We are looking for authors who embrace the Encyclopedia of Earth quality standards, and who are willing to work under your real name in a dynamic, collaborative environment. We are expanding content in the physical and natural sciences, as well as associated fields of history, geography, environmental policy and allied engineering disciplines.

Become a Member

We invite individuals with an interest in environmental science, geography, or related policy and engineering issues to become members of the Encyclopedia of Earth. A member can:

• Read and rate articles and other content forms
• Comment on articles with such text appearing on the article page and main page
• Create custom annotation of all articles
• Message Authors, Editors and other members
• Create a custom collection of favorite articles
• Opt in to receive electronic newsletters highlighting featured articles and new platform functionality

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Authors

What material is appropriate for Encyclopedia of Earth content?

We do not expect authors to write all new original material for the Encyclopedia, nor do we expect you to re-invent the wheel with basic material that is essential but that has been written about extensively already. Thus, to the fullest extent possible, you should use material that you or others have already prepared or may be in the public domain, subject to any applicable copyright restrictions. Here are some suggestions.

1. Use material for which you own the copyright.
2. Use copyrighted material in your article in such a way that constitutes fair use under U.S copyright law which allows selected use of protected works for socially productive purposes without seeking permission, but important restrictions apply.
3. Obtain permission from the copyright holder to use material in the Encyclopedia.
4. Write new material.

How can I cite my contributions to the EoE?

Suppose Lakshmi Banerjee writes an entry that is published in 2006. She is the sole author and John Smith is the Topic Editor that approves publication, and he also approves Lakshmi as Lead Author. Lakshmi could update her CV with the following entry:

Banerjee, Lakshmi (Lead Author); John Smith(Topic Editor) 2006. "Rural Electrification in Developing Nations." Encyclopedia of Earth. Ed. Cutler J. Cleveland. (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [Published February 28, 2006].

Here the publisher, Editor in Chief, and approving Topic Editor are listed.

What is the scope of allowed content?

Scope of content includes all of the environmental sciences, including earth sciences, climate, biology, and the allied aspects of history, archaeology, environmental policy as well as engineering applications. Content types include not only articles, but also photo galleries, videos, science news and curricula. You can write on anything within the scope of the Encyclopedia of Earth for which you have expertise. We encourage you to refer to the Taxonomy (on the left-hand navigation) and peruse for topic areas that need attention. Clicking on an article title will bring you to that article's page.

Simply starting a new page is always an option to start a new entry. We encourage you to be creative. However, please check first to see if the article you are interested in is listed in the Taxonomy, or use the search function to see if the article already exists. Be aware of articles on the same topic that may have slightly different names.

We encourage you to contribute or edit as many articles as possible on topics on which you are expert. Sometimes you may want to contribute general articles, sometimes a very specific article, sometimes an article with geographic focus, sometimes a biography of an important individual. Feel free to be creative and contribute as much as you can.

Who has rights to published articles?

You retain the right to use your EoE entry in other publishing efforts. All content in the EoE is governed by the Creative Commons license known as "Attribution-Share Alike". This license permits anyone (including yourself) to (1) copy, distribute, and display your work, (2) work remix, tweak, and build upon your work, and to make commercial use of your work, subject to these conditions:

• Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor.
• Share Alike. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one.

Note that the Share Alike requirement acts as a disincentive for commercial operations to try to profit from your work: the most recent, reliable copy of the work will always reside with Encyclopedia. This follows directly from the Encyclopedia's editorial policy that specifically encourages collaborators working on the Encyclopedia to update each other's articles. Hence, the continuously-edited version of the article that appears in the Encyclopedia will be the community's in a robust sense.

Privacy Policy

We do not rent, sell, or share personal information about you with other people or nonaffiliated organizations except under the following circumstances:

• We respond to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process, or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims;
• We believe it is necessary to share information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of our terms of use, or as otherwise required by law.

If you have questions or suggestions, please contact us at eoe@eoearth.org.