Does NSF require CRediT?

NSF policy text is silent on CRediT and other contributor taxonomies. Authorship is governed by journal policy and host-institution research-integrity rules. PAPPG (NSF 24-1) is silent on CRediT. Awardees report contributors via the project-personnel block; no taxonomy is mandated. Authorship on resulting publications is governed by journal policy.

What is NSF's data sharing requirement?

Data Management Plan (mandatory at proposal stage since 2011); aligned with FAIR principles in updated guidance. Researchers should follow the data-management plan submitted with the application and deposit data in a recognised repository where appropriate.

Funder mandate

NSF

PAPPG (NSF 24-1) is silent on CRediT. Awardees report contributors via the project-personnel block; no taxonomy is mandated. Authorship on resulting publications is governed by journal policy.

SilentPolicy year 2024United States$9.9 billion (FY24)

Overview

Where NSF stands on contributorship and open research

PAPPG (NSF 24-1) is silent on CRediT. Awardees report contributors via the project-personnel block; no taxonomy is mandated. Authorship on resulting publications is governed by journal policy.

CRediT status: Silent - No published funder stance on CRediT or contributor taxonomies.

Open access

NSF Public Access Plan (implementing the 2022 OSTP Nelson memo)

Effective end of 2026, NSF-funded peer-reviewed publications must be openly accessible at time of publication. Implementation details are being phased in by directorate.

Research data management

Data sharing requirements

Data Management Plan (mandatory at proposal stage since 2011); aligned with FAIR principles in updated guidance.

Submission and reporting

How NSF researchers apply and report

Primary submission system	Research.gov and FastLane (legacy); SciENcv for biosketches
Biosketch / CV format	SciENcv-generated NSF biosketch + Current and Pending Support
Reporting cycle	Annual / final project reports via Research.gov

NSF requires the SciENcv-generated biographical sketch (the freeform alternative was retired on 25 October 2023), a Current and Pending Support disclosure also via SciENcv, and a two-page Data Management Plan at proposal stage. ORCID iDs are strongly recommended and link automatically into SciENcv.

Contributorship guidance

How NSF handles contributor attribution

NSF takes no position on contributorship taxonomies for publications. Contributor recognition flows through the journal layer; for collaborative-project reporting, NSF uses its own project-personnel block in annual and final reports.

For authors

Publishing from NSF funding

NSF does not require a CRediT statement at the grant layer, but most journals NSF researchers publish in do. When you publish, include the NSF award number in the funding-acknowledgement section in the standard format (for example, "This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. ..."). For open-access compliance ahead of the 2026 deadline, deposit accepted manuscripts in an NSF-accepted public repository. Confirm your ORCID iD is linked in your Research.gov profile to streamline SciENcv biosketch generation for the next proposal.

For general CRediT submission guidance across publishers, see CRediT for authors.

Notable initiatives

NSF programmes and infrastructure

NSF Public Access Plan
Research Security TRUST framework
NSF Convergence Accelerator
TIP Directorate (2022)

Notes

Caveats and context

NSF defers to journal practice on contributorship and to the OSTP framework on open access. The agency does not currently signal intent to require CRediT.

Frequently asked

Common questions about NSF

Does NSF require CRediT?: NSF policy text is silent on CRediT and other contributor taxonomies. Authorship is governed by journal policy and host-institution research-integrity rules. PAPPG (NSF 24-1) is silent on CRediT. Awardees report contributors via the project-personnel block; no taxonomy is mandated. Authorship on resulting publications is governed by journal policy.
What is NSF's open access policy?: NSF Public Access Plan (implementing the 2022 OSTP Nelson memo). Effective end of 2026, NSF-funded peer-reviewed publications must be openly accessible at time of publication. Implementation details are being phased in by directorate.
How do I report contributorship to NSF?: NSF takes no position on contributorship taxonomies for publications. Contributor recognition flows through the journal layer; for collaborative-project reporting, NSF uses its own project-personnel block in annual and final reports.
Where do I submit a NSF application?: NSF applications are submitted through Research.gov and FastLane (legacy); SciENcv for biosketches. NSF requires the SciENcv-generated biographical sketch (the freeform alternative was retired on 25 October 2023), a Current and Pending Support disclosure also via SciENcv, and a two-page Data Management Plan at proposal stage. ORCID iDs are strongly recommended and link automatically into SciENcv.
What is NSF's data sharing requirement?: Data Management Plan (mandatory at proposal stage since 2011); aligned with FAIR principles in updated guidance. Researchers should follow the data-management plan submitted with the application and deposit data in a recognised repository where appropriate.

References