GEOLOGY DEPARTMENT, KSU STARK
Style and Format for Research Papers and Annotated Bibliographies
Many styles for research papers, in-text citations, and reference pages exist. For the Geology
courses at KSU Stark, written assignments will use the Journal of Paleontology style format, at
<www.psjournals.org>. Click on Instructions for Authors for more details than are provided here. This
format is similar to those of many biological journals, and is simple and straightforward.
You are expected to use the following rules and examples when preparing your written
assignment. Failure to do so will result in a dramatically lower grade. Please do not hesitate to see me
or log on to the website listed above if you have any questions.
GENERAL
1. Papers should be double-spaced throughout with standard page margins.
2. Use a standard font and font size (i.e., 12 point).
3. Number the pages.
4. Do not submit a separate title page–it simply wastes paper. Place your name and other pertinent
information in the upper left or right corner of the first page of the manuscript.
5. There is no need to place the written assignment in a folder or plastic report cover. Save your
money.
6. Staple the paper.
7. Major headings, if you use them, such as Introduction, Conclusion, etc., should be typed in all capital
letters and centered.
IN-TEXT CITATIONS
All facts that you take from any source must be cited within the text, EVEN IF IT IS NOT A
DIRECT QUOTE!!!! To do this, place the last name of the author (s) and the year that the source was
published in parentheses after the sentence including the citation.
Example 1:
Species of Chasmocarcinus are not parasitic; they are free-living (Rathbun, 1918).
The information in the above sentence was derived from Mary Jane Rathbun’s 1918 paper
entitled The Grapsid crabs of America. It is not my own observation; therefore, I cited Miss Rathbun’s
work.
Example 2:
“The Asthenognathinae has a limited fossil record; only Asthenognathus has been recorded as
fossil species” (Schweitzer and Feldmann, 2001, p. 330).
This is a direct quote; thus, it must be placed within quotation marks, and the author(s), year, and
page number must be given.
Example 3:
Rathbun (1918) reported that species of Asthenognathus are free-living.
When you use the name of the author(s) in the sentence, only place the year in parentheses after
the name is used.
EXAMPLES OF IN-TEXT CITATIONS:
1 author: (Feldmann, 1991).
2 authors: (Schweitzer and Feldmann, 2001).
1 author when surname occurs more than once: (A. Milne Edwards, 1865). The first initial is used in this
case to differentiate A. Milne Edwards from H. Milne Edwards.
3 or more authors: (Schweitzer et al., 2000).
Multiple citations of the same author: (Schweitzer, 2000, 2001).
Several sources for the same information: (Karasawa, 1993; Schweitzer, 2001).
Websites: the first few words of the website (cnn.com) or article from the website.
Note the punctuation in all of the above examples. The last name is followed by a comma, then
the year appears. If a page number is given, it is separated from the year by a comma. The phrase“et
al.” has a period after the “al.” Two different authors are separated by a semi-colon. Notice that a
period follows the parentheses an ALL cases; it does not precede it.
When there are several sources for the same information, list the sources in chronological order.
USE OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF ORGANISMS
Scientific Punctuation: Common Mistakes and Things People Don’t Know
There are a variety of punctuation and grammar rules that only apply to scientific writing. Some
of these are actually rules, and some are protocols that are followed by convention. Following these
rules and protocols indicates that you are familiar with scientific literature and conventions, thus making
your work more credible and professional.
Using formal scientific names for organisms.
When using the formal genus and species name for an organism, the name must be italicized or
underlined to differentiate it from the rest of the text. If it isn’t, it is technically spelled wrong. The
formal name for humans is Homo sapiens. Canis lupus is the scientific name for the timber wolf.
In the couplet Homo sapiens, Homo is the genus (or generic) name and sapiens is the trivial
name. The generic name coupled with the trivial name is the species name. The species name must
include the genus. “Sapiens” on its own does not mean anything; trivial names must ALWAYS be
coupled with their generic name.
Why? Generic names are unique; Homo only applies to a group of hominids with large brains.
However, trivial names are not unique; there are many species with the same trivial name. For example,
many crabs have the trivial name “granulosa;” the way to distinguish them is by the genus name.
Another example is Palaeopinnixa rathbunae, Eriosachila rathbunae, and Zanthopsis rathbunae. All of
these are named for Mary Jane Rathbun, a preeminent scholar in the field of crabs, but they are all
different species.
Generic names can be written without their trivial name, but trivial names are never
written without their generic name. You can refer to several species of Homo, but you can’t refer to
“sapiens” because by itself it has no meaning. You could be talking about any organism with the trivial
name “sapiens.” Only by adding the generic name have you specifically (no pun intended) identified the
organism.
Within a paragraph, the generic name only needs to be spelled out entirely the first time it
is used. After that, you can abbreviate it with its first letter. For example, if you have already used the
term Homo sapiens in a paragraph, the next time you use it, you can write H. sapiens. There are only
two exceptions. At the beginning of a sentence, spell out the generic name. Never start a sentence with
“H. sapiens”. In rarer cases you might be comparing to species that have the same first initial. For
example, if you were comparing the mudshrimp Callianassa sayi and Callianopsis clallamensis, you
should spell out the generic name. Otherwise, the fact that the genera each start with “C” will make your
work confusing.
When you refer to an organism by its scientific name, there is no need to use the word ”the”
before it. You would not write, “The Homo sapiens appears to have evolved in Africa,” nor would you
write, “The Flexicalymene is an Ordovician fossil.” The species name is like a person’s name. You
would not write “The William Bittle is the dean of this campus.” However, if you are referring to a
specific specimen or fossil, use “the,” as in, “The Flexicalymene fossil is very well preserved”.
REFERENCES
1. In a term paper, a one-to-one correspondence must exist between works cited in the text and those
listed in the references. All sources cited in the text must be listed in the references. Works that are not
cited should not be listed in the references.
2. Capitalize title of books and publications, but not titles of articles in journals.
3. Do not use abbreviations in the references.
4. Always list multiple authors of a book or article in the order they appear on the book or article. Do
not rearrange or alphatebize.
EXAMPLES
Article in a journal or magazine, one author
Kammer, T. W. 1985. Aerosol filtration theory applied to Mississippian deltaic crinoids. Journal of
Paleontology, 59:551-560.
“59" is the volume number. The issue number, which would be written as in 59(2):551-560, is only
necessary in journals that are not continuously paginated from issue to issue, which often is the case in
many popular journals.
Article in a journal or magazine, two authors
Schweitzer, C. E., and R. M. Feldmann. 2001. Differentiation of the fossil Hexapodidae Miers, 1886
(Decapoda: Brachyura) from similar forms. Journal of Paleontology, 75:330-345.
Article in a journal or magazine, three or more authors
Schweitzer, C. E., R. M. Feldmann, A. B. Tucker, and R. E. Bergland. 2000. Eocene decapod
crustaceans from Pulali Point, Washington. Annals of Carnegie Museum, 69:23-67.
Article in an edited book or anthology
Eldredge, N., and S. J. Gould. 1972. Punctuated equilibrium: an alternative to phyletic gradualism, p.
82-115. In T. J. M. Schopf (ed.), Models in Paleobiology. Freeman, Cooper and Company, San
Francisco.
Notice that the page numbers of the article follow the article title. Next the editor (s) is/are
listed, followed by the name of the book. The publishing company and city of publication are last. All
editors are listed with given name initials preceding the surname.
Book, one author
Mayr, E. 1963. Animal Species and Evolution. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
797 p.
Book, multiple authors
Draper, N., and H. Smith. 1981. Applied Regression Analysis (second edition). John Wiley and Sons,
New York, 709 p.
Dissertation or thesis
Chirino-Galvez, L. 1993. Cenozoic crabs from Chile. Unpublished M. S. thesis, Kent State
University, Kent, Ohio, 280 p.
Geological Society of America Publications
Feldmann, R. M., and M. T. Wilson. 1988. Eocene decapod crustaceans from Antarctica, p. 465-488.
In R. M. Feldmann and M. O. Woodburne (eds.), Geology and Paleontology of Seymour Island,
Antarctic Peninsula. Geological Society of America Memoir, 69.
Seilacher, A. 1983. Precambrian metazoan extinctions. Geological Society of America Abstracts with
Programs, 15(6):683.
Moore, R. C., and L. R. Laudon. 1943. Evolution and classification of Paleozoic crinoids. Geological
Society of America Special Paper, 46, 167 p.
Merrill, G. K. 1973. Pennsylvanian conodont paleoecology, p. 239-276. In F. H. T. Rhodes (ed.),
Conodont paleozoology. Geological Society of America Special Paper, 141.
United States Geological Survey publications
Gill, J. R., and W. A. Cobban. 1966. The Red Bird section of the upper Pierre Shale in Wyoming. U.
S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 393A:A1-A73.
If the cited work comprises the entire Professional Paper, then use “393A: 73 p.”
Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology
Glaessner, M. F. 1969. Decapoda, p. R400-R566. In R. C. Moore (ed.), Treatise on Invertebrate
Paleontology, Part R, Arthropoda 4, Geological Society of America and University of Kansas
Press, Lawrence.
Robison, R. A. (ed.). 1983. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part G, Bryozoa. Geological
Society of America and University of Kansas Press, Lawrence.
The style in the Robison example is only used when you wish to cite all of part G, not a portion
thereof, as in the Glaessner example which cites a portion of part R.
Newspaper Articles
Friedman, Thomas. 2003. The effect of oil prices on American policy in Iraq. New York Times, 23
October: B2.
Reuters News Service. 2003. Large earthquake devastates northern Turkey. Canton
Repository, 23 October: A4.
Reference Books
If the dictionary entry has an author:
Turner, V. W. 1964. “Divination.” A Dictionary of the Social Sciences. J. Gould and W. L. Kolb,
eds. McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York.
If the encyclopedia entry has an author:
Feldmann, R. M. 2001. Decapoda. The New Encylopedia Britannica: Macropaedia. 15th edition.
Britannica Publishing, New York.
Unsigned dictionary entry:
“Palinspastic Map.” 1984. Dictionary of Geological Terms. R. L. Bates and J. A. Jackson, eds, Third
Edition. American Geological Institute, Anchor Books, New York.
Unsigned Encyclopedia entry:
“Solstice.” 1997. Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th edition. Britannica Publishing, New York.
Websites
This is not covered by the Journal of Paleontology. The following examples are taken from the MLA
style, in The Bedford Guide for College Writers, and modified to fit the JP style.
The basic elements of an internet source should be as follows:
1. Name of the author or editor, if given.
2. Title of the document
3. Date of publication or latest update
4. Name of the sponsoring organization, if any
5. Date on which you accessed the information.
6. On-line address in <angle brackets>.
If the author’s name is unknown, begin with the site title.
EPA Laws and Regulations Page. 6 March 1998. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 11
March 1998 <www.epa.gov/epahome/rules.html>
In the text, this should be cited as (EPA Laws).
Geology: Plate tectonics. University of California at Berkeley. 23 October 2003
<www.ucmp.berkely.edu/geology>
In the text, this should be cited as (Geology: Plate Tectonics).
Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics. 21 October 2002. United States Geological Survey. 23 October 2003.
<www.usgs.gov>
If the author and date of latest update are not readily identifiable, leave them out.
On-line Encyclopedia or Other Reference
“Echinoderms.” Britannica Online. Version 98.1. Sept. 1997. Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 10 March
2002 <www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin>.
In the text, this should be cited as (Echinoderms, Britannica).
CD-ROM or DVD
Sheehy, Donald, ed. 1997. Robert Frost: Poems, Life, Legacy. CD-ROM. Holt, New York.
In the text, this would be cited as (Sheehy, 1997).
On-line Journals
When citing articles from an on-line journal, proceed as you would for a print article, but add the
date you accessed the article and the web address at the end, as follows:
Erickson, John G. 2002. Fish: working for scale. Palaeontologica Electronica, 4(2). 1 May 2002
<palaeo-electronica.org>.
In the text, this would be cited as (Erickson, 2002).
Videos
“Life at the Edge of the Sea.” 1998. Nature Video Library. Thirteen/WNET for PBS and BBC-TV.
Personal Interviews, class notes, lecture notes
Cite the fact or idea in the text as in the following: (C. Schweitzer, personal commun.). This will
encompass any conversation you have with a professor or other authority or notes from lectures
and class work. You do not need to list the person in the references.
REFERENCES
Kennedy, X. J., D. M. Kennedy, and S. A. Holladay. 2002. The Bedford Guide for College Writers
(sixth edition). Bedford.St. Martin’s, New York, 639 p. + indices.
Paleontological Journals Online, Instructions for Authors, Journal of Paleontology. 1 May 2002. The
Paleontological Society. 22 May 2002 <www.psjournals.org>.