How can authors manage the timing of Bureau approval to meet journal acceptance processes? [074]

Bureau approval of USGS-authored products being published in peer-reviewed journals occurs after the authors have reconciled the peer-review comments but before the products are sent back to the journals for acceptance. The timing of Bureau approval is critical. Frequently, USGS authors believe that their journal articles must be accepted by the journal for publication before they can receive Bureau approval—this is an incorrect assumption. Once accepted, journals may quickly publish manuscripts prior to Bureau approval, resulting in violations of FSP policy and in-arrears situations.