Geosciences (GEOL)

What style should I use?

Many different citation styles are used in the geosciences.

Some styles are defined by professional groups or associations, like the Geological Society of America (GSA) citation style.  Other styles are defined by individual journals, and guidelines are usually found on the journal's website.  For example, the journal AAPG Bulletin has a Manuscript Preparation page with citation information.

Guides for a few styles that are commonly used in the geosciences are listed here.  If you are unsure which citation style to use, consult your professor.

Online Style Guides

Print Style Guides

Additional Citation Styles

The following tools can help you to cite information sources.  Check the citations generated by these tools for accuracy before you use them.

Online Citation Generators

Choose a citation style, a type of information source, and plug in the bibliographic information (title, author, etc.) that is requested.  A complete citation is created from the information that you enter.

Database Citation Tools

Many databases have tools that will generate citations for materials found in the database.  Usually there is an option to either cut and paste the formatted citation or export the information to citation management software.

The tools will be slightly different in each database and will appear in different places.  You may need to explore a little bit to find them.  Icons from the Gale Virtual Reference Library and Academic Search Premier are shown below.

Citation Managers

Citation management software allows users to organize and store information about sources that are found during literature research.  References can then be easily inserted into written works and formatted in many different citation styles.  This type of software is especially useful for large research projects.  A few popular options are listed below with links for more information.