This information can be disseminated through a variety of  channels, including NASA publications, outside journals, presentations at  meetings or workshops, and Web sites. Researchers at NIST and NOAA Have to Comply with Commerce and Agency-Specific Policies for the Dissemination of Research through Media Interviews and Press Releases

Researchers at NIST and NOAA are subject to Commerce’s department- level policies when disseminating research results through media  interviews and press releases; however, these policies are outdated and  unrealistic and can impede the dissemination of research results. 1.) In addition, more researchers at the three agencies are  confident that they understand their agency’s policies on the  dissemination of research through publications and presentations well  enough to comply with them, than are confident that they understand their  agency’s media interview and press release policies. Headquarters and several center officials told us  that little or no formal training had been conducted on NASA’s recently  revised media policy. Researchers Have More Concerns about Adhering to Their Agency’s Media Interview and Press Release Policies than to Their Publication and Presentation Policies

Most researchers at NASA, NIST, and NOAA feel confident that they know  how to comply with their agency’s policies for publications and  presentations, but many do not feel as confident that they know how to  comply with their agency’s policies on media interviews and press  releases. NOAA researchers, like NIST researchers, are also subject to Commerce’s  policy that restricts their ability to discuss their personal views. Researchers Are Generally Unaware of Their Agencies’ Process for Appealing Dissemination Decisions

According to our survey, only 33 percent of NASA researchers, 26 percent  of NIST researchers, and 17 percent of NOAA researchers are aware of  their agencies’ processes to address disputes over dissemination requests. Six Percent of Researchers at NASA, NIST, and NOAA Had Dissemination Requests Denied, and Many Believe That Their Agencies Are Less Supportive of Media Interviews than Other Dissemination Methods

On the basis of our survey, we estimate that across NASA, NIST, and  NOAA, 6 percent of researchers were denied the opportunity to  disseminate their research results in the past 5 years, sometimes, they  believe, without explanation. Finally, most researchers at NIST and NOAA  believe that their agencies consistently applied the dissemination policies  across all routes of dissemination. In contrast, more researchers at  NASA believe that the agency consistently applies its policies for  publications than believe the agency consistently applies its policies for  press releases and media interviews. Recommendations for Executive Action

To ensure that the policies to guide researchers and public affairs officials  in their efforts to disseminate research to the scientific community and the  public are clear, transparent, consistently applied, and completely  understood, we recommend that the Secretary of Commerce and the  NOAA Administrator each take the following action:    Clarify their policies for disseminating research results via press releases  and media interviews. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our objectives for this review were to (1) identify and evaluate the policies  that guide the dissemination of federal research results 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) determine how effectively the  dissemination and dispute resolution policies of these agencies have been  communicated to researchers; (3) determine the extent to which  researchers at these agencies have experienced restrictions on the  dissemination of their research results, and (4) provide an overview of the  role of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in helping  agencies develop and implement policies related to the dissemination of  research results. To identify and evaluate the policies that guide the dissemination of  federally funded research results at NASA, NIST, and NOAA, we obtained,  reviewed, and analyzed the dissemination policies for these agencies, in  addition to relevant policies from the Department of Commerce. In all, we received a 66 percent response rate. a. a.
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.

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.