Additional Resources for Authors
Checklists
NBMG Publication Review Checklist | NBMG Map Review Checklist
Style Guides
NBMG does not currently have a comprehensive style guide. For now, we use the above checklists and these NBMG style guidelines/notes for our publication production. We also refer to the following style guides when needed, which are listed in order of priority. These guidelines are not absolute requirements; there is some room for flexibility in style as long as there is internal consistency withing the manuscript and associated materials.
- Guide for the Preparation of Reports for the Utah Geological Survey, third edition, Utah Geological Survey, 2008. We thank the Utah Geological Survey for generously allowing us to use their style manual with modifications and exceptions for NBMG publications.
- USGS Suggestions to Authors, seventh edition (STA), U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991. If you cannot find the information that you need in the UGS guide, please refer to this reference.
- Geological Society of America Online Style Guide. This information is provided only for the use of authors preparing publications for outside journals, as NBMG does not strictly follow the GSA format; however, this guide can be used if you cannot find the information you need in the two previous guides.
- Chicago Manual of Style Online (16th edition).
Standards and Reference Materials
Geologic Names Lexicon (GEOLEX): An online database provided by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Association of American State Geologists, and U.S. Geological Survey. It contains a listing of all formal lithostratigraphic unit names in the United States as they are used in publications. The names of formal lithostratigraphic units are capitalized; the names of informal units are not. When in doubt, authors should consult this resource.
Geographic Names Information System (GNIS): This USGS database lists the formal geographic names currently accepted by NBMG.
Divisions of Geologic Time—Major Chronostratigraphic and Geochronologic Units: Updated version released by the USGS August 2018.
FGDC Digital Cartographic Standard for Geologic Map symbolization. A compilation of standard symbols for features depicted on geologic maps agreed upon by the USGS and the state geological surveys (Association of American State Geologists).
Glossary of Geology, American Geological Institute. You can access an online version through the DeLaMare Library which also has a wide variety of other geology-related information. (UNR access only)
National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) website, U.S. Geologicial Survey.
National Geologic Map Database Standards and Guidelines web page, U.S. Geological Survey.
DeLaMare Library Geological Sciences Library Guide, University of Nevada, Reno.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.You may also access this dictionary through UNR’s Knowledge Center website
Tools and Templates
NBMG master geodatabase. Includes current version of NBMG file geodatabase used for geologic map production.
NBMG map layout elements. Includes template and example files used for NBMG geologic maps.
NBMG Style File (be sure to look at the "NBMG_README" file): A modified version of the Geological Survey of Canada implementation.
FGDCGeoAge font (see sections 31 through 33 for download links). Font created by the USGS for geologic age symbols such as Pennsylvanian, Triassic, Cambrian, etc.
EndNote Web. This is a tool that can be used to collect, organize, format, and share reference citations. You can select specific references and export them in the format of your choice, including one that is similar to the UGS format preferred by NBMG.
NBMG Copyright
Please review our copyright policy as it will relate to all products published through NBMG.
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