The NOAA Library supports NOAA researchers in sharing and preserving the output of their scholarly work in all forms and at all stages in the research process. We advocate for wide adoption of open science principles; believing that accessible, transparent research is critical to modern scholarship.

What dictates NOAA's publishing practices?

• NOAA Framework for Internal Review and Approval of Fundamental Research Communications: applies to all NOAA Line and Staff Offices and to all NOAA (Federal) authors and co- authors, as well as NOAA contractors, providing guidelines for internal review and approval of all FRCs. Issued by the NOAA Research Council in 2016, these guidelines complement additional resources such as those listed below.
• Department of Commerce Administrative Order on Public Communications (DAO 219-1): "establishes the policy for Department of Commerce (the Department) employees engaging in public communications (e.g., publications, speeches, media coverage)."
• NOAA Administrative Orders: are intra-agency directives that remain effective until superseded or cancelled by an appropriate action. Those that apply directly to publishing at NOAA include:
  • NAO 201-32E: Administrative Publications.
  • NAO 201-32G: Scientific and Technical Publications.
  • NAO 205-17A: Information Access & Dissemination.
  • NAO 202-735D: Scientific Integrity. 
    • Scientific Integrity Commons
  • NAO 216-115: Strengthening NOAA’s Research and Development Enterprise
• NOAA Information Quality Guidelines: based on OMB guidelines that "provide policy and procedural guidance to federal agencies for ensuring and maximizing the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information (including statistical information) disseminated by federal agencies."
  • NOAA Peer Review Plans
  • NOAA Policy on Conflicts of Interest For Peer Review Subject to OMB's Peer Review Bulletin: details how NOAA has adapted the National Academies of Sciences' (NAS) policy for committee selection with respect to evaluating conflicts of interest as required by OMB Guidelines.

Bibliometrics

Bibliometrics are the quantitative analysis of academic publications. Using academic publications as a data source, bibliometric analysis attempts to provide a better understanding of how research is produced, organized, and interrelated. It also attempts to evaluate academic publications and sets of publications based on the number of citations these publications have received. Bibliometrics and citation analysis is one way the NOAA Central Library is able to illustrate NOAA's status as producer of world-class research. 

• Bibliometrics can help illustrate the impact of a scholarly publication or group of publications in the greater research community and can support application for grants and research funding.

• When used with other methods such as peer review, bibliometrics is a useful tool in evaluating the research output of programs and researchers.

• Bibliometrics can be used to identify research strengths and gaps in research and inform decisions about future research.

For more information on different types of research impact measurements, please visit our Bibliometrics Guide.