What is the distinction in USGS scientific software information products between libraries, scripts, workflows, or other packages of source code? [141]

By Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Author should work together with their supervisor and Science Center Director to determine if a set of source code is appropriate for release as a USGS scientific software release or if the algorithms or statistical methods would alternatively be more appropriate for inclusion in an associated manuscript or the metadata of a data release. [Read more]

The requirements described in SM 502.11 do not address every case where USGS scientific software information products are produced and published. Rather, the policy defines a set of principles and practices that should be followed in all cases. Additional guidance is provided in these FAQs and other documentation to supplement the requirements. It is the author’s responsibility to work with their science center approving official to determine if a set source code is appropriate for publication as a USGS scientific software information product. If a set of source code is not released as a USGS scientific software information product, the source code may not be cited in other USGS products and still may be required to be released as noted in FAQ 214.