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What are the categories of “Open Access” journals and what are the FSP peer review requirements for these products? [042]

By Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Journal peer review processes—Category 1: anonymous peer reviews and draft manuscripts are not available to the public; USGS approval process for peer-reviewed journal articles is used. Category 2: peer reviews of draft manuscripts open to the public; two USGS-initiated peer reviews and Bureau approval are required before sending the manuscript to journal. [Read more]

There are two categories of open-access journals; distinction is based on the peer review process used. In Category 1, the journal peer review process is characterized by anonymous peer reviews and draft manuscripts that are not available to the public. For this category, use the USGS approval process for peer-reviewed journal articles. In Category 2, the journal peer review process is characterized by having peer reviews of draft manuscripts open to the public. For this category, two USGS-initiated peer reviews and Bureau approval are required before sending the manuscript to the journal. Note that if substantive changes are made after approval it is the author’s responsibility to obtain additional review by the approving official (SM 502.4).