (ºC, Celsius scale), with Fahrenheit equivalents in parentheses if originally reported in such units (e.g., 20ºC (68ºF)). Mathematical symbols and Greek letters should be defined as they appear in the text.

Dates and ages. In most instances, recent historical dates are self evident from the context (e.g., "Before 1955, . . .") but, where necessary for clarity, historical dates should be expressed as years B.C. or A.D. (e.g., 1785 A.D., 1500 B.C.). Dates less than 1 million years old should be written out (e.g., 125,000 yr). For generalized ages, the terms "Ma" and "ka" may be used. Radiocarbon ages should be expressed as 14C yr B.P. and include the standard error and laboratory number (e.g., 13,320 ± 90 yr B.P. (Beta 36305)). Ages corrected for atmospheric variations in radiocarbon may be reported in calendar years and the calibration table or graph specified. Stratigraphic nomenclature should follow standard usage (e.g., International Stratigraphic Guide, 2nd Ed., 1994).

References. References to published literature should be cited in the text by the author's surname and date (in parentheses), thus (Smith, 1990) at the end of the sentence, or "Smith (1990) stated. . . ." References to more than two people should be cited in the text by using the first author's surname followed by "et al.," but all authors should be cited in the References. Suffixes should distinguish between two or more works by the same author in the same year (e.g., Smith, 1990a, 1990b). A direct quotation should be page-referenced; a paraphrased statement should not be page-referenced but the source should always be cited. Personal communications should be cited in the text but not in the References. All references should be reasonably accessible and may include dissertations, theses, and articles in press; reference should not be made to unpublished manuscripts, manuscripts in preparation, or manuscripts submitted. The References should begin on a separate page following the text and all references should be listed alphabetically by author's surname, as follows:

Articles. Author(s) surname (comma), initials (period), publication year (in parentheses), title of article with first word beginning with capitals, other words in lower case (period), title of journal in full, italicized (or underlined) with major words starting with capitals (comma), volume as Vol. with Arabic numerals (comma), inclusive page numbers (period).

Books. The procedure is the same as for articles, except that the book title should be italicized (or underlined) with major words beginning with capitals (period), followed by city and state/country of publication (colon), and publisher (period).

Thus: Strahler, A. N. (1980) Systems theory in physical geography. Physical Geography, Vol. 1, 1-27.

Barry, R. G. and Chorley, R. J. (1968) Atmosphere, Weather and Climate. London, UK: Methuen.

Footnotes should not be used.

Tables must be typed double-spaced on a separate page, numbered consecutively, and titled at top. All table columns should have explanatory headings. Tables should not repeat data that are available elsewhere in the paper (e.g., in graphs).

Illustrations. One set of all maps, diagrams, and photographs of professional quality must be submitted at the size desired for reproduction in the journal. Copies of these figures must accompany all copies of the manuscript. If one set of high quality figures is not submitted at reproduction size, or if reduction to that size results in illegibility, articles will not be reviewed or processed, but returned to authors. Figures embedded in a word processing file are not acceptable as an electronic submission format. Place names, legend, and scale should be in fine but legible sans-serif print at the reproduction scale. All scales should be in metric units. All maps, diagrams, and photographs should be designated as Figures, cited consecutively in the text, and prepared as follows:

Maps and diagrams. All maps and diagrams are subject to the following specifications:
  1. Figures should be submitted electronically. As listed above, do not submit maps and diagrams embedded in a word processing file and do not submit them as graphic images. Graphic image formats should only be used for photographs. File formats are listed in order of preference. When submitting electronic versions of figures, the following graphics file formats are acceptable (as long as they are accessible in the PC domain):
    1. Drawing programs (preferred): Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Freehand, Corel Draw, and Corel Photopaint. Do not flatten or render graphic or text layers. Pictures and images should not be inserted into one of these drawing programs and submitted as drawing program files unless they are part of a larger composite drawing.
    2. Visual presentation formats (do not work well in a professional publishing environment but can be utilized): Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Corel Quattro Pro, and Corel Presentations.
    3. Output formats: .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) and .eps (encapsulated postscript).
    4. Graphic Image formats (listed in order of preference but are only used as a last resort and authors should be aware they must be modified to the exact standards of the journal): .tif or .tiff, .bmp, .pcx, .jpg or .jpeg, and .gif.
  2. Figures should be created at scale. That is, they should be generated at the same size they will appear in the journal.
    1. Horizontal (portrait) positioning is preferred and means that the illustration is to be read in the same manner as the text. For a full-page illustration, width is not to exceed 13 cm; maximum length is 20 cm (about 5 x 8 in.) if figure caption is to occupy one line only. Smaller sizes are encouraged. In measuring length, allow 0.3 cm for each additional line of figure caption.
    2. Vertical (broadside or landscape) positioning is acceptable but requires a 90º shift of the publication to be read and is therefore discouraged. Such an illustration usually occupies a full page. For a full-page illustration, the figure's short axis is not to exceed 13 cm, and its long axis is to be 20 cm or less. Smaller sizes are encouraged. In measuring the short axis, if figure caption is more than one line, allow 0.3 cm for each additional line.
  3. Please do not include figure number, caption, or source within the body of the figure.
    1. On the back of each map or diagram, write lightly in pencil the figure number and manuscript author's last name.
    2. Type all figure captions (including source, if applicable) on a separate page (double-spaced) and insert this page at the end of the manuscript.
  4. Dot matrix graphics cannot be accepted. When used as a last resort, for graphics generated on laser printers, 300 dots per inch is acceptable; however, 600 dpi is preferred for sharper image quality.
  5. For computer generated figures, hatch and other patterns reproduce better than density grey tones; however, if grey tones are used, select those that use fewer than 100 dpi.
  6. On maps, figure-ground relationship can be enhanced by applying a dot screen or stipple to water areas. Use italicized letters for identifying water features.
  7. Six-point type is the smallest that should be used on at-scale figures; larger type is preferred.
Photographs. Occasionally, black and white photographs are accepted provided they add to the text and are not simply cosmetic; they must have excellent contrast and exposure. Photographs should not exceed the maximum specifications outlined above and will be printed only in horizontal position. Photographs-like maps and diagrams-are referenced in text as figures.

Submission of an article is understood to imply that the article is original and unpublished and is not being currently considered for publication elsewhere. Authors of papers accepted for publication required to sign a Consent Form to this effect. It is the author's responsibility to obtain written permission to reproduce material that has appeared in another publication. Page proofs only will be sent to the corresponding author and should be returned to the Publishers within three days. Strict adherence to the above instructions will facilitate consideration of papers.

Please consult recent issues of Physical Geography, or our website (www.bellpub.com/phg), for more complete information on formatting.

Physical Geography Style Examples

Title Page:

[TITLE]--ROMAN, CENTERED, ALL CAPS

[Author]--Italicized, Centered, Upper- and Lowercase; "and" is Not Italicized

[Author's Address]--Boldface, Centered, Upper- and Lowercase, State Is Not Abbreviated
(List authors vertically, do not place authors side by side unless they are at the same institution)

Samples (2 authors):

APPARENT THERMAL DIFFUSIVITY IN SOIL: ESTIMATION FROM THERMAL RECORDS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR NUMERICAL MODELING

Deliang Chen and Johan Kling
Department of Physical Geography
Earth Sciences Centre
Goteborg University
413 81 Goteborg
Sweden



EVIDENCE OF LATE QUATERNARY ENVIRONMENTS IN NORTHWESTERN GEORGIA FROM SEDIMENTS PRESERVED IN RED SPIDER CAVE

George A. Brook
Department of Geography
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia 30602

Rudy J. Nickmann
112 Ford Road
Landing, New Jersey 07850

Abstract:

"Abstract:"--italicized, initial cap; the rest of the abstract in double indented
[Key word:...]--The key words in the article should be placed in brackets at the end of the abstract

Sample:

   Abstract: Soil denudation studies in urban environments are infrequent in the geomorphic literature. Here we describe the amount of soil erosion associated with pedestrian and bicycle pathways on an American university campus. The amount of soil denudation from 30 pedestrian/bicycle paths on the campus of the University of North Carolina was determined by morphometric measurements. Volumes denuded ranged from nearly 20 m3 to <0.2 m3 per site. Highest amounts were located at sites adjacent to a football stadium. Three types of paths were recognized, based on their utilization: paths running adjacent to existing sidewalks, paths cutting across lawns and through shrubbery from one sidewalk to another, and paths formed by bicycles in order to avoid going up or down steps. [Key words: path erosion, soil erosion, North Carolina.]

INTRODUCTION

Recently, human impacts on the environment generally have been examined in the context of global environmental changes...

Headings:

#1--ROMAN, CENTERED, ALL CAPS

#2--Italicized, Left Justified, Upper- and Lowercase

#3--Italicized, initial cap only, followed by a period. Followed by the rest of the paragraph.

Running Heads:

[AUTHOR NAME(S)]--roman, centered, all caps, listed on even page numbers
   Full name for 1 author
   Last names only for 2 authors
   Last name of first author followed by "et al." for 3 or more authors
[TITLE ABBREVIATION]--roman, centered, all caps, listed on odd page numbers
[Page numbers]--roman, bottom center for first page, top left for even pages, top right for odd pages


Sample:

416J. SCOTT GREENESUMMERTIME PRECIPITATION417
428CHEN AND KLINGTHERMAL DIFFUSIVITY IN SOIL429
220EVANS EL ALSAND PINE IN FLORDIA221

Text:

Reference citations -- list by year (oldest to newest), then alphabetically; if there are 3 or more authors in a reference, then use only the first author's name with "et al."; make sure that all citations have a corresponding reference listed at the end of the article; only use page numbers for direct quotes; spell out "and"; use a comma between author and date; do not use the word "see" before citations (e.g., Townsend and Butler, 1996, p. 255)

Table and figure citations -- write the table or figure number in the right margin the first time that it is mentioned; use the abbreviation when citing the figure (e.g., Fig. 1, Table 1, etc.)

Prefixes - "anti-," "mid-," "post-," and "pre-" are generally hyphenated; most others are not hyphenated unless they can be misread (e.g., "sub," "multi," "counter," "under," "non")

Hyphens - "African American" should not be hyphenated, even when used as an adjective

Abbreviations - states should be spelled out when written in the text (abbreviate when they are within parentheses); "versus" should be spelled out in the text (abbreviate when it is within parentheses); U.S. and U.K. should be spelled out in text; use "e.g." rather than "for example" and "i.e." rather than "that is"

Semicolons - semicolons should only be used when separating complete sentences or groups that include commas

Lists - within paragraphs: use "(1), (2), (3), etc."; full paragraphs: use the same type of numbering

Capitalization - when "Black" and "White" are used as a racial group they should be capitalized; capitalize both words in a title if they are hyphenated (e.g, "Re-Presenting"); lowercase all prepositions regardless of length (e.g., in, of, under, at from, by, etc.); "State" should be capitalized if referring to the government (e.g., the State of Louisiana); "Western" should be capitalized when it is referring to the geographical region (e.g., Western-style shopping malls)

Commas - use commas for numbers with 5 or more digits (e.g., 61,270)

Numbers - should be spelled out if under "10"; use figures for all numbers 10 and over, or if the number is under 10 but grouped with numbers 10 and above (e.g., 5 of the 15 cities); use numbers in parentheses for a series within a paragraph, as well as a series of paragraphs (e.g., This paper makes three main points: (1)_____, (2)_____, and (3)_____); use percent symbols when used with numerals (e.g., 75%)

Tables:

"Table 1. [Table Title]"--Period after table number; [Table Numbers] are bold, [Table Titel] is roman, the whole line is centered with upper- and lowercase letters

Use two horizontal lines under the table title, one horizontal line below column heads

Column headings -- roman, centered, cap on first word only

Row headings -- roman, left justified, cap on first word only

Spell out all abbreviations that will fit into the table

n.a. = not available -- roman, with periods, lowercase

Notes at bottom of table

Table notes -- use letters to indicate notes (not numbers because they may be confused with the article's endnotes); list each letter on its own line

Sample:

Table 4. Comparison of Sand Pine Foliar Tissue Concentrations (ppm) with Three Independent Estimate of Foliar Tissue Concentrations for Other Southern Pines

Element Sand pine (n=80) Loblolly pinea (n=10) 20-year-old loblolly pineb Slash pine c
Ca 3413.7 ± 1578.1 2565.5 ±41.7 1600 800-1200
K 2760.2 ± 2226.5 5778.0 ± 123.5 6000 2500-3000
Mg 1414.4 ± 334.8 921.5 ± 20.0 1000 400-600
P 848.9 ± 205.3 1094.2 ± 15.4 1100 850-900

aValues are from tissue analysis on 10 replicates from the same individual of loblolly, harvested on the University of Georgia campus in Athens.
bValues are form a 20-year-old loblolly pine plantation (from Switzer and Nelson, 1972; standard deviations were not published).
cValues are from Pritchett and Fisher (1978, p. 337)

Figures:

"Fig. 1." [figure caption]. -- indented under figure, bold, upper and lowercase, abbreviate "Figure," after the figure caption use a period

Sample:

Photo

   Fig. 4. A cross-lawn path with sediment visibly collecting on the stormwater grating.

Acknowledgments:

"Acknowledgments::" -- italicized, indented, initial cap only, followed by a colon
Achknowledgments should be listed at the end of the text, but before the bibliography

Sample:

Acknowledgments: The authors sincerely appreciate the efforts of Randy Schaetzl and an anonymous reviewer in improving this manuscript.

References:

"REFERENCES"--centered, roman, uppercase
Make sure that all references are cited in the text, if not, query the author to delete them
Use last names and initials only, do not spell out the first or middle names for consistency
Always use the state and country (as well as the city)
If all authors are identical, sort them by date; but, if only the first author is the same, sort them alphabetically
A single author always goes before multiple authors with the same main author

Samples:

   Journal Publication

Basher, R. E. and Thompson, C. S. (1996) Relationship of air temperatures in New Zealand to regional anomalies in sea-surface temperature and atmospheric circulation. International Journal of Climatology, Vol. 16, 405-425.

   Books

Cayan, D. R. and Webb, R. H. (1992) El Niño/southern oscillation and streamflow in the western United States. In H. F. Diaz and V. Markgraf, eds., El Niño - Historical and Paleoclimatic Aspects of the Southern Oscillation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, [pp].

Soil Survey Division Staff (1994) Keys to Soil Taxonomy. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

   Unpublished Dissertation or Theses

Bowden, D. T. (1994) Application of a Snowpack Run-Off Model to the Lake Pukaki Basin, Mt. Cook. Unpublished master's thesis, Department of Geography, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

   Submitted for Publication

Mignogna, R. and Glover, F. (1994) Further investigations into an improved LP-based model for discriminant analysis and pattern classification. Manuscript submitted to Decision Science (June).

   Paper Presented at a Meeting

Anderton, P. W. (1974) Estimation of snow storage and melt in the catchment of Lake Pukaki. Unpublished paper presented at the New Zealand Hydrological Scoiety Symposium, Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand.

   Bulletins

Pilgrim, S. A. L. and Harter, R. D. (1977) Spodic Horizon Characteristics of Some Forest Soils in the White Mountains, New Hampshire. Durham, NH: New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 507.

   Government Reports

Carlisle, V. W., Collins, M. E., Sodek, F., and Hammond, L. C. (1985) Characterization Data for Selected Florida Soils. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Soil Science Department, Soil Science Research Report No. 85-1.

Soil Survey Staff (1975) Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Classification for making and Interpreting Soil Surveys. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, USDA SCS Agricultural Handbook No. 436.

   Internet Source

Nezu, R., 2000, E-commerce: A revolution with power. Retrieved December 15, 2001 from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Web site at http://www.oecd.org/subject/growth/speech_nezy_final.pdf

For additional guidance on any matters not specifically addressed in the above listed instruction and examples, please consult Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition.