Project Tracking Policy and Guidance
All researchers funded by the CASCs must follow the following project tracking and reporting policies. Additional or more frequent reporting may also be required by individual CASCs.
Quick Links
- Advanced Notification Requirement
- Reporting Requirements
- CASC Project Pages
- Data and Information Products
Funded researchers must provide advanced notification to relevant CASC personnel of any products intended for publication/distribution that were created with CASC-funded project or CASC graduate fellowship. This includes all anticipated manuscripts, videos, web tools, educational tools, etc. Contact your CASC Research Coordinator for more guidance.
Our program is subject to the U.S. Geological Survey Public Access Plan, a framework for increasing public access to scholarly publications and digital scientific data resulting from USGS-funded research. The Plan is consistent with the objectives described in the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018. To help our funded project teams succeed in meeting these requirements, we have outlined information below to guide you. Please reach out to your Research Coordinator with any questions.
All funded projects are required to submit Periodic Progress Reports (PPR) and a Final Project Report according to the templates provided below. The reporting schedule for progress reports may vary by CASC Region. (in addition to the Federal Financial Report required for external agreement administration, Form SF-425). Please check with the CASC managing your project to determine specific requirements.
Periodic Progress Report (Template: PDF, Word)
Periodic progress reporting deadlines are outlined in the Terms and Conditions of your award, typically due 90 days after the anniversary of your award start date.
Final Project Report (Template: PDF, Word)
Final reports are due 120 days after the close of the project's performance period (project end date). Please note: Final Reports are public facing documents, and for those authored by USGS researchers, are subject to the USGS Fundamental Science Practices (FSP) process.
Data Management Plan:
Template and Guidance documentation is available on the CASC Data Policy and Guidance. Additional information and training is available through USGS’s Data Planning website.
Data Management Plans (DMPs) are submitted as a component of your project’s proposal and ensure data management resources are appropriately allocated. DMPs also note any data restrictions and outline plans for release at the conclusion of a project.
Finalized Data Management Plans are due 120 days after the close of the project's performance period (project end date). Template and guidance documentation is available on the CASC Data Policy and Guidance website. Additional information and training are available through USGS’s Data Planning resource.
Report Templates for Host Institutions:
Our online webpages and search tool, the CASC Project Explorer, elevate public access to our research and allow users to search and discover CASC-funded projects and team members, data, tools, publications, and other project products. These pages are updated periodically with your project’s findings.
Instructions for Project Data Management:
The Data Sharing Policy and USGS Public Access Plan state that all data and information products developed by CASC funded projects will be publicly available and undergo the USGS Fundamental Science Practices (FSP) process. There may be exceptions for datasets with limitations due to data sharing agreements, IRB reviews, or other sensitivities. This should be indicated in the project’s Data Management Plan (DMP).
Project data subject to this policy include new collections or new products, such as raw data, processed data, published data, field notes, observations and supporting documents, data generated by experiments, models and simulations. It also includes any custom code or applications that were developed to aid in data analysis or transformation and are necessary to understand the data.
- New Data Collections and Data Products:
- Datasets with a complete metadata record must be delivered to CASC data stewards no later than 120 days after the close of the project's performance period (project end date). Data will be made public no more than one year after the project is completed.
- Data and metadata will be reviewed for completeness and quality before publication to ensure it meets FSP requirements and CASC Data Policy.
- Support for the creation of quality metadata is available, contact your Research Coordinator for next steps.
Additional products created after the conclusion of your project may be added to your project page and supported by the CASCs. Reach out to your CASC Research Coordinator and Data Stewards for more information.
Funding acknowledgement is a formal recognition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) role in supporting a research project. All manuscripts, press releases, datasets, and other project products should include appropriate funding acknowledgements.
Photographs that represent and showcase research projects are a great way to help communicate and feature the important and interesting work of CASC-funded researchers. Project photos (e.g. of wildlife, landscapes, habitats, or researchers in the field) can be used on our project information web pages, in press releases and announcements, Congressional briefings, social media, and other venues. To submit photos from your project, please contact your Project’s Research Coordinator for next steps and any necessary permission forms.
Additional Resources for All CASC Funding Recipients