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NASA Science Mission Directorate: Open-Source Science Guidance

NASA’s Open-Source Science Initiative (OSSI) is a comprehensive program of activities to enable and support moving science towards openness, and it aims to implement SMD's Strategy for Data Management and Computing for Groundbreaking Science 2019-2024. OSSI includes a commitment to the open sharing of software, data, and knowledge (algorithms, papers, documents, ancillary information) as early as possible in the scientific process. The principles of open-source science are to make publicly funded scientific research transparent, inclusive, accessible, and reproducible.

As part of the OSSI, SMD’s Scientific Information Policy provides guidance on the open sharing of publications, data, and software created in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. SPD-41a: Scientific Information Policy for the Science Mission Directorate updates the previously released SPD-41, which consolidated existing Federal and NASA policy on sharing scientific information. SPD-41a was developed in light of new federal guidance on Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research, studies from the National Academies, and input from the SMD scientific community.

This repository provides guidelines, best practices, and examples of open-source science to support the SMD scientific community in implementing the requirements of SPD-41a and achieving the broad OSSI goal of moving science towards openness. Please note the Limitations to this guidance. This guidance represents general recommendations and best practices for the SMD scientific community and should be considered alongside any additional guidance provided by SMD Divisions or specific funding solicitations. For additional information about SPD-41a and other scientific information policies that correspond to SMD Divisions, see the Scientific Information Policy website, SPD-41a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), and the ROSES Open Science and Data Management Plan page.

This content is also available as a PDF on the SMD Science Information Policy page.

Learn more about open science by completing NASA's Open Science 101 curriculum, part of the Transform to Open Science (TOPS) initiative. The information in Open Science 101 complements this Open-Source Science Guidance by providing additional definitions, tools, resources, and best practices. You can earn a NASA Open Science Certification by completing instructor-led or self-paced modules, and you can access the curriculum content on GitHub.

Guidance

For Researchers

• Open Science and Data Management Plan
• Sharing Publications
• Data Management and Sharing
• Software Management and Sharing
• Persistent Identifiers for Investigators
• Sharing Materials from Science Events
• Glossary of Open-Source Science Terms

For Missions

• This community-developed resource includes an overview of SPD-41a requirements for missions and suggestions for how missions can incorporate open science practices.

For Data Repositories

• Registering DOIs for data citation

SMD Division Policies and Guidance

• List of division-specific policies and resources

Contributing

Contributions to the repository are welcome! Following the best practices of open science, this material can be best built through the collective knowledge of the community. To report something that needs to be fixed or suggesting an addition, contributions can be made through opening an issue in the repository. If you are interested in contributing material directly to the repository, please see the Contributors' Guide.

SMD sometimes solicits a Request for Comment (RFC) to gather community input on specific topics for the development of open-source science guidance. The guideline on registration of DOIs for data citation is one such example of guidance developed following an RFC. The process for developing additional guidelines is still being refined, but this presentation provides an overview.

Please contact the maintainers or send an email to HQ-SMD-SPD41@mail.nasa.gov with any questions.

Limitations

This repository does not establish policy requirements related to SMD funded activities. While this guidance is consistent with SPD-41a: Scientific Information Policy for the Science Mission Directorate, it may not be comprehensive or complete, and there may be other ways in which to comply with existing or future agreements or requirements not described here. For specific requirements related to scientific information produced from SMD-funded scientific activities, please see SPD-41a, NASA policies, and/or any requirements in the solicitation or agreement associated with the activity.

This repository will be updated as new information becomes available.