Ensuring Science Quality

Photo of the landscape at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. Photo Credit: USFWS.

All Federal Government agencies have a formal process in place to ensure the quality and credibility of scientific information used for policy decisions with potentially significant societal impacts.  For the Fish and Wildlife Service, these kinds of decisions often relate to the Endangered Species Act and comprehensive conservation planning for national wildlife refuges.

This quality assurance process, called “peer review,” taps professionals with demonstrated expertise and specialized knowledge related to a scientific area under consideration.  Independent peer reviewers evaluate information to ensure it is scientifically sound and objective.  They are selected from the academic and scientific community, Tribal Governments and other Native American groups, State and Federal agencies, and the private sector.

Click here to see a comprehensive table of the decision documents identified for peer review by the Southwest Region of the Fish and Wildlife Service

For more information on the peer review process, contact: 
Michelle Shaughnessy, Assistant Regional Director for Ecological Services, 505.248.6920 

For more information on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s policies, processes, and guidelines related to ensuring the scientific integrity of information we use in decision-making, please visit the Fish & Wildlife Service Peer Review page.

Learn more about how we develop science resources.

Learn more about how we integrate emerging science into our work.

For more information on the Science Applications program, please contact:
Dana Roth, Assistant Regional Director for Science Applications, 505.248.6928
or Annessa Culbreth, Executive Assistant, 505.248.6277

Learn more