1. About the Journal

Geocarbon Advances is an international, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to geocarbon science—the interdisciplinary study of carbon in the Earth system and its central role in climate solutions. The journal provides a unified platform that bridges fundamental Earth system science with applied geological carbon solutions.

The journal publishes original research, reviews, perspectives, methods, data descriptions, case studies, and commentaries that are of broad international significance. Manuscripts should align with at least one of the journal’s four core directions:

1. Fundamental Geocarbon Science — deep and surface carbon cycles; carbon–climate coupling; carbon–water–mineral–microbe interactions; carbon sources, sinks, fluxes, and residence times; isotopic and geochemical tracers; carbon dynamics over geological timescales; and the role of the lithosphere in the global carbon cycle.

2. Geological Carbon Storage and Management — CO₂ geological storage; carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS); carbon mineralization; enhanced weathering; reservoir and caprock characterization; storage capacity, injectivity, and containment; leakage monitoring and risk assessment; life-cycle assessment of net-zero technologies; and regulatory, social, and economic dimensions of geological carbon management.

3. Carbon–Energy–Resource Co-Systems — synergistic optimization of geothermal energy, underground hydrogen storage, critical minerals, and carbon management; subsurface energy–carbon–water–resource interactions; integrated resource recovery and storage; and system-level modeling for low-carbon and net-zero energy systems.

4. Advanced Characterization and Predictive Modeling — multi-scale simulation; geophysical monitoring; artificial intelligence and machine learning; digital rock physics; advanced experimental and analytical methods; coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical-biological (THMCB) modeling; and data-driven prediction of carbon behavior in geological systems.

The journal also welcomes interdisciplinary studies that connect geoscience with engineering, chemistry, biology, environmental science, data science, economics, and policy, provided they are relevant to geocarbon science.

Geocarbon Advances is committed to rigorous peer review, international editorial standards, research integrity, open science, and timely dissemination. The journal follows the editorial, ethical, and technical standards required by major indexing services, including Scopus and Web of Science.

2. Editorial Standards and Policies

2.1 Peer Review

All submissions undergo initial editorial assessment and rigorous peer review. The journal uses a single-blind review model by default: reviewers know author identities, but authors do not know reviewer identities. Double-anonymized review may be used for selected submissions or special issues.

At least two independent experts normally review each manuscript. Additional statistical, ethical, or subject-specific review may be requested. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision.

2.2 Open Access and Copyright

Geocarbon Advances is an open-access journal. Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license unless otherwise approved. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal a license to publish.

Article processing charges, if applicable, are listed on the journal website. Waivers and discounts are available for authors from low- and lower-middle-income countries and for other qualifying cases.

2.3 Research Integrity

Authors must comply with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). All submissions are screened for similarity using iThenticate or an equivalent service.

Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, and inappropriate image manipulation are prohibited. The journal may request original data, images, or code at any stage.

2.4 Preprints and Prior Publication

Preprints may be posted on recognized preprint servers before submission. Authors should provide the preprint DOI during submission. Preprint posting does not constitute prior publication.

Manuscripts under consideration or published elsewhere may not be submitted. Conference papers may be considered if they are substantially expanded and the original conference paper is cited.

2.5 Authorship and Contributions

All authors must meet the ICMJE authorship criteria. The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal and for confirming that all authors have approved the submission and any revisions.

Author contributions should be reported using the CRediT taxonomy: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, and Writing – review & editing.

Changes to authorship after submission require written approval from all authors.

2.6 Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose financial and non-financial conflicts of interest. Disclosures should be provided in the manuscript and in the submission system.

2.7 Funding

All funding sources and grant numbers must be listed in the manuscript and in the submission system.

2.8 Ethical Approval and Permits

Studies involving humans or animals must include ethical approval numbers and informed consent statements where applicable. Fieldwork, drilling, sampling, and subsurface activities must comply with local, national, and international regulations. Relevant permits should be described.

2.9 Generative AI

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors must disclose any use of generative AI in the preparation of the manuscript, including its purpose and scope. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the work.

2.10 Data, Code, and Materials

A data availability statement is mandatory. Authors are strongly encouraged to deposit data in a FAIR-compliant repository and cite the dataset with a DOI.

A code availability statement is mandatory for custom code. Code should be deposited in a public repository where possible.

A materials availability statement is encouraged for unique materials, samples, or geological specimens.

3. Article Types

Article Type Description Typical Length Abstract Figures/Tables

Research Article Original research with significant new findings Up to 8,000 words 250 words Up to 8

Review Comprehensive, critical synthesis of a field Up to 12,000 words 300 words Up to 10

Perspective Forward-looking, expert opinion on emerging issues Up to 4,000 words 150 words Up to 4

Method New or substantially improved methods Up to 6,000 words 200 words Up to 6

Case Study Applied, site-specific, or regional analysis Up to 6,000 words 200 words Up to 6

Data Description Description of a valuable dataset Up to 4,000 words 200 words Up to 4

Commentary Short, timely opinion or analysis Up to 1,500 words Not required Up to 2

Reply Response to a published commentary Up to 1,000 words Not required Up to 1

Special Issue Article Same as the relevant article type Same as type Same as type Same as type

Word limits exclude the abstract, references, tables, and figure captions unless otherwise stated.

4. Submission Process

Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal’s online submission system.

4.1 Cover Letter

The cover letter should include:

• Manuscript title and article type

• Core direction(s) addressed

• Statement of novelty and significance

• Explanation of why the work is suitable for Geocarbon Advances

• Confirmation that all authors have approved the submission

• Disclosure of any conflicts of interest

• Names and contact details of 3–5 suggested reviewers, if desired

• Names of any opposed reviewers, with justification

4.2 Required Files

Please submit:

1. Cover letter

2. Manuscript file, including title page, abstract, main text, references, figure captions, and tables

3. Figures as separate high-resolution files

4. Supplementary material, if applicable

5. Graphical abstract, if applicable

6. Highlights, if applicable

7. Completed submission checklist

4.3 ORCID

An ORCID iD is required for the corresponding author and encouraged for all co-authors.

4.4 Language

Manuscripts must be written in clear, concise English. Authors whose native language is not English are strongly encouraged to use professional language editing services before submission. Poor language may delay review.

5. Manuscript Preparation

5.1 General Formatting

Submit editable files in Microsoft Word or LaTeX. Use double spacing, 12-point font, continuous line numbers, and page numbers. A PDF is acceptable for review, but editable files are required upon acceptance.

5.2 Title Page

The title page should include:

• Full title

• Running title (maximum 50 characters)

• Author names and affiliations

• Corresponding author, marked with an asterisk

• Email address and ORCID iD of the corresponding author

• Present addresses, if different

• Keywords

5.3 Abstract and Keywords

The abstract should be a single paragraph and should not contain references, footnotes, or undefined abbreviations. Structured abstracts are welcome for research articles but are not required.

Provide 4–6 keywords that reflect the manuscript’s core topics.

5.4 Highlights and Graphical Abstract

Highlights are optional but encouraged. Provide 3–5 bullet points, each no more than 85 characters including spaces.

A graphical abstract is optional but encouraged. It should be 1200 × 800 pixels, at least 300 dpi, and readable at 5 cm width.

5.5 Main Text

Research articles should normally include:

• Introduction

• Materials and Methods

• Results

• Discussion

• Conclusions

Reviews should include an Introduction, thematic sections, and an Outlook. Methods articles should include Introduction, Method, Validation, and Discussion. Case studies should include Introduction, Site and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions.

Conclusions should be concise and should not introduce new data.

5.6 References

References should be numbered in order of appearance. In-text citations should use square brackets: [1], [2–4], [5,7].

Reference examples:

1. Smith, J.A., Zhang, L., Brown, R., 2024. Carbon mineralization in basalt reservoirs. Geocarbon Advances 1, 100012. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.

2. Doe, J., 2020. Geological Carbon Storage, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

3. Lee, S., Wang, H., 2023. Caprock integrity. In: Chen, Y. (Ed.), Advances in CCUS. Springer, Cham, pp. 45–78.

4. Garcia, M., et al., 2022. Monitoring CO₂ plumes. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, pp. 123–130.

5. International Energy Agency, 2024. CCUS in Clean Energy Transitions. IEA, Paris. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.

6. National Carbon Repository, 2024. Deep carbon flux dataset. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.

7. Team, A., 2023. OpenGeochem v2.0. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.

8. Author, K.K., 2024. Title of preprint. EarthArXiv. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx. (preprint)

9. Organization, 2024. Title of webpage. URL (accessed 1 January 2026).

Unpublished results and personal communications should be cited in the text only and should not appear in the reference list.

5.7 Figures and Tables

Figures should be numbered consecutively and cited in the text. Figure captions should be provided in the manuscript, not embedded in the image. High-resolution files are required: 300 dpi for color and grayscale images, 600 dpi for line art, and 1200 dpi for combination artwork. Vector formats such as EPS or PDF are preferred where possible.

Tables should be editable, numbered consecutively, and cited in the text. Table captions should appear above the table.

5.8 Equations, Units, and Nomenclature

Equations should be numbered consecutively in parentheses. Use MathType or LaTeX for complex equations.

Use SI units. Examples include kg m⁻³, MJ kg⁻¹, °C, Ma, GtCO₂, and MtCO₂ yr⁻¹. Define all abbreviations at first mention. Provide a nomenclature list for manuscripts with many symbols.

5.9 Supplementary Material

Supplementary material should be submitted as separate files and cited in the main text as Figure S1, Table S1, etc. Supplementary material is not copyedited and should be self-explanatory.

5.10 Data, Code, and Materials Availability

Include a data availability statement in the manuscript. Examples:

• The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in [repository] at [DOI].

• The data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

• Custom code is available at [repository] under [license].

• Unique materials are available from [source] under [conditions].

6. After Submission

6.1 Peer Review

Manuscripts are first assessed by the editors. Those that pass initial assessment are sent for peer review. Authors may suggest 3–5 reviewers and may request that specific reviewers be excluded, with justification.

6.2 Revisions

Revised manuscripts should include:

• A point-by-point response to reviewer and editor comments

• A marked-up copy showing changes

• A clean copy of the revised manuscript

6.3 Decisions

Decision types include accept, minor revision, major revision, reject, and reject with encouragement to resubmit. The Editor-in-Chief’s decision is final.

6.4 Appeals

Appeals should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of the decision. Appeals must provide a clear rationale and should not simply repeat previous arguments.

6.5 Proofs and Publication

Authors will receive proofs for correction. Only minor corrections are permitted at this stage. Accepted articles are published online with a DOI and are citable as soon as they appear.

7. Submission Checklist

Before submitting, please confirm that:

• The manuscript aligns with the aims and scope of Geocarbon Advances.

• The cover letter is included.

• All authors have approved the submission.

• The manuscript is written in clear English.

• The abstract, keywords, and highlights meet the guidelines.

• Figures and tables are cited in the text and meet resolution requirements.

• References follow the journal’s numbered style.

• A data availability statement is included.

• A code availability statement is included if custom code was used.

• Funding, conflicts of interest, and author contributions are declared.

• Ethical approvals and permits are described where applicable.

• Generative AI use is disclosed.

• Suggested reviewers are provided, if desired.

• Supplementary files are clearly labeled.

8. Contact

For questions about submissions or editorial policies, please contact the Editorial Office through the journal’s online submission system.