NASA Publications Guide for Authors

This guide gives you basic information about publishing NASA scientific and technical information (STI). For additional information, contact your Center or Headquarters STI or technical publications manager and see http://www.sti.nasa.gov, “Publish STI.” Extensive information is given in NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) 2200.2, Requirements for Documentation, Approval, and Dissemination of NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI), reference 1. Documenting and publishing the results of your work are part of your responsibilities as a NASA employee. The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 established a requirement for NASA to provide "the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof." If you are engaged in NASA-funded or NASA-sponsored research and development and related efforts, it is important to publish the results of your work in the NASA STI Report Series or through other externally accessible channels, as appropriate.

STI is defined in NASA Policy Directive (NPD) 2200.1, Management of NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI), reference 2, as the results (facts, analyses, and conclusions) of the Agency’s basic and applied scientific, technical, and related engineering research and development. STI also includes management, industrial, and economic information relevant to this research. Examples include, but are not limited to, technical papers and reports, journal articles, meeting, workshop, and conference papers and presentations, conference proceedings, and preliminary or nonpublished STI, including any of these examples that will be posted to a public Internet website. This guide is based not only on requirements in NPR 2200.2 but also on current professional publications standards.

Section 1 gives an overview. It also reminds you of your role in sharing your work through documenting STI for NASA and the U.S. taxpayers, when appropriate. Section 2 describes each type of report in the NASA STI Report Series and other forms of publications. It also discusses dissemination and safeguarding of STI for the future. Section 3 discusses technical, data quality, and dissemination reviews, including the mandatory review via NASA Form (NF) 1676, NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Document Availability Authorization (DAA), for any NASA STI released external to the Agency or presented at internal meetings or workshops at which foreign nationals may be present. This section also discusses handling unlimited and limited/restricted STI. Section 4 provides recommended standards for document format, composition, and organization. It also gives specifics regarding the elements of a typical report. Section 5 presents miscellaneous preparation recommendations. As a reminder, this section is intended to be a brief explanation.