601.3 - U.S. Geological Survey Staff Profiles
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DIRECTIVE
SURVEY MANUAL CHAPTER – PROGRAM SERIES
Issuance Number: 601.3
Subject: U.S. Geological Survey Staff Profiles
Issuance Date: 6/13/2022
Expiration Date: 5/30/2025
Responsible Office: Office of Communications and Publishing
Instruction: This is a new Survey Manual (SM) chapter.
Approving Official: /s/ Roseann Gonzales-Schreiner
Deputy Director for Administration and Policy
1. Purpose and Scope. A Staff Profile is a strategic U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) communications tool that provides public access to authoritative and official information about the knowledge, professional contributions, and technical expertise of USGS employees and Emeritus Program participants. This SM chapter establishes the policy requirements for official USGS Staff Profiles and applies to all personnel made eligible for a Staff Profile by this SM chapter.
2. Authority.
A. Department of the Interior (DOI) Integrity of Scientific and Scholarly Activities
3. References.
A. Fundamental Science Practices (FSP) and Related Policy Directives
(1) SM 500.25, Scientific Integrity
(2) SM 502.4, Review, Approval, and Release of Information Products
(3) SM 502.5, Safeguarding Unpublished U.S. Geological Survey Data, Information, and Associated Scientific Materials
(4) SM 502.8, Review and Approval of Scientific Data for Release
(5) Instructional Memorandum (IM) OSQI 2019-01, Review and Approval of Scientific Software for Release
(6) Internal USGS Guidance for Reporting Project Progress
B. SM 205.18, Authority to Approve Information Products
C. SM 319.1, Privacy Act Program
D. SM 431.1, Records Management Roles and Responsibilities
E. SM 431.3 Records Management Requirements and Electronic Mail and Instant Messages
F. SM 500.5, News Release and Media Relations Policy
G. SM 500.16, Classification and Inventory of USGS Web Services
H. SM 500.23, Volunteer Service Acceptance
I. SM 500.25, Scientific Integrity
J. SM 600.6, Implementation and Administration of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
K. SM 601.1, USGS Web Standards
L. SM 601.2, Content Management System Certification
M. SM 1100.6, Use of Copyrighted Material in USGS Information Products
N. Public Access to Results of Federally Funded Research at the USGS (website)
4. Definitions.
A. Content Management System Manager. Content Management System (CMS) Managers are USGS employees, contractors, and volunteers that have been trained and certified by the Office of Communications and Publishing (OCAP) to create and maintain policy-compliant USGS web content (refer to SM 601.2).
B. Information Product. As defined in SM 502.1, “A USGS scientific information product is the compilation of scientific communication or representation of knowledge such as facts, data, or interpretations in any medium (for example: print, digital, web) or form (includes textual, numerical, graphical, cartographic, and audiovisual forms), for release or dissemination by the USGS or a non-USGS entity to a defined external audience or customer.”
C. Noninterpretive Information Products. As defined in SM 205.18, noninterpretive information products are those that do not contain new research or interpretive material and as such Bureau approval authority is delegated to the Science or Cost Center Manager or their delegate.
D. ORCID. Open Researcher and Contributor Identification (ORCID) is a non-profit organization supported by a global community of member organizations, including but not limited to research institutions, publishers, funders, professional associations, and service providers.
E. ORCID iD. An ORCID iD is a unique, persistent identifier assigned at zero cost to researchers. SM 502.4 requires scientific information product authors employed or funded by USGS to register for and acquire an ORCID iD.
F. Science or Cost Center Manager. Within this policy the term “Science or Cost Center Manager” is equivalent to other terms that may be used in the USGS, such as Chief Scientist, Center or Branch Chief, Center Director, or Coop Unit Leader.
G. Staff Profile. A Staff Profile is a strategic USGS communications tool that provides public access to authoritative and official information about the knowledge, professional contributions, and technical expertise of USGS employees and Emeritus Program participants. A Staff Profile is a combination of metadata about an employee, and USGS public web content related to an employee. When published, a Staff Profile is publicly available via the USGS public web.
H. USGS Public Website. This includes any website within the https://www.usgs.gov/ domain that requires no authentication to access and is maintained by USGS employees or contractors for the purpose of providing public access to communications about USGS science, news, and products.
I. USGS Emeritus Program Participants (USGS Emeritus or USGS Emeriti). As defined in SM 500.23, Section 7.A., Volunteer Eligibility – Scientist Emeritus, “…retired USGS senior scientists/experts [who] volunteer their expertise, intellect, and creativity in efforts that allow them to remain active in the science community, enhance the programmatic activities of the disciplines, and serve the public.”
5. Types of Staff Profiles.
A. USGS Federal Employees. USGS Federal employees are permitted to have a Staff Profile if they have an enabled USGS Active Directory account and USGS email address (i.e., ends with “@usgs.gov”).
B. USGS Emeriti. USGS Emeritus Program participants are permitted to have a Staff Profile if they have a completed an Optional Form 301A agreement and an enabled USGS Active Directory account and USGS email address (i.e., ends with “@usgs.gov”).
C. Interagency Personnel Working for USGS Under Grants and Cooperative Agreements. These personnel are permitted to have a Staff Profile if they have an enabled USGS Active Directory account and USGS email address.
6. Policy.
A. A Staff Profile is the only authoritative source of public information about a USGS employee permitted on USGS public websites (and supersedes all prior Staff Profile-like USGS web pages).
B. A Staff Profile must comply with the guidelines of this SM policy chapter, as well as all applicable Federal, DOI, and other USGS requirements governing the publishing of website content, including but not limited to ethics and scientific integrity requirements.
C. A Staff Profile must only contain content that relates to and demonstrates the employee’s USGS professional work and expertise. Personal information and non-USGS activities or experience unrelated to the employee’s USGS professional work and expertise are prohibited (e.g., religious activities, political activities, and personal hobbies).
D. A Staff Profile may highlight an employee’s professional affiliations, licenses, technical expertise, recognitions, and awards directly related to the employee’s USGS work.
E. A Staff Profile may include personal memberships in, or outside positions with, professional scientific organizations if such outside positions have been approved by a DOI ethics official where appropriate and the Staff Profile contains the following disclaimer: “The listing of outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government.”
F. A Staff Profile must not include pre-decisional, sensitive, or personally identifiable information (PII) including, but not limited to, social security number(s), date of birth, or personal contact information.
G. A Staff Profile must not link to, endorse, or promote commercial products or services including, but not limited to, Academia.com, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, LinkedIn, or ResearchGate.
H. A Staff Profile may be linked to an employee’s ORCID profile if the employee’s ORCID iD is provided in the designated input field of the Staff Profile.
I. Only the employee’s official USGS email address, phone number, or mailing address may be used on a Staff Profile or other USGS content. USGS Active Directory is the official source of employee contact information. Non-Federal contact information of any kind is prohibited.
J. Photographs included in Staff Profiles must be professional in nature, owned by the employee, and licensed in the public domain. Photographs must not contain inappropriate imagery or text, include images of others, any visibly identifiable non-USGS logo, hashtag, URL, or any other content that would be a violation of DOI ethics principles or copyright restrictions.
K. With the exception of USGS Emeritus Program participants, neither contractors nor volunteers are eligible to have their own USGS Staff Profile.
7. Requirements Specific to Referencing USGS Information Products.
A. All USGS scientific information products (including publications, data, software, and map products) as defined in SM 502.1, referenced within a Staff Profile must be Bureau-approved, cataloged, and stored in an approved USGS repository, and linked from the related content section of a Staff Profile (refer to FSP chapters SM 502.4 and SM 502.8, IM OSQI 2019-01, and Public Access of Federally Funded Research at the USGS).
B. In accordance with FSP, pre-release, preliminary, or provisional information products of any kind are prohibited, and must not be listed within the “non-USGS Publications” section of a Staff Profile. The non-USGS Publications section is restricted to peer-reviewed and approved publications authored by an employee prior to or in between periods of USGS employment (refer to FSP chapters SM 502.5 and internal USGS Guidance for Reporting Project Progress).
C. All other science USGS information products referenced within a Staff Profile, regardless of type, must meet appropriate USGS FSP and related policy requirements and other requirements stated herein.
8. Requirements Specific to Linking. All information on Staff Profiles must adhere to the following linking requirements. These requirements apply even if a URL is shown as text only but not hyperlinked:
A. Links to non-USGS publications are permitted so long as they are within the scope of the employee’s professional expertise at the USGS, and they are entered in the designated “Non-USGS Publications” fields of the Staff Profile. Additionally, the following disclaimer must also be displayed in the designated “Non-USGS Publications” section of the Staff Profile: “The views expressed in the non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.”
B. Links to, and contact information for, outside entities, publishers, former employers, and educational institutions are prohibited.
C. Links to personal information, websites, products, or services such as, but not limited to, resumes, curriculum vitae, or personal social media or websites (e.g., Academia.com, Google Scholar, LinkedIn, ResearchGate, GitHub, Facebook, Twitter, and so on) are prohibited.
D. Links to USGS author ORCID profiles are permitted because they are required of USGS authors; however, these links must be entered into the designated ORCID input field of a Staff Profile.
9. Requirements Specific to Employee Departures. A Staff Profile of a former Federal employees will be recategorized as a “Former Employee” on the separation date of the departing employee’s 9-090 Exit Interview form. Recategorizing a Staff Profile as a “Former Employee” removes it from all public USGS website employee directories, and removes the employee’s contact information, ORCID iD, and biographical information from all USGS public web page displays, including the Staff Profile public web page.
10. Prohibition of Alternate Staff Profiles and Staff Profile-like USGS Web Pages. To ensure that content is appropriately managed and to prevent duplication, employees are required to remove existing biographical web pages on other USGS websites and redirect those web page URLs to the employee’s USGS Staff Profile.
11. Review and Approval. All Staff Profile content must be reviewed and approved by the employee’s Science or Cost Center Director or their delegate (refer to SM 205.18). Contact OCAP, Digital Services (OCAP-DS), for assistance or clarification as needed.
12. Responsibilities.
A. Federal Employees and USGS Emeritus Program Participants. Federal employees and USGS Emeritus Program participants (i.e., USGS Emeriti) are responsible for maintaining high standards of honesty, integrity, impartiality, and conduct to ensure the proper performance of Government business and the continued trust and confidence of U.S. citizens. To this end, Federal employees and USGS Emeritus Program participants are responsible for ensuring their respective Staff Profile is correct, current, and relevant to their USGS work. Federal employees and USGS Emeritus Program participants must follow their Science or Cost Center’s review and approval workflow for creating and updating Staff Profile content.
B. Content Management System (CMS) Managers. These individuals are responsible for ensuring that all web content within their domain(s) of management is compliant with all Federal and State laws, and DOI and USGS policies (including, but not limited to this SM chapter). Additional Science or Cost Center-specific responsibilities may be appended to the USGS responsibilities by the employee’s Science or Cost Center, but those additional center-level responsibilities may not replace or reprioritize the USGS responsibilities.
C. Interagency Personnel Working for USGS Under Grants or Cooperative Agreements. These individuals are responsible for ensuring their respective Staff Profile record is correct, current, and follows their designated Science or Cost Center’s approved workflow for updating their Staff Profile. Interagency personnel working for USGS under grants or cooperative agreements that have not completed the OCAP CMS manager training and CMS certification (refer to SM 601.2) will not be granted permission to directly update their Staff Profile record, nor will they be assigned to a role that allows them to enable the public display of their Staff Profile.
D. Science and Cost Center Directors. Science and Cost Center Directors are responsible for ensuring that Staff Profiles of employees in their areas are maintained within the limits of this SM chapter. If individual employees are to be enabled to update their Staff Profile’s directly, Science and Cost Center Directors must develop supplemental internal requirements to this SM chapter that describe the roles and workflow for creating, reviewing, approving, and updating Staff Profile content. These requirements must provide any resources necessary to implement these requirements.
E. Office of Communications and Publishing, Digital Services. OCAP-DS is responsible for providing training, certification, and technical support to CMS Managers, Federal employees, and USGS Emeritus Program participants. If a Science or Cost Center policy allows Federal employees and USGS Emeritus Program participants to directly access and edit their Staff Profiles, OCAP-DS is responsible for enabling these employees to edit their respective Staff Profile. OCAP-DS is also responsible for recategorizing Staff Profiles as a “Former Employee” based on the separation date of the employee’s 9-090 Exit Interview Form.