How do contractors use a USGS affiliation in the author byline? [025]

By Office of Science Quality and Integrity

The byline includes the contract author's company name or location/town (if self-employed), followed by “Contractor to the U.S. Geological Survey.” [Read more]

When work is done under contract with the USGS, whether by an individual or through an outside company or other organization, the contract author identifies their contractual relationship to the USGS in the author byline. The contract author's company name or location/town (if self-employed), followed by “Contractor to the U.S. Geological Survey,” is included in the author byline. The contract author must have been formally affiliated with the USGS at the time the work was performed. The contractual relationship may also be described in the acknowledgments section as "This work was done under contract to the U.S. Geological Survey" or similar wording.