Submissions

Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

SUBMIT ONLINE

Our online submission platform will systematically guide you through each stage of entering manuscript information and uploading the required files. Please note that editable files are mandatory to ensure proper final formatting. All official correspondence — including editorial decisions and requests for revisions — will be communicated via email.

ARTICLE TYPES

The Boletim de Geociências da Petrobras publishes Research Papers, Short Notes and Review papers.

LANGUAGE

Articles will be accepted in Portuguese or English.

WRITING AND FORMATTING

File format

We request that editable files be provided throughout the submission process. The recommendations are as follows:

• For text documents, save in an editable format using the extensions .doc or .docx.
• For tables and charts (when used as images), use the format .xls or .xlsx.
• For figures, we recommend the following formats: .tif or .tiff for halftones and bitmaps; .jpg or .jpeg for halftone images; EPS or PDF for vector images; and .ppt or .pptx for annotated images.

Figures and tables are the most effective ways to present results. Therefore, we recommend paying special attention to their graphic quality and request that they also be submitted as separate files from the manuscript.

To facilitate the peer review process, we ask that figures and tables, along with their respective captions, be placed in the manuscript file at the appropriate locations.

The manuscript file must include: title page, abstract (in both Portuguese and English), keywords (in Portuguese and English), the main structural elements of the text (such as: introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion), followed by acknowledgments, appendices (when necessary), references, author contributions, sources of funding, and a statement regarding the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, when applicable.

Title page

Authors must include the following details on the title page:

• Article Title: Titles should be concise and informative, avoiding abbreviations and formulae unless they are well-established and widely understood. For articles being published in English, the title must also be provided in Portuguese.
• Author Names: Provide the given names and family names of each author, ensuring the order matches the submission system. Verify that all names are accurately spelled.
• Affiliations: List affiliation addresses below the author names, indicating where the work was conducted (Institution, city, and country). Use a superscript number immediately after the author's name and before the corresponding address.
• Present/Permanent Address: If an author has moved since the work was conducted or was visiting during that time, indicate a "present address" (or "permanent address") with a note to the author's name. Retain the main affiliation address where the work was carried out.
• Corresponding Author: Identify the corresponding author responsible for handling all correspondence during the refereeing, publication, and post-publication processes. This includes addressing any future queries about the results, data, methodology, and materials.

 Information must be submitted without the use of acronyms or abbreviations, both for individuals’ names and for institutions.

Abstract

Abstracts should be concise, without paragraph breaks or references, and under 300 words. Your abstract needs to clearly and succinctly include the following elements:

• Aims, key questions, or hypotheses.
• The significance of the questions posed.
• A brief overview of the methods and analyses used, main results, and key interpretations or inferences.
• An explanation of the importance of the findings.
• A clear statement highlighting the novelty or significance of the work.

For articles being published in English, the abstract must also be provided in Portuguese.

Keywords

You need to provide 3 to 5 keywords for indexing. For articles in Portuguese, also include the English translations. Avoid using multi-word phrases and abbreviations in the keywords. The journal recommends that authors use terms organized by thematic areas to select standardized keywords on platforms such as: Thesaurus UNESCO  https://vocabularies.unesco.org/browser/thesaurus/en/ and ERIC Thesaurus https://eric.ed.gov/?faq-thesaurus.

ARTICLE STRUCTURE

Article sections

Organize your article into clearly defined and numbered sections.

Subsections should be numbered as 1.1., 1.1.1., 1.1.2., and so on, followed by 1.2., etc. Use this numbering format for cross-referencing within your article, rather than referring to 'the text.' Subsections may have brief headings, which should appear on separate lines.

Do not include the article abstract in the section numbering.

 Introduction

The introduction must explicitly outline the objectives of your work. It is advisable to provide sufficient background information to contextualize your work, while refraining from including an exhaustive literature review or a detailed summary of your results.

 Material and methods

The materials and methods section must provide enough detail to enable replication by an independent researcher. If a method is previously published, summarize and reference it. Use quotation marks and cite the source for direct quotes. Describe any modifications to existing methods.

Authors who use AI tools in analysis of data must be transparent in disclosing in the how the AI tool was used, and which tool was used.

Results

The results section should clearly and concisely present the study's findings, highlighting the most significant results that address the research questions or hypotheses. Include all relevant data, often with tables, figures, and graphs for effective illustration. Describe the outcomes without interpretation or bias. This section forms the basis for the subsequent discussion on the implications and significance of the results.

 Discussion

The discussion should explore the significance of your results without reiterating them. If suitable, you may merge the results and discussion into a single section. It is advisable to minimize extensive citations and discussions of published literature in this section.

 Conclusion

The conclusion section should succinctly summarize the main findings of the study, emphasizing their significance and implications. This section should also highlight the study's contributions to the field, acknowledge any limitations, and suggest directions for future research

The conclusion should provide a clear and concise closure to the article, leaving the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the study's outcomes and their broader impact.

Acknowledgements

In the acknowledgements section, recognize those who assisted you with your research, such as with language, writing, or proofreading. This section should be distinct and separate. Refrain from placing acknowledgements on the title page, as a footnote to the title, or elsewhere in your article other than the designated acknowledgements section.

 Appendices

Identify individual appendices within your article using the format: A, B, etc.

Assign separate numbering to formulae and equations within appendices using formats such as Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc., and in subsequent appendices, Eq. (B.1), Eq. (B.2), etc. Similarly, assign separate numbering to tables and figures using formats such as Table A.1 and Fig. A.1, etc.

References

Manuscripts submitted to BGP must adhere to the Geological Society of America (GSA) bibliographic reference style. Prior to submission, authors should verify that all references conform to the prescribed guidelines detailed below. Every source cited within the main text must be included in the References section. Authors bear the responsibility for ensuring the accuracy and pertinence of all cited works, which will be subject to review by the Editorial Committee.

We request the use of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) as reference links, as they provide a permanent link to the referenced electronic article.

The citation format must adhere to the standard adopted for bibliographic references.

Author contributions: CRediT

Corresponding authors must acknowledge co-author contributions using CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) roles, which include: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, and Writing – review and editing. Not all CRediT roles will apply to every manuscript, and some authors may contribute through multiple roles.

Funding sources

Authors must disclose any funding sources that provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article. It is not necessary to include detailed descriptions of the programs or types of grants, scholarships, and awards.

If no funding has been provided for the research, it is recommended to include the following sentence: 'This research did not receive any specific funding from public, commercial, or not-for-profit agencies

 Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process

The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies must be declared when the paper is first submitted, if applicable. The statement will appear in the published work. An example of statement:

During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.

GUIDELINES FOR USING CITATIONS IN THE TEXT OF THE ARTICLE:

All citations in the text should refer to:

 ONE or TWO authors: Cite the last name(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication, if available. For two authors, use “and” between the authors’ last names.

Examples:

The similarity with other world basins (Geoffroy, 2005) ...

The open-air anomaly data was used (Sandwell and Smith, 2009)

It was confirmed that ... (Smith and Peters, 2019; Lee, 2020; Stevens, 2021).

THREE or MORE authors: For three or more authors, always use the last name of the first author followed by et al., and the year.

Examples:

Many researchers in academia are interested... (Smith et al., 1999).

A spectroscopic study confirmed... (Wilson et al., 2008).

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING THE REFERENCES:

• Arrange the reference list in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names, using standard capitalization (not all caps).
• For works with more than ten authors, list only the first author followed by “et al.”
• Journal titles should appear in plain text, without italics or underlining. Indent the second and all subsequent lines of each reference, beginning after the fifth character.
• When available, include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for each reference.
• For websites, add the month and year you accessed the site in parentheses at the end of the citation. Ensure that every source cited in the text, figures, captions, tables, and appendices is also included in the References section.
• Do not cite unpublished works, works in preparation, submitted, under review, or not peer reviewed.

Examples of references:

Monograph as a whole: books, manuals, guides, catalogs, encyclopedias, and academic works (thesis, dissertations, final papers):

Knoll, A.H., 2023, A Brief History of Earth: 4 Billion Years in Eight Chapters: Rio de Janeiro, Alta Books.

Grotzinger, J., and Hordan, T.H., 2023, Understanding Earth: São Paulo, Bookman.

Carneiro, A., 2018, Geology for Children [Doctoral Thesis in Education]: São Paulo: University of São Paulo.

Monograph chapter:

Grotzinger, J., and Hordan, T.H., 2023, Minerals: Basic Constituents of Rocks, in Grotzinger, J., and Hordan, T.H., 2023: Understanding Earth: São Paulo, Bookman, p. 77-100.

Journal article:

Empinotti, L.C., Zalán, P.V., and Heilbron, M., 2015, Deep Crustal Framework of the Central-North Part of the Angola Margin: Boletim de Geociências da Petrobras, v. 23, n. 1-2.

Journal article (online):

Empinotti, L.C., Zalán, P.V., and Heilbron, M., 2015, Deep Crustal Framework of the Central-North Part of the Angola Margin: Boletim de Geociências da Petrobras, v. 23, n. 1-2.

Conference proceedings:

Carvalho, C.R.S., 1981, Evaporites in the Amazon Basin, in 16th Study Week, Ouro Preto, Sociedade de Intercâmbio Cultural e Estudos Geológico, p. 156-172.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Nomenclature

For additional details, please refer to IUGS: Nomenclature for geological time scales and rock names.

 Math formulae

• Type math equations as text instead of using images.
• Include simple formulas within the regular text when it is possible.
• For small fractional terms, use the solidus (/) rather than a horizontal line, for example, X/Y. Use italics to represent variables.
• Represent powers of e with exp.
• Separate equations from the main text and number them consecutively in the order they appear.
• Ensure a comprehensive nomenclature that defines all symbols and terms is included in the text.

Tables

Tables need to be provided in an editable format rather than as images and should be numbered sequentially based on their order in the text. Cite all tables within the manuscript and position them either next to the relevant text or on separate pages at the end of your article. Include captions with the tables and place any notes below the table body. Vertical lines and shading within table cells should be avoided.

 Figures

Figures, images, artwork, diagrams and other graphical media must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript. Also, to facilitate the peer review process, we ask that figures and tables, along with their respective captions, be positioned in the manuscript file at the appropriate locations.

When submitting figures:

• Cite all images in the manuscript text.
• Number images according to the sequence within your article.
• Submit each image as a separate file using a logical naming convention for your files (for example, Figure_1, Figure_2 etc).
• Please provide captions along with the figures.

Convert your digital artwork to the specified formats, adhering to the resolution requirements outlined below:

• Vector drawings: Save as EPS or PDF files, embedding the font or converting the text to "graphics."
• Color or grayscale photographs (halftones): Save as TIFF, JPG, or PNG files with a minimum of 300 dpi (for single column: at least 1063 pixels, full page width: 2244 pixels).
• Bitmapped line drawings: Save as TIFF, JPG, or PNG files with a minimum of 1000 dpi (for single column: at least 3543 pixels, full page width: 7480 pixels).
• Combinations of bitmapped line/halftones (color or grayscale): Save as TIFF, JPG, or PNG files with a minimum of 500 dpi (for single column: at least 1772 pixels, full page width: 3740 pixels).

Do not submit files that are too low in resolution (for example, files optimized for screen use such as GIF, BMP, PICT or WPG files).

Every image requires a caption. This caption should include a concise title (not shown on the figure itself) and an explanation of the image. We recommend you keep the amount of text in any image to a minimum and ensure that any symbols and abbreviations are clearly defined.

 Colors

Boletim de Geociências da Petrobras is online only, meaning all papers can be reproduced with color as supplied free of charge.

We recommend that color images are accessible to all, including those with impaired color vision. Learn more about color and web accessibility.

 Generative AI and Figures

We prohibit the use of Generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or modify images in submitted manuscripts. This includes enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or introducing specific features within an image or figure. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are allowed, provided they do not obscure or remove any information from the original.

 Supplementary material

We encourage the use of supplementary materials to enhance research. These files, in any format, may include research instruments, data sets compliant with research ethics review, otherwise unavailable sources, figures and tables that cannot be integrated into the text, or other materials that add to the work's contribution. Cite all supplementary files in the manuscript text and include a concise, descriptive caption for each.

All supplementary materials will appear online in the exact file type received and will not be formatted or typeset by the production team. Do not annotate or correct a previous version of a supplementary file; provide updated files if changes are needed at any stage of the publication process.  

 Research data

You are encouraged to deposit your research data in a suitable specialist or generalist repository. Cite this dataset in your article. Research data includes the results of observations or experiments that validate research findings, as well as software, code, models, algorithms, protocols, methods, and other useful materials related to the project.

SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT

Submission checklist

• Ensure that one author has been designated as the corresponding author, and their complete contact details have been provided.
• Verify that all files have been uploaded.
• Conduct thorough spelling and grammar checks.
• Confirm that all references in the article text are cited in the reference list and vice versa.
• Obtain permission for the use of any copyrighted material from other sources, including the Web.
• Ensure that you are filling in the correct language field.
• Keep the title and abstract the same in the submitted and revised text file and in the OJS metadata.
• Avoid unnecessary capital letters in titles and abstracts. Use consistent capitalization conventions.

For Petrobras authors:

• Upload proof of authorization for data publication, ensuring compliance with legal requirements for the external use of geological and geophysical data, in accordance with current Company Policies
• Upload proof of authorization for data publication in cases of external disclosure of project results conducted through Cooperation Terms and Agreements between Petrobras and scientific and technological institutions (ICT) or companies, following Petrobras' internal guidelines.

Proof correction

To ensure a fast publication process, we ask that you provide proof corrections within five days. Corresponding authors will receive an email with instructions.

The purpose of the proof is to check the formatting, editing, completeness, and correctness of your article's text, tables, and figures. Significant changes to your article at the proofing stage will only be considered with the approval of the journal editor.

Privacy statement

The names and addresses provided in this journal will be used exclusively for the services provided by this publication and will not be made available for other purposes or to third parties, in accordance with the LGPD – Brazilian General Data Protection Law.

AUTHOR SUPPORT

Contact the journal's editorial team via email: cc-boletimgeociencias-bgp@petrobras.com.br