Geology research papers and term papers are written mostly in CSE/CBE Style and AGU Reference Style based on Chicago Style. The official style has been designed by the US Geological Survey, Style Guidelines of Geological Society of America.

Geology refers to the study of the solid matter which constitutes the planet Earth. Geology encompasses the study of a variety of things such as rocks, soil, gemstones, composition, physical properties and the structure and history that shapes the components of the Earth. Geology is part of Earth sciences.

One of the chief aspects of writing a paper is to choose a good geology topic. Good topics allow for better papers and put the paper a step ahead of others which have less significant topics. The topic should be one that allows a good discussion within the word limit of the paper. For instance, a topic like "The Planets" would require many pages and a worthwhile discussion cannot be done in a few pages. On the other hand, topics like: “Liquid Water on Mars’ Surface” can be an interesting topic which allows for a detailed and concise discussion within certain word limits.

A great place to begin researching a topic is through articles in magazines. These in turn have up-to-date sources which are relevant to the topic. Popular scientific magazines like Scientific America and Discover are great places to start of when writing a geology term paper or research paper. However, it is worth mentioning that these magazines are just starting bits and not great sources to use in the paper. After reading the initial literature, then proceed with writing the paper in a “flow.” After this an outline can be written which helps a lot in writing a great paper in geology.

It is essential that the paper is completely in the author’s own words as this comes under the banner of plagiarism and is a serious offense. This is specially the case with science papers.

Planetary geology is the application of geologic principles to solar system’s other bodies. Earth science is a broad term that encompasses all sciences which are related to the study of the planet Earth.

The term economic geology is used to describe studies that are concerned with how earth materials are put to use to gain economic and industrial advantages. This includes precious metals, base metals, nonmetallic minerals and construction-grade stone. The term is usually used to refer to metallic mineral deposits as well as mineral resources.

Engineering Geology is the branch of geology which applies principles of geology to the engineering profession. This is done to ensure that geologic factors are taken into account which affects a location, construction, design and operation as well as maintenance of engineering works. Engineering Geology is typically employed during planning phase for environmental impact analysis, value engineering and civil engineering design.

Geochronology refers to the science involved in determining ages of rocks, fossils as well as sediments with certain accuracy.

Geo-microbiology refers to the study of microbe as well as microbial processes.

Glaciology refers to the study of ice as well as natural phenomena which involve ice. This includes glaciers.