01 Scope & Aims
TerraNexus Scientific Journal publishes English-only, open-access, double-blind peer-reviewed manuscripts across 21 disciplines in 5 scientific pillars. Submission is free; post-acceptance optional contribution supports open-access hosting.
Earth Sciences (6 disciplines)
Geophysics · Petrology, Mineralogy & Geochemistry · Volcanology · Sedimentology · Geomatics · Structural Geology
Environmental Sciences (5 disciplines)
Hydrogeology · Environmental Chemistry · Pedology · Soil Science · Oceanology
Fundamental Sciences (3 disciplines)
Chemistry · Physics · Mathematics
Life Sciences (2 disciplines)
Agriculture · Medical Sciences
Applied Sciences & Technology (5 disciplines)
Renewable Energy · Digital Technology · Petroleum & Gas · Materials Science · Mining Engineering, Metallurgy & Geostatistics
02 Types of Manuscripts Accepted
TerraNexus accepts four types of manuscripts. All require a structured abstract (Background · Methods · Results · Conclusions, max 250 words) and 4–8 keywords.
Original Research Articles
Full research studies presenting new empirical findings, methodologies, or theoretical contributions. Max 8,000 words (excluding references and abstract).
Review Articles
Systematic or narrative reviews synthesizing existing literature on a defined topic. Max 12,000 words. Minimum 25 references. Must follow a transparent methodology.
Short Communications / Letters
Brief reports of significant, time-sensitive findings or preliminary results. Max 3,000 words. Abstract max 150 words. Concise but fully substantiated.
Perspective / Opinion Pieces
Expert viewpoints, commentary, or emerging hypothesis pieces. ~3,000–6,000 words (no hard limit). Must cite literature and be grounded in evidence.
03 Submission Requirements
All manuscripts must meet the following requirements before submission. Submissions that do not comply will be desk-rejected without peer review.
Language
English only. Professional scientific English is required. Authors are encouraged to seek language editing support if English is not their first language.
File Format
Microsoft Word (.docx) or PDF. Maximum 20 MB. Figures should be embedded at their final positions in the manuscript. Do not submit separate figure files at initial submission.
Abstract
Max 250 words. Structured format required: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Will be published verbatim with the article.
Keywords
4 to 8 keywords, comma-separated. Choose terms that accurately reflect the manuscript's scope and that appear in standard subject thesauri (MeSH, GeoRef, etc.).
Word Limits
Original Research: 8,000 words · Review Articles: 12,000 words · Short Communications: 3,000 words · Perspective pieces: ~3,000–6,000 words. Counts exclude abstract and references.
References
APA 7th Edition style. Minimum 15 references for research articles; minimum 25 for reviews. ≥ 60% from last 10 years. Always include DOI when available.
APA 7th Edition — Citation Quick Reference ▾
TerraNexus uses the APA 7th Edition author-date system. References are listed alphabetically by first author's last name; in-text citations use (Author, Year).
Journal Articles
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Chen, L., Zhao, Y., & Osei, K. (2022). Trace element distribution in volcanic arc basalts. Journal of Petrology, 63(4), 145–168. https://doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egac045
Books
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher.
Press, F., & Siever, R. (2021). Understanding Earth (8th ed.). W.H. Freeman.
Web Resources
Organization or Author. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. https://xxxxx
International Union of Geological Sciences. (2023, March 15). Global geochemical baseline initiative. IUGS. https://www.iugs.org/igba
04 Peer Review Process
TerraNexus operates a double-blind peer review process — reviewers do not know the authors' identities, and authors do not know the reviewers'. A minimum of two independent expert reviewers evaluate each manuscript.
Submission Received Day 0
Editorial pre-screening for scope, formatting, and completeness. Authors receive an immediate acknowledgment email with their manuscript ID.
First Decision 5 days
Desk rejection (out of scope or major formatting issues) or advancement to peer review. Authors are notified either way.
Review + Decision 40–60 days
Minimum two expert reviewers evaluate the manuscript. The editor makes the final decision within this window. If a revision is needed, authors typically have 14 days to respond.
Online Publication 10 days
After acceptance: galley proof review, metadata preparation, and online publication. Target total time: 50–70 days from submission to live article.
View the full peer review grid →
05 Open Access & Copyright
TerraNexus is a fully open-access journal. All published articles are immediately and permanently free to read, download, and reuse.
License
All articles are published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Anyone may share or adapt the work for any purpose, provided they give appropriate credit to the original authors.
Author Rights
Authors retain copyright of their work. TerraNexus does not claim any intellectual property rights over published articles. The journal acts as a disseminator, not an assignee.
There is no embargo period. Articles are available online immediately after publication.
06 Ethics & Plagiarism Policy
TerraNexus is committed to the highest standards of research integrity. All submissions are subject to the following ethical requirements.
Plagiarism
A plagiarism check is performed on all submissions. Similarity score must be below 15% (iThenticate-type check). Any form of plagiarism — including copy-paste without citation, self-plagiarism, and data fabrication — results in immediate rejection or retraction.
AI-Assisted Writing
AI-assisted writing must be disclosed in the submission form. Authors must specify which AI tools were used and for what purpose (e.g., grammar editing, literature search). AI tools cannot be listed as co-authors.
Data Integrity
Authors commit to making raw data available upon reasonable request. Fabrication or falsification of data is strictly prohibited and constitutes grounds for immediate retraction and reporting to the authors' institutions.
Conflicts of Interest
All conflicts of interest must be declared in the submission form — financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation. Authors must declare "None" explicitly if no conflict exists.
07 COPE Guidelines
TerraNexus Scientific Journal follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All editorial decisions, authorship disputes, and misconduct cases are handled in accordance with COPE's Core Practices.
Learn more at publicationethics.org →
Author Responsibilities
Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance of their work before submission. TerraNexus bears no liability for author-caused ethical deficiencies. By submitting, authors agree to the COPE authorship definition and accept full responsibility for the reported work.
Post-Publication Corrections
Any proven breach of ethical standards — detected before or after publication — results in immediate retraction, notification to indexing databases, and, where required, reporting to the authors' institutions. The journal reserves the right to prohibit future submissions from authors found in breach.