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
Who can post approved USGS publication series scientific information products to the web? [084]
All USGS publication series scientific information products are posted to the web by SPN staff. Science Centers may link to and add USGS publication references in their project and center web pages. [Read more]
What is the FSP policy for the release of USGS science information in journals and other outside publications? [085]
As with information products released by the USGS, the review and approval requirements for external information products are governed by FSP. Refer to SM 1100.4 for policy on outside publications. [Read more]
May USGS authors use preprint servers to distribute their journal manuscripts? [086]
Yes, authors may use preprint servers in accordance with the guidance provided for preprints.
Where can I find additional guidance related to releasing USGS scientific data? [087]
Additional guidance is available on the USGS Data Management web page and the FSP web page.
What Federal Government policies require the release of scientific data, and how does the USGS intend to meet these requirements? [088]
OSTP's February 22, 2013 memorandum Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research and OMB's memorandum M-13-13, Open Data Policy—Managing Information as an Asset require the release of scientific data. The Public Access to Results of Federally Funded Research at the USGS provides information related to how the Bureau meets these OSTP and OMB requirements. [Read more]
How are USGS information products cataloged in and made available from the USGS Publications Warehouse? [170]
Upon completion of the dissemination task for an information product in IPDS, bibliographic metadata are transferred from IPDS to Publications Warehouse for creating product citation pages. Accurate and complete bibliographic information must be entered in the IPDS and the dissemination task must be completed in a timely manner to catalog and index product in the Publications Warehouse.[Read more]
What types of information products are cataloged in the USGS Publications Warehouse? [171]
The Publications Warehouse catalog includes, but is not limited to, citation pages for USGS publication series, outside publications (such as journal articles, books, book chapters, other government and nongovernment publications, cooperator publications, and conference proceedings) prepared by USGS and other authors, and extramural publications (produced by non-USGS authors funded by USGS). [Read more]
What types of information products are not cataloged in the Publications Warehouse? [172]
Information products outside the scope of the Publications Warehouse, such as abstracts, posters, presentations, data releases, and software releases, are not cataloged in the Publications Warehouse.
What types of information products are available in full text from the Publications Warehouse? [173]
Full text information products published by the USGS, such as USGS series publications, are provided for download from the Publications Warehouse. The Publications Warehouse also provides links to cooperators' and external publishers’ websites that provide the full text of USGS-authored publications when the links are available. [Read more]
How does the Publications Warehouse handle data releases? [174]
Data release information product records are not cataloged as standalone citation pages in the Publications Warehouse. The official catalog for USGS data releases is the USGS Science Data Catalog. However, links to data releases associated with a companion publication are added to the associated publication’s citation page in the Publications Warehouse. [Read more]
Does the Publications Warehouse contain an author’s entire body of work, including information products that they authored before or after their employment with USGS? [175]
No, the Publications Warehouse only contains information products prepared by authors who were affiliated with the USGS when the work was performed. USGS authors can capture their entire body of work on their ORCID profiles. [Read more]
What are cooperator publications? [178]
Cooperator publications are scientific information products funded and released by an external cooperator to which USGS authors contribute. Cooperator publications are prepared under formal collaborative agreements between the USGS and Federal, Tribal, State, local, academia or other parties. [Read more]