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
Where can I find additional guidance on requirements related to authorship of USGS information products? [011]
Available guidance for authorship includes a Survey Manual chapter, FAQs, and other tools. [Read More]
Do final technical project progress reports to cooperators or partners have to go through the FSP review and approval process? [012]
Yes, all scientific information products, including those submitted to an agency that has provided funding to the USGS, must be peer reviewed and receive Bureau approval. [Read More]
Can new interpretive material be posted on a USGS public web page? [013]
No, a web page cannot be used to release new interpretive material. [Read More]
What are the circumstances under which access to USGS-funded scientific data may be restricted from release? [014]
Access to or release of the USGS data may be restricted because of security, privacy, confidentiality, or other constraints, or data mentioned in the published product are not used as a basis for the conclusions. [Read More]
Under what circumstance may scholarly publications refer to unpublished data funded by a non-USGS organization? [015]
If the non-USGS funded data have not been made publicly available by the data owner, the USGS can suggest or request but cannot require the data be made publicly available. If the data are not made available, a statement indicating that at the time of publication the data were not available from the responsible non-USGS agency should be included in the associated information product. [Read More]
Under what circumstance may USGS-funded unpublished data be cited in scholarly publications? [016]
Citations referring to unpublished data are allowed when the citation refers to content or auxiliary information that is not essential to ensuring others can replicate the results or evaluate the validity of the data used to support the conclusions of the scholarly publication. [Read More]
What criteria and guidance are followed for acknowledgments included in information products? [017]
Acknowledgments in USGS scientific information products must be limited to only those that contributed materially to the scientific investigation and the information product and (or) those that provided content-specific assistance to authors during the related investigation. [Read More]
What is an Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier (ORCID) iD? [018]
An ORCID iD is a unique, persistent identifier that can be obtained by researchers free of charge. An assigned ORCID iD is associated with an individual regardless of their affiliated institutions and records an author’s history of publications. [Read More]
Why do USGS authors need an ORCID iD and what information must be provided in their profiles? [019]
All USGS authors (including coauthors) must have a ORCID iD account (set to public) in order to identify USGS authored or funded publications. The ORCID iD record should include the author’s first and last name, USGS email address, and USGS employment affiliation. [Read More]
What is the benefit of an ORCID iD? [020]
An ORCID iD helps to highlight and clarify Bureau research and authorship by USGS employees. The Publications Warehouse also uses ORCID iDs to update and link to externally published information products by USGS authors. [Read More]
Does a report of project progress that is noninterpretive or that includes interpretations only from previously published sources require a disclaimer statement before it is delivered to a cooperator, steering council, or stakeholder group? [162]
A nonendorsement disclaimer statement, if appropriate, is the only statement that may be needed in a report of project progress that is noninterpretive or that includes interpretations only from previously published sources. Note, however, that published sources must always be cited.
How is reporting of project progress related to courtesy reviews by collaborating cooperators? [161]
Reports of project progress are not related to the collaborator/partner courtesy reviews. While both types of reporting may contain new, interpretive content, a progress report discusses the status of project work and a draft of a final project report provided to collaborators for courtesy review discusses the results of the project. [Read more]