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 are some reasons to not use a public repository for developing software? [140]
Department of the Interior, including USGS, applies strict requirements and platform authorizations for sharing software in public repositories. To avoid potential violations, policy-compliant and secure internal code repositories are available for sharing and releasing software. [Read more]
Do software releases need a DOI? [139]
Yes. Approved USGS software releases must be assigned a DOI with the 10.5066 prefix using the USGS Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Creation Tool. Software release products should be assigned a meaningful resource type in the DOI metadata such as software, model, workflow, or another appropriate term. The DOI metadata must appropriately describe the software product. [Read more]
What is required to comply with Federal Source Code Policy? [138]
Generally, source code associated with USGS software releases must be made available at minimum for Federal Government-wide reuse. Source code for USGS software releases must include an appropriate open-source license or secured re-use rights; be included in the USGS source code inventory; be accompanied by documentation to facilitate reuse and participation by third parties. [Read more]
My software release repository requires an open-source license. What can I use? What do I need to know about licenses? [137]
The software developer needs to have an understanding of the repository’s open source licensing requirements; several licensing options may be considered. [Read more]
Can I contribute code to open source projects, and if so, how should I identify and document my contributions? [136]
Yes. Software produced by the USGS and released publicly is in the public domain. However, some software may be partially or wholly owned by a non-Federal partner (e.g., university) and may elect to apply a license, including an open source license that includes restrictions. USGS employees have several options to navigate these circumstances. [Read more]
When does a software release product require a version number? [135]
Because software may be further developed and subsequently updated after the original version is released, all revised software should be released with a new version number. Although the approach to version numbering can vary, revised software releases can be grouped into three general categories: major revision, minor revision, and patch. [Read more]
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]