Communicating science transparently and without government interference

Over the last eight years, our agency maintained a fairly open dialog with the public on issues of scientific and technological advancement. Our agency was able to do so because we looked to the research community and the peer review process for guidance about whether a research breakthrough was valid, important and of interest to the public.

1. To maintain transparency, it should be federal policy that all agencies never intentionally hide, diminish, under-publicize or reject scientific research, particularly research that is of import to the scientific community as determined by that community through peer review.

2. To encourage participation, the federal government should establish mechanisms to make it easier for federal grant recipients to publicize the results of their work -- in all areas, not just science and technology, but also art, history and others. Too many incredible results stay only within their professional community, in part because of misunderstanding and a lack of knowledge about how to share results.

3. Collaboration is ongoing, but to improve it, agencies should be encouraged to truly partner when disseminating research results, particularly as many results are funded by multiple agencies. We all serve the same customers, in the broadest sense, and true collaboration would serve them best.

Why Is This Idea Important?