Manuscript Preparation & Submission Instructions

Manuscript Format

Feature	Descriptions
File Type	Word .doc(x) preferred, or rich text format .rtf*
Line Spacing	Double spaced throughout
Font	Times New Roman (or similar) 12-point type
Page Size	US Letter (8.5 by 11 inches)
Page Numbers	Yes
Line Numbers	Not required (added automatically by the peer review system)
* Note: Although LaTex (Tex) files can be uploaded to the peer review system, accepted manuscripts must be provided as doc(x) or .rtf files. Likewise, WordPerfect or Open Office files are not permitted. PDFs are allowed at initial submission but not for revisions.

Guide to Tables

Tables included in the final paper need to convey information efficiently and be integral to understanding the paper. Tables that may deepen understanding and help reproduce your results should be in the Online Materials as a supplement. Online materials are freely available, aiding researchers in their work and expanding on your findings. If the data for your paper is available via an online depository (such as Zotero) — we can include the URL, preferably a DOI.

Format: Ideally, Microsoft Word or Excel.

General notes about Tables:

• Titles should be brief and descriptive.
• Column headings should have the appropriate units (in parentheses).
• Headings within the table should be bold and centered.
• Footnotes end with periods. Use superscript a,b,c, etc. to refer to footnotes (do not use symbols or numbers).
• Keep the design and layout as simple as possible. Avoid lines, complicated layouts, and shading.
• Column headings must be in standard alignment, not rotated.
• Use an extra return (white space) in the body of the table to separate sections rather than rules/lines.
• Ensure that blocks of text and their alignment relative to the data are clear. Use “notes to typesetting” for straddle rules and aligning headings over multiple columns, for example. Vertical brackets are difficult to lay out and may be unclear to the reader. When in doubt, we refer to the original submitted files.

CIF (Crystallographic Information Files): CIFs are required for those reporting new structures or refinements of the structures of known minerals.  The CIF must contain all of the structural data for the manuscript. Only one CIF per manuscript (or provide an explanation for more than one). Guidelines for preparation of the CIF are below (or click on CIF in the menu bar). It is required to check your CIF for errors to ensure that it is free of errors, especially syntax errors, prior to submission. (Syntax errors are a large problem, and carefully eliminating those will speed your manuscript along.) Use one of these programs (author’s choice):
– EnCIFer  https://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/Community/csd-community/encifer/ or
– publCIF https://journals.iucr.org/services/cif/publcif/

At submission, upload the CIF, CheckCIF report, and structure factors. If applicable to your manuscript, these items are required for the peer review and technical review process.

Guide to Figures

Figure preparation has two stages: (1) Peer Review and (2) Production (after acceptance). Of course, be prepared to supply high-quality figures if accepted.

(1) Figure guidelines for Peer Review: Figures submitted for peer review are intended for reviewers and editors. Most of the time, they will be viewed solely on screen.

When/where to upload:	peer review website, at submission*
Acceptable file formats	tif, eps, jpg, pdf, doc (see below#) (PowerPoint) PPT files are not preferred
Labeling	IMPORTANT! Each figure should have the appropriate label, e.g., “Figure 1”, etc… somewhere on the image itself (above, below, lower corner, etc.) See the example below.
Resolution:	web quality OK* for submission/peer review

* Note: when uploading very large files, conversion to PDF might take a while, depending on your internet speed and connection. There is no need to contact our office unless the conversion has not been completed after 12 hours.

# Word (doc) accepted for peer review; figures alone or at the end of the manuscript.

Sample figure:

(2) Figure guidelines for Production: When your paper is accepted and sent to production, we evaluate the figures at that time. High-quality figures are requested as needed. Follow the same labeling guidelines as above.

Where/where to upload	The Editorial Office will contact you with a link to upload.
Acceptable file formats*	tif, eps, jpg, pdf
Resolution (ppi/dpi)	See below.
File names	Always put your manuscript number first and last name, e.g., 1234SmithFig1.tif

* Fonts MUST be embedded.

Copyright Permissions:

All figures (tables, video, data, etc.) that require permission must have the source (copyright holder) acknowledged in the caption. Suggested format: “Used with permission of Publishing Company, from Jones and Smith (2000), Journal, vol. x, Fig. Y, p. z.” You may use a normal citation if the source is in the reference list, which it probably should be. One exception is when using a photograph taken by someone who is not an author on the paper, in which case you must obtain written permission from the copyright holder and note it in the caption. For example: “Photo courtesy of John Smith.”

Am Min requires the corresponding author to send a copy of the copyright permission letter as soon as your paper is accepted (or as soon as the letter is obtained). You will receive an email after acceptance with instructions on how to fill out the required paperwork, but do not delay in obtaining your copyright permissions once your paper is accepted.

Resolution 101

General size guidelines: Assume most art will be 1 column in layout, which is approx. 3 inches (19 picas) — 2 column art can go up to 6.5 inches (39 picas). Do not use hairlines (make lines >0.5 pt thick). The smallest character or symbol on a figure should be 8 pt high to ensure readability. Use a sans serif font (like Helvetica) and be consistent. Remember to “embed” all fonts! If possible, rasterize your figures to avoid problems involving (hidden) layers.

Note that there are 3 types of figures: plain line art, photographs, and combination art (a mixture of photographic and line art elements). Tip: Here is an easy way to test your resolution: view your artwork on a computer screen at 400% enlargement, are lines jagged? fuzzy? acceptable?
Ideal resolutions for Raster art (.tif): 1200 ppi/dpi for line art; 300 to 600 ppi/dpi for grayscale (shaded) art; 300 ppi/dpi for grayscale-photographic or color artwork. While PDFs and .eps artwork are vector (meaning they expand/contract and keep their set resolution), they will still have too low a resolution if low-resolution raster images are embedded inside.

• Color artwork: Should be CMYK (not RGB); if it is not color, make sure it is grayscale, not RGB or CMYK. Color fees are discussed here.
• TEM artwork needs special care because of the fine detail and repeating patterns that are difficult to capture on paper with ink in printing. Please use high-resolution images. If accepted, the proofs should be a guideline as to what authors will see and you can re-supply at that point if need be.
• Disclaimer. Neither the printer nor the American Mineralogist is responsible for the quality of the artwork you supply; a poor file is exactly the same as sending us a blurry photograph. The image in the journal will likewise be blurry. The quality of the final outcome is determined by your equipment, image resolution, and your ability to produce a quality file. We try to help authors as much as possible.

Figure captions

Figure captions should be brief and explanatory; they should not duplicate information in the figure. Place extensive descriptive text in the caption, not in the figure. Follow this format:

Figure 1. Description text here.

Multiple parts of figures should be indicated by lowercase letters “a” and “b”. In the caption, make (a), (b), etc. in bold, or use (left/right) or (upper/lower). If letter designations are used for the parts, please label the figures with those letters.

Labels and text in the figures must be consistent with the manuscript and follow Am Min style. Please check our abbreviation guide, e.g, wt% for weight percent, T for temperature, and P for pressure.

Fees for Color Figures

Authors are responsible for the cost to print color in the journal. We strive to keep our fees low (see details here). Consider joining MSA to obtain free online color figures. You may prepare your figures to print in grayscale or black & white, or we will convert them for you.

Quick Guide to Units and Symbols

Length (l)

m = meter(s)

cm = centimeter(s) (1 cm = 10^-2 m)

mm = millmeter(s) (1 mm = 10^-3 m)

μm = micrometer(s) (1 μm =10^-6 m) NOT micron or μ

nm = nanometer(s) (1 nm = 10^-9 m)

Å = angstrom(s) (1 Å = 10^-10 m)

pm = picometer(s) (1 pm = 10^-12 m)

Volume (V)

L = liter(s); mL = milliliter(s)

cm³ = cubic centimeter(s)

ų = cubic angstrom(s)

Density (D or ρ)

g/cm³ = gram(s) per cubic centimeter (please do not use Mg/m³)

Concentration (indicate with square brackets [ ] around chemical symbol, e.g., [Cl^1-])

% = percent; ‰ = per mill

wt% = weight percent; mol% = mole percent; vol% = volume percent

M = molar concentration (1 M = 1 mol/L)

m = molal concentration (1 m = 1 mol/kg)

ppm = parts per million; ppb = parts per billion

Mass (m)

g = gram(s)

kg = kilogram(s)

mg = milligram(s)

μg = microgram(s)

Time (t)

s = second(s); min = minute(s); h = hour(s)

Note: day(s), week(s), year(s) spelled out

Ma = million years; Ga = billion years (ago or date)

m.y. = million years; b.y. = billion years (duration)

Pressure (P)

Pa = pascal(s)

kPa = kilopascal(s); MPa = megapascal(s)

GPa = gigapascal(s)

bar or bars (no abbreviation)

kbar = kilobar(s)

atm = atmosphere(s) (not recommended)

Temperature (T)

K = Kelvin(s); °C = degrees Celsius

Frequency (f or η)

Hz = hertz; kHz = kilohertz; MHz = megahertz

Energy

J = joule(s); kJ = kilojoule(s) (preferred)

cal = calorie(s); kcal = kilocalorie(s)

Miller indices– note that letter symbols are italicized but numberic values are not, e.g., [hkl] but [100]

hkl = diffraction symbol

(hkl) = face symbol

{hkl} = form symbol

[hkl] = edge or zone symbol

Unit-cell measurements

a, b, c = edge lengths; α, β, γ = angles

a, b, c = vectors– note boldface

Optical measurements:

• • • • dispersion (r, v),
      • optic axial angle (2V, 2V_x, 2V_z);
      • principal vibration directions (E, O; X, Y, Z);
      • refractive indices (n; n_ε, n_ω, n_α, n_β, n_γ where the n’s are italic and the Greek characters are subscripts)

Standards for Mineral Names, Nomenclature, and Abbreviations

Mineral names and abbreviations: Use a consistent set of mineral abbreviations throughout text, tables, and figures. Abbreviations are recommended for subscripts, superscripts, reactions, assemblages (connected with plus signs), and normative mineral symbols with subscript weight percentages; however, abbreviations should not be used for mineral names that stand alone in the text. Whitney and Evans (2010; Am Min, v. 95 no. 1 p. 185-187) has recently suggested a set of abbreviations that may be used. For another example, see L.N. Warr’s IMA-CNMNC approved mineral symbols (Mineralogical Magazine, 2021, 85, p. 291-320, 10.1180/mgm.2021.43). However, you may choose another consistent set.

Mineral nomenclature: New mineral names and redefinitions of existing names must be approved by the Commission on New Minerals Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) (Fleischer 1970) before publication. For this purpose, consult the published reports of the Commission on New Minerals Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA). The MSA website hosts many of the IMA Reports.

• A Special Note About Nomenclature: Remember it is the author’s responsibility to make sure the text, tables and other materials consistently follow the nomenclature recommended by the IMA. Reports detailing the CMNNC approved style for nomenclature for minerals and mineral groups are available.

New mineral names: Authors must provide the Editorial Office with evidence of IMA approval of any new mineral names. Whenever naming new minerals, authors must conform to the rules and principles set forth in Nickel and Mandarino (1987) (excerpt, pdf) or Nickel and Grice (1998) (pdf). The paper by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names (1982) should be consulted for a suggested outline for new mineral descriptions. The abstract of a new mineral description should completely list the properties of the mineral in a manner consistent with the “New Mineral Names” section of the journal. The paper by Nickel and Grice (1998) (pdf) gives more information on procedures. Additional information is given by Dunn (1977). Naming of regular interstratifications of clay minerals is discussed by Bailey (1982). In general, manuscripts proposing new names for imperfectly or incompletely described minerals cannot be accepted.

Obsolete, discredited, or superfluous mineral names may not be used. A helpful guide is Glossary of Mineral Species (Fleischer and Mandarino 1995). This glossary is taken as the standard for the spelling of mineral names. However, the editors now allow use of element symbols as prefixes to the approved name of a mineral (e.g., Mg-chlorite, K-feldspar). A list of discredited mineral names and examples of acceptable and unacceptable usages of mineral names appear in Nickel and Mandarino (1987) excerpt, pdf and Nickel and Grice (1998) (pdf).

Meteorite nomenclature: New meteorite names must be approved by the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society [British Museum (Natural History), London, U.K.]. Other meteorite names must conform to the spelling given in the Catalogue of Meteorites (https://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/metcat) or in subsequent numbers of the Meteoritical Bulletin (published in Meteoritics).

List of Necessary Items for Experimental Documentation

(Modified from Table 3.2.1 in the book Basalt Volcanism on Terrestrial Planets)

Most or all of the following can be placed into an electronic appendix, but must be made available to reviewers and the AE for review purposes.

• • 1. Goal of the experiments
    2. Documentation of starting materials—natural or synthetic—preparation procedures (oxide mix or gel, grinding methods, temperature, oxygen fugacity, etc. of preparation)—state (crystalline, glassy, gel)—mineralogy if crystalline—grain size and grain size distribution—composition after preparation and before use
    3. Experimental apparatus
    4. Thermocouple type, calibration and uncertainties
    5. Pressure measurement method, calibration and uncertainties
    6. Methods of temperature and pressure controlled
    7. Oxygen fugacity (controlled or uncontrolled, method of measurement and error)
    8. Method of addition of volatiles and uncertainty
    9. Sample container—material(s)—open or sealed capsule
    10. Pressure-temperature path during the experiments (heating and cooling rates and time at each temperature and pressure)
    11. Quenching method and rate to reach a specified temperature
    12. Special treatment, if any, during opening of the experimental capsule (e.g., freezing of a volatile phase)
    13. Evaluation of attainment of equilibrium for phase equilibrium experiments
    14. Demonstration of reproducibility and/or consistency for kinetic experiments
    15. Phase composition data in Excel or other spreadsheet format; could be made ready for incorporation into the database Library of Experimental Phase Relations (LEPR; http://lepr.ofm-research.org/; Hisrshmann et al. 2008, G3, vol. 9, DOI: 10.1029/2007GC001894).

Estimated Standard DeviationPrecision of measurement may be indicated as 1.781 ± 0.002, if 0.002 represents a subjective estimate of the measurement error. Where sufficient data permit calculation of the estimated standard deviation (e.s.d.), indicate it with parentheses e.g., 1.781(2) and 1.781(11) indicate an e.s.d. of 0.002 and 0.011, respectively. Only significant digits shall be given for the observed value, i.e., e.s.d. values in parentheses should be given as single or double digit integers. American Mineralogist as a policy requests that all measured values have to be accompanied by some indication on the uncertainty. Ideally this should be a properly calculated standard uncertainty. Only in exceptional cases, if scarcity of sample or some other special circumstances prohibit any even subjective estimation of an uncertainty, can this rule be waived.

Manuscript Submission/Peer Review Website

Ready to submit? Click here. Note that updating your contact info on this website does not “transfer” to the MSA membership database (contact the MSA Business Office to update your info).

As an author, you will be able to log in and monitor the progress of your paper. However, once you have approved your submission, you cannot delete it or substitute a new table, for example. If you need assistance, contact the Editorial office for help.

Timeframes for Am Min

A great number of variables can affect the flow of your manuscript through peer review. This information is provided for planning purposes and is not guaranteed. In general, an editor is assigned, and an associate editor (AE) is invited to handle the paper within a few days of submission. In about five to seven days, an AE will be found. The goal is for AEs to find reviewers within a couple of weeks, resulting in an overall review time of about six weeks. However, finding reviewers can be challenging. The factor the author has the most control over is the revision time. We remind you at 60 days and again at 120 days. If there is no communication, the manuscript is considered withdrawn after 120 days in revision. Resubmissions are encouraged when time allows. In general, once the revision is in, the AE may request further review, request another revision, discuss it, or make a recommendation to the editor. There is also a technical check for CIFs. If accepted, production takes about three months, depending on the existing inventory of accepted papers. These timelines should guide you on when to contact the associate editor or the editorial office for information about your paper, in a gentle manner, recognizing that all AEs and reviewers are volunteers.

Please go to our online submission site and submit over the web, where you will find complete instructions and help files.

Contact us with your questions here.

Nonnative English speakers

Authors for whom English is not a native language must have their manuscript reviewed by a colleague who is fluent in English before submitting it to American Mineralogist. Manuscripts that require extensive editing for grammar and spelling will be summarily rejected.

Manuscript Submission Checklist

Click to Download the Submission Checklist

 

Crystallographic Data (CIF) info for American Mineralogist

Updated Dec-15-2025

Introduction

Crystallographic Information File (CIF) is a standard format for communicating various types of crystallographic information. In particular, it is used to archive crystal structure data, combined with experimental and refinement details.

Manuscripts reporting results of crystal structure refinements must be accompanied by a CIF providing the structural data. To ensure the quality and integrity of the crystallographic data, the submitted CIF will be reviewed by one of the technical editors. After publication of the manuscript, the CIFs will be made available as supplementary material on the Am Min website and may also be deposited by the author into databases, such as the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database (AMCSD) and the Crystallography Open Database (COD).

Since a CIF contains atomic fractional coordinates and displacement parameters as well as sample measurement conditions, separate tables listing these parameters are generally unnecessary. Exceptions include brief tables of crystallographic parameters (such as selected bond lengths or bond valence sums) that are central to the discussion in the paper, especially if the tables help the reader understand comparisons across multiple structures.

Submission Guidelines

1. Submit a single CIF with the manuscript, labelled “data set” on the submission site. If there are multiple structure refinements, they must be organized as distinct data blocks within the single file (e.g., data_I, data_II).
2. Structure factors must be embedded in the CIF. If multiple structures are reported, ensure structure factors are included for every data block.
3. If chemical analyses are reported in the manuscript, please add them to the CIF as the item:
   _chemical_formula_analytical ‘K0.96 Al0.96 Si1.04 O4’
4. For natural samples, the following items must be inserted in the CIF:
   _chemical_name_mineral ‘IMA approved mineral name’
   _chemical_compound_source ‘locality and/or collection reference’
5. For synthetic samples, the following item must be inserted in the CIF:
   _chemical_compound_source ‘synthesised at xx GPa and YY K’
6. Data within the CIF must strictly correspond to the values presented in the manuscript’s text, tables, and figures.
7. Upload the checkCIF report with your other materials, using the “related manuscript file” type.
8. Resolve or justify any Level A or B alerts in the checkCIF report.
9. Ensure the CIF is free of syntax errors.
10. Tables reporting crystallographic data, which duplicate information present in CIF, must be removed from the main text or presented as a supplementary table.