Fundamental Science Practices Frequently Asked Questions
What USGS scientific information products must follow FSP?
How does USGS define peer review and what are the FSP peer review requirements?
How is approval granted and what documents at a minimum must be submitted to the approving official?
What is the foundation of FSP?
What Federal Government policies require the release of scientific data, and how does the USGS intend to meet these requirements?
What is considered USGS scientific software and what are the USGS requirements for releasing it?
What types of project progress information can be reported and why is that important?
The frequently asked questions (FAQs) represent a Bureau consensus to ensure interpretations of Fundamental Science Practices (FSP) policies are uniformly applied throughout the USGS. These comprehensive FAQs not only provide further explanation of the FSP and related publishing policies but also describe the specific procedures and decision making necessary to meet the
FSP Background
Authorship
Review
Approval
USGS Publication Series
Journal Publications
Metadata
Data
Software
Project Reporting and Cooperator Publications
Web Pages, Conferences, Abstracts, and Presentations
Preprints
The FAQs will be updated as necessary and changes in the form of additions or revisions are reflected by date (month/year) as they occur. Questions about the FSP that are not addressed here should be directed to gs_fspac@usgs.gov.
FSP Frequently Asked Questions
What is considered USGS scientific software and what are the USGS requirements for releasing it? [134]
Scientific software is a discrete package of computer code and documentation that contains source code implementing scientific algorithms or producing scientific data. All USGS scientific software products intended for public release are reviewed and approved in accordance with USGS FSP requirements. [Read more]
What data responsibilities need to be included in cooperator/collaborator agreements or contracts? [113]
The agreement or contract with the cooperators/collaborators should specify data management responsibilities, including curation and release. This information should also be included in the USGS project DMP; scientific data must be reviewed and include metadata. [Read more].
What about using non-Federal data repositories to provide or host the required public access to my data? [112]
Use of non-Federal repositories is acceptable however the authoritative copy of the data must be hosted on USGS servers or a federally maintained data service. A metadata record must be included in the USGS Science Data Catalog that includes a DOI link to the data source. [Read more]
Why must metadata records be cataloged in the USGS Science Data Catalog if the data are already available in an acceptable digital repository? [111]
To be compliant with Federal requirements, metadata records must be cataloged in the USGS Science Data Catalog to identify USGS data assets distributed by USGS Trusted Digital Repositories (TDR) and by non-USGS repositories. [Read more]
Where can I find additional guidance or information about metadata? [110]
Additional guidance on metadata creation, quality control and content review, tools, and best practices is available on the USGS Data Management Metadata web page.
If I cannot explain how the data were created in the metadata record, where do I place the URL or DOI for the product that describes the data creation process? [109]
Citation documenting and explaining data creation should be added to the “Supplemental Information:” element of the metadata record. [Read more]
If my data are associated with a publication, where does the DOI pointing to that publication get placed in the metadata? [108]
The DOI for the associated publication should be placed in the “Cross-referenced: Citation: Online Linkage:” element of metadata record. [Read more]
Where do the metadata records go once we have created them? [107]
Upon data release, copies of metadata records for USGS data-related products must be placed in the USGS Science Data Catalog. [Read more]
Is USGS SPN editing required for metadata records? [106]
No, an SPN editorial review is not required, but Science Centers have the option of obtaining such a review for any product they deem appropriate. [Read more]
Do summary data tables in scientific information products such as USGS publication series products or outside publications (for example, journals) need metadata? [105]
No. The data behind the summary table, however, if not also presented in the body of the product, will need metadata and will need to go through the data release process.
Are the output data generated by a model simulation also subject to the metadata requirement? [104]
Yes, model simulation data that will be made publicly available through the data release process need metadata. [Read more]
Are metadata records needed for scientific datasets and databases that are provided by non-USGS authors and are subsequently included in USGS datasets, databases, or publications? [103]
Generally, yes, because these items become part of USGS scientific information products. When incorporated into USGS information products, non-USGS datasets or databases need to comply with USGS data release requirements. Metadata records include a link to the original source data. [Read more]