Background on USGS Policy

Policy of the USGS is to make the results of its scientific investigations available in an impartial manner to best serve the public. Various chapters of the USGS Manual state the policies, procedures, and responsibilities for review, approval, and release of data and information (500.8, .9, .14, .24).

Types of Information and Public Release Mechanisms

Scientific results of research at the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) will continue to be disseminated through articles in technical journals, USGS publications (with associated news releases), presentations at technical and professional meetings, briefings, and field trips at the site. The site's World Wide Web (WWW) home page is used to communicate current information about the project, including research objectives and accomplishments, a schedule of planned activities, a directory of participating researchers, an up-to-date site-related bibliography, and data and related information, which can be made available in a timely manner through the WWW.

Approval and Public Release of Data and Related Information

Release of data and related information gathered by USGS and non-USGS investigators will follow the standard policies of the respective organizations. The following summarizes the guidelines for implementation of this policy for reports authored or co-authored by a USGS investigator at the ADRS.

Environmental and related quality-control data are thoroughly checked and incorporated into a draft manuscript. The draft manuscript is evaluated by a minimum of two peer reviewers to assure that it is technically sound and that the editorial quality is appropriate for the intended readership. The manuscript includes a description, with appropriate references, of the steps and methods used in the collection, analysis, and error analysis of the subject data. The manuscript includes any quality-control data associated with the dataset, and to the extent possible, a clear statement of the estimated uncertainty of the data. A statement explaining the broad significance of the data also is typically included. The draft manuscript is revised by the author(s) and adequate response to review comments is documented. USGS approval for publication and(or) release is granted after inspection at the District, Regional, or Headquarters level depending on the origin of, and degree of interpretation in the manuscript. Concurrent with submittal for approval, a copy of the manuscript is sent to the ADRS Coordinator.

All manuscripts approved for release as a USGS report are released by distribution of hard (paper and/or computer-readable form) copies. As a USGS numbered report, the report is printed; public-inspection copies are mailed to Federal library depositories; and the availability of the final report is announced in a news release, on the USGS WWW page (water.usgs.gov/public/pubs/immediate_release.html), or in the periodical New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey. Dissemination of a USGS report may be broadened by release through the USGS WWW home page. As a WWW release, the hard-copy report is reformatted for the WWW; made available through the main USGS water webserver (water.usgs.gov); and archiving and persistent Uniform Resource Locator (URL) services are provided. All reports that are released are included in the ADRS bibliography with a link to the URL for WWW releases.

A USGS manuscript approved for release in an outside publication (for example, a technical journal, or a conference proceedings) is submitted to the editor of that publication and, thus, additionally undergoes the usual review, approval, and release policies of that publication.

Release and Archiving of All ADRS Publications and Internet Announcements

Prior to publication in the scientific literature, distribution as a USGS report, or release on the WWW, the Coordinator, Toxics Program and the ADRS Coordinator are notified of the release date and are provided a copy of the associated news release. A final, publication copy of all journal articles, reports, conference papers, and abstracts is sent to the ADRS Coordinator, who oversees the maintenance of an up-to-date bibliography on the ADRS home page, and a complete library of site-related publications.