Geoscience Editing and Publishing
The role of the geoscience editing and publishing group in the Geoscience Information Services Section can be roughly divided into two parts. The first part involves editing a manuscript (report, article or map) to the author's satisfaction. The second part involves producing a published document.
In the Mineral Resources Branch, all scientific publications must be reviewed by at least one scientist who has not contributed to the research being presented. This process is called peer review and finding a suitable reviewer is usually the editor's first task after receiving a manuscript. The editor assigns the manuscript to a reviewer who is experienced in the field of study being presented by the author. The editor supplies the reviewer with detailed guidelines to direct the review toward the most critical scientific aspects of the manuscript:
- significance of the content,
- soundness of the content,
- completeness of the content, and
- presentation.
The reviewer's comments are then given to the author so that the manuscript can be revised in an effort to improve its scientific content.
Resubmission of the manuscript after peer review initiates the next step in the editorial process, often called "substantive" editing. This step may require re-writing parts of the document, re-organizing sections, and generally suggesting ways that the author can improve the presentation of their research for its intended readers. Since the subject matter is geoscience, the editors are geologists - although they can not be experienced in the particular field of research for each manuscript they understand the concepts, terminology, and scientific methods employed. The relationship between author and editor is most important during this phase of substantive editing.
Another aspect of the editorial process is often referred to as "copy" editing. This function requires careful attention to every detail in a document in order to meet the Branch publication standards. For the Mineral Resources Branch, these standards reflect those used by the Geological Survey of Canada. Some standards, such as consistent capitalization, spelling and punctuation, are easily applied. Others may require much more time and effort, such as consistent citation and listing of references, and making sure that tables, maps and drawings meet the appropriate specifications. This phase of the editorial process also involves grammar. The editor will not force a particular writing style on an author; however, good grammar is invaluable in scientific communication and is a large part of the plain-language style that promotes clarity of expression.
Geoscientists in the Mineral Resources Branch are required to publish accounts of their work. The final appearance of our publications is largely determined by the publication team, which includes an editor and a desktop publishing technician. This function consists of preparing camera-ready (or Internet-ready) manuscripts for publication, and involves words, figures, tables and other design elements that are electronically composed using a variety of publishing applications, such as WordPerfect® and PageMaker®. Manuscripts travel back and forth between the editor and the desktop publishing technician many times before they are ready to be published, either on paper or on-line.
Staff of the geoscience editing and publishing group work toward the goal of consistent high-quality, timely, and cost-effective reporting on activities carried out by the Mineral Resources Branch. Accounts of these activities may be published as scientific reports, memoirs or maps, or they may best be communicated in less technical publications such as information circulars or newsletters. The Branch newsletter Nova Scotia Minerals Update is produced quarterly and distributed to more than 1200 subscribers around the world. The newsletter and many of our other, shorter publications are also converted to HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and are available on-line as part of the Branch web site. These activities ensure that current geoscience information on Nova Scotia is readily available to enhance public awareness and to promote the mineral resources of the province.
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