Science Information Policy
The information produced as part of NASA’s scientific research activities represents a significant public investment. NASA holds this information, including publications, data, and software, as a public trust to increase knowledge and serve the public good. It is Science Mission Directorate (SMD) policy, consistent with NASA and Federal policies, that information produced from SMD-funded scientific research activities be made publicly available.
SMD has released SPD-41a: Scientific Information Policy for the Science Mission Directorate to provide guidance on the open sharing of publications, data, and software created in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.
The principles of the scientific information policy include:
- Peer-reviewed publications are made openly available with no embargo period.
- Research data and software are shared at the time of publication or the end of the funding award.
- Mission data are released as soon as possible, and unrestricted mission software is developed openly.
- Science workshops and meetings are held openly to enable broad participation.
The development and implementation of the scientific information policy are one component of Open Science at NASA, a comprehensive program of activities to enable and support a movement toward more accessible, collaborative, and reproducible scientific processes.
SMD Open Science Guidance
The SMD Open Science Guidance provides guidelines, best practices, and examples of open science to support the SMD scientific community in implementing the requirements of SPD-41a. SMD also provides open science training on these principles and practices. These resources will be updated over time to reflect best practices and feedback from the SMD scientific community.
Additional Resources
SMD provides additional guidance, training, and services to support researchers in implementing policy requirements. This includes:
- SPD-41a: Scientific Information Policy for the Science Mission Directorate
- Scientific Information Policy Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- ROSES Open Science and Data Management Plan Guidance
- Evaluating the OSDMP: Guidance for ROSES Peer Reviewers
- Open Science and Data Management Plan Template for Missions (.docx)
- NASA’s Public Access Plan for Increasing Access to the Results of Scientific Research (2025)
- NASA's Implementation of Executive Order 14303, Restoring Gold Standard Science
SMD will continue to work with the research community to identify additional types of support that are needed and to develop and improve existing resources. Please contact HQ-SMD-SPD41@mail.nasa.gov with any questions about these efforts or suggestions to improve the guidance provided around SPD-41a.
Scientific Information Metrics
The availability of scientific information will be regularly monitored to assess the rate of adoption by the SMD community. The initial baseline measurements show that many in the community are already practicing these principles with the sharing of data, software, and publications.
SMD Division Policies and Guidance
SPD-41a ensures that requirements for sharing scientific information are consistent across SMD. Additionally, SMD divisions developed the following policies and guidance to put the requirements of SPD-41a into context for specific scientific communities. These policies and other resources were developed with input from the relevant research communities and provide additional details and examples to support the implementation of SPD-41a.
Astrophysics Division
Biological and Physical Sciences Division
Earth Science Division
- Earth Science Open Data, Services, and Software Policies
- Earth Science Data and Information Policy
- ESDS Open Source Software Policy
- Data Management Guidance for ESD-funded Researchers
- How to Create and Maintain a Data Management Plan for Proposals
Heliophysics Division
Planetary Science Division
- Planetary Data Science Overview Page
- Planetary Science Division Information and Data Policy
- Planetary Data System
- PDS Information for Data Proposers
Further information on SPD-41a
SPD-41a updates the previously released SPD-41, which consolidated existing Federal and NASA policy on sharing scientific information. The updates in SPD-41a policy reflect new federal guidance, studies from the National Academies, and input from the SMD scientific community. This includes responses from the SMD scientific community to a Request for Information that SMD issued in 2021 to solicit feedback on proposed policy updates. The SPD-41a change log provides a list of policy updates that have been made in SPD-41a.
Town hall on SPD-41a - January 17, 2023
Town hall on SPD-41a Request for Information - January 26, 2022
Please direct questions or corrections on this page to HQ-SMD-SPD41@mail.nasa.gov.
