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What are the requirements for submitting manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals? What review and approval process should be followed? [050]

By Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Manuscripts authored or coauthored by USGS scientists and intended for publication in peer-reviewed journals may follow one of two approaches for the peer-review and approval process as outlined in the FAQ. The selection of approach is at the discretion of the Science Center Director. [Read more]

Effective November 3, 2016, manuscripts authored or coauthored by USGS scientists and intended for publication in peer-reviewed journals may follow one of two approaches for the peer-review and approval process (as outlined below). The selection of approach is at the discretion of the Science Center Director as described in SM 502.3, section 3.H.(2). The FSP training module provides information about the two approach options (refer to Approach 1 and Approach 2) to consider for journal manuscripts.

Approach 1 - Manuscript receives two USGS-initiated peer reviews and Bureau approval before it is submitted to the journal for consideration.

  1. All USGS peer reviews, reconciliations, and associated documentation must be placed into the IPDS before Bureau approval. The IPDS documentation package is reviewed, approved, and signed off by the supervisor and Center Director (in the IPDS); then the package is routed via the IPDS to the appropriate BAO for Bureau approval.

  2. After Bureau approval is received, the manuscript is submitted to the journal for consideration. In this approach, the peer reviews and reconciliations required by the journal are not part of the IPDS approval record.

  3. If substantial changes are made in the Bureau-approved manuscript as a result of the journal peer-review and editorial process, the author must consult with their supervisor, the Science Center Director, and their BAO to determine whether further review and approval is warranted. Examples of substantial changes include, but are not limited to, new content that alters or affects the originally approved conclusions, inclusion of new interpretations, revisions that may have potential policy implications, and a total reorganization of the manuscript.

  4. After the manuscript has been published, a copy of the accepted manuscript must be placed in the IPDS and the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for the journal article must be added to the "Bibliodata" tab in the IPDS. Only after these steps are done should the Dissemination step be completed in the IPDS. Visit the FSP training module for more information about the steps following publication of your journal information product.

Approach 2 - Manuscript receives at least one USGS-initiated peer review and at least one journal peer review to fulfill USGS minimum peer-review requirements. Additional peer reviews may be obtained at the discretion of the USGS and the journal.

  1. After supervisory approval in the IPDS to proceed with peer review, the manuscript may be submitted to the journal for consideration. The USGS-initiated peer review may be obtained either concurrently with or before the initial submission to the journal.

  2. All peer reviews and reconciliations and all associated documentation must be placed into the IPDS before Bureau approval. The IPDS documentation package is reviewed and approved and signed off by the supervisor and Center Director (in the IPDS); then the package is routed via the IPDS to the appropriate BAO for Bureau approval.

  3. Bureau approval must be received before returning the reconciled peer-reviewed manuscript to the journal.

  4. If substantial changes are made to the Bureau-approved manuscript as a result of the journal peer-review and editorial process, the author must consult with their supervisor, the Science Center Director, and their BAO to determine whether further review and approval is warranted. Examples of substantial changes include, but are not limited to, new content that alters or affects the originally approved conclusions, inclusion of new interpretations, revisions that may have potential policy implications, and a total reorganization of the manuscript.

  5. After the manuscript has been published, a copy of the accepted manuscript must be placed in the IPDS and the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for the journal article must be added to the "Bibliodata" tab in the IPDS. Only after these steps are done should the Dissemination step be completed in the IPDS. Refer to the FSP training module for more information about the steps following publication of your journal information product.