Federal Research: Policies Guiding the Dissemination of Scientific Research from Selected Agencies Should Be Clarified and Better Communicated Page: 2 of 102
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' GAO
aAccountabiity Integrity Reliability
Highlig hts
Highlights of GAO-07-653, a report to the
Chairman, Subcommittee on Commerce,
Justice, Science, and Related Agencies,
Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate
Why GAO Did This Study
Researchers at federal agencies
disseminate their research results
through a variety of approaches,
including scientific publications,
presentations, press releases, and
media interviews. Because of
recent concerns about some
federal researchers possibly being
restricted from disseminating their
research on controversial topics,
GAO determined (1) the policies
that guide the dissemination of
federal research at the National
Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), the
National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST), and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA); (2) how
effectively these agencies have
communicated their policies to
researchers; and (3) the extent to
which researchers have been
restricted in disseminating their
research. GAO conducted a survey
of 1,811 researchers randomly
selected at the three agencies, and
had a 66 percent response rate.
GAO is making recommendations
to the Department of Commerce,
NASA, NIST, and NOAA to clarify
their dissemination polices for
press releases and media
interviews, ensure researchers
have a policy for appealing
dissemination decisions, and
provide training on these policies.
In commenting on a draft of this
report, Commerce, responding for
NIST, NOAA, and itself, generally
concurred with GAO's findings and
recommendations, as did NASA.
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-653.
To view the full product, including the scope
and methodology, click on the link above.
For more information, contact Ms. Anu Mittal
at (202) 512-3841 or mittala@gao.gov.FEDERAL RESEARCH
Policies Guiding the Dissemination of
Scientific Research from Selected
Agencies Should Be Clarified and Better
Communicated
What GAO Found
Most of the NASA, NIST, and NOAA policies that guide the dissemination of
federally funded research generally facilitate the dissemination process, but
some do not. GAO found that overall NASA's policies, including its recently
revised media policy, are clear and should help facilitate dissemination
regardless of the dissemination approach used. At NIST and NOAA, GAO
found that the agencies' policies for dissemination through publications and
presentations were generally clear and should facilitate dissemination; but
their policies for disseminating research through media interviews and press
releases may hinder it. For example, because both NIST and NOAA are part
of Commerce, researchers at these agencies must comply with department-
level policies to disseminate their research results through media interviews
or press releases, but Commerce's policies are outdated and can prevent
researchers from meeting media schedules. Moreover, requests by NOAA
researchers to share their research via media interviews and press releases
may be further hampered because these researchers must also comply with
their own agency's media interview and press release policies in addition to
the Department of Commerce's. NOAA officials told GAO that because its
media interview and press release policies lack clarity, they have been
inconsistently interpreted by NOAA public affairs officials.
According to GAO's survey, NASA, NIST, and NOAA have made efforts to
communicate their dissemination policies to their research staff, but many
researchers are not confident that they know how to comply with some of
the policies. The agencies have communicated their dissemination policies
through staff meetings, on agency Web sites, and in limited formal training.
While 90 percent of researchers are confident that they understand the
policies for publications, only about 65 percent are confident they
understand their agency's media interview and press release policies well
enough to comply with them. Similarly, almost half of the researchers across
the agencies are unsure whether their agency's policy allows them to discuss
their personal views on the policy implications of their research. Finally,
only 25 percent of researchers across the agencies are aware of a process to
follow to appeal denials of requests to disseminate their research.
On the basis of responses to GAO's survey, 6 percent-or about 200
researchers-across NASA, NIST, and NOAA had dissemination requests
denied during the last 5 years. One of the most common reasons researchers
mentioned for these denials was that the topic of the research was sensitive
or restricted for security reasons; in some cases, no reason was given. Most
researchers at these agencies believe that their agency is more supportive of
dissemination of research through publications and presentations, than
dissemination through the media. Most NIST and NOAA researchers believe
that their agency consistently applies the dissemination policies for each
route of dissemination, while more researchers at NASA believe the agency
consistently applies its policies for publications than believe the agency
consistently applies its policies for press releases and interviews.,United States Government Accountability Office
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United States. Government Accountability Office. Federal Research: Policies Guiding the Dissemination of Scientific Research from Selected Agencies Should Be Clarified and Better Communicated, report, May 17, 2007; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc302453/m1/2/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.