Overview
Open Science and Science Communication are Foundational Components of the Team Science Ethos at Berkeley Lab. We want to ensure everyone has a fulfilling (and fun!) experience, both professionally and personally. This is only achieved by fully valuing the active participation of all members of our community. Respect and courtesy are expected to be demonstrated to others at all times. The fabric of our community is something we make together, and our shared scientific culture should reflect our values.
Publications and Authorship
The Transparency and Openess Promotion (TOP) guidelines from the Center for Open Science for standards in publishing (published in Science, 2015, 348:1422 DOI: 10.1126/science.aab2374) are established guiding principles for having open discussions regarding authorship. We follow guidelines from Berkeley Lab's Research Compliance Office on the transparent and equitable acknowledgement of authorship on publications, which are largely funded by the American taxpayer. Briefly, authorship requires an individual to meet all of the following criteria and are copied here from the above link:
Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
Contributions to drafting the work or reviewing it for intellectual content; AND
Final approval of the version to be published; AND
Agreement to be accountable for their contributions to the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Those who do not meet all four criteria will be acknowledged in the main text of the paper. Honorary or guest and gift or courtesy contributor or authorships, which convey contributor or authorship to persons that have not made meaningful contributions to a study, are never allowed.
These criteria are intended to reserve the status of contributor or authorship for those who deserve credit and can take responsibility for the work. The criteria are not intended for use as a means to disqualify individuals from authorship who otherwise meet authorship criteria by denying them the opportunity to to meet 1.b. or 1.c. above. Therefore, all individuals who meet criteria 1.a above should have the opportunity to participate in the review, drafting, and final approval of the manuscript. Reasonable efforts should be made to reach all co-authors during this process.
Additional nuance on these grey area for these criteria have been discussed previously at the NIH Intramural Research Program Committee on Scientific Conduct and Ethics with a very nice colored graph available here.
Supporting and Championing a Wide Array of Voices
Our lab, as well as LBNL, believes in a healthy and accommodating research environment. We will support each individual’s development and research, and we promote robust decision making. All group members are thus dedicated to a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, and/or religion. We do not tolerate harassment by and/or of members of our group in any form.
This applies to everyone, no matter their degree level, expertise, or contributions to the group. If inappropriate behavior continues after this initial discussion, formal processes, in line with LBNL’s policies, will commence. The lab sponsors many Employee Resource Groups open to all.
If you wish to report any issue, Thomas is always willing to listen. All communications will be considered confidential. Alternatively, please contact other members of LBNL Biosciences leadership (e.g. Aindrila, Jay, Nathan), HR (e.g. Sandy Roth, Alex Degg), or the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accountability (IDEA) office (e.g. Lady Idos).
Computers, Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN), and Data Storage/backup
You will be provided with a laptop (and peripherals to ensure an ergonomically friendly work set-up). We prefer Apple computers.
The computer is government owned property, and you are responsible for taking care of it, and using it appropriately. Refer to the LBNL training on cybersecurity etc. While LBNL has some installed back-up software, it is your responsibility to ensure it’s working, and do not rely on it as the only option. For example, Jenny keeps all of her files (where confidentiality allows) within her LBNL GoogleDrive for Cloud backup. It is also good practice to back-up lab books e.g. create a static pdf of your OneNote once a month.
Software licenses for common programs including Snapgene, GraphPad Prism, and MS Office are handled through LBNL IT - do not submit special purchase orders for these items.
Electronic Lab Notebooks – we use MS OneNote. Please share your OneNote, and keep it updated. It does not need to be full of perfect paragraphs of text – bullet points, sketches, pieces of paper from the lab that are photographed and uploaded are all excellent, as long as they are labeled. Remember, your worst collaborator is yourself from six months ago.
Authorship will be discussed openly, and likely more than once during the course of a project. If you’re not happy with the order, speak up! We aim to be inclusive of everyone who has made a significant contribution to the work being presented. A “significant contribution” can include but is not limited to: collection of primary data, interpretations of primary data, and development of ideas presented in the work. I want to emphasize that our technical staff are critical to our research success and their contributions should be acknowledged as such.
Funding acknowledgements – we have specific language that we are required to use, depending on your grant funding and any user facilities you have worked with. Check with Thomas before submission, and double check in the proofs.
Current DOE-BER funding acknowledgement as of July 2025:
"The work conducted at the Joint BioEnergy Institute was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research Program, through contract DE-AC02-05CH11231 between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. Any subjective views or opinions that might be expressed in the paper do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government."