Web Policies

This webpage outlines the policies that ensure the U.S. National Science Foundation's websites provide accurate, unbiased information about NSF programs and activities to the widest possible audience.

On this page

Web Privacy Policy

NSF's Web Privacy Policy provides details on how personal information is collected, used and protected when users interact with NSF online platforms and services to ensure confidentiality and compliance with relevant regulations.

Vulnerability Disclosure Policy

NSF's Vulnerability Disclosure Policy describes how researchers can report potential vulnerabilities related to the agency's publicly accessible systems, including its websites.

Information Quality Standards

The Information Quality at NSF webpage describes how NSF ensures the quality, objectivity, utility and integrity of the information on its websites and how to report issues with this information.

Copyright and reuse of images and text

NSF uses externally produced materials, such as text or graphics, on its websites only with permission of the copyright holder. If you believe material to which you have rights has been improperly included, please contact OLPA-Webmaster@nsf.gov.

Most text appearing on NSF webpages was either prepared by employees of the U.S. government as part of their official duties and therefore not subject to copyright or prepared under contracts that gave NSF the right to place the text into the public domain. The same is true of most publications available for downloading from this website. You may freely copy that material and, at your discretion, credit NSF with a "Courtesy: U.S. National Science Foundation" notation.

If copyrighted text is included on an NSF webpage or in an NSF publication, it will be specifically identified. For information about copyright holders, how they can be contacted and what, if any, use those owners allow of their material, please contact OLPA-Webmaster@nsf.gov.

This information is not legal advice. Online readers should not act upon this information without seeking appropriate professional counsel.

Except for NSF logos, permission to use NSF visual media, including graphics, photos and illustrations, is granted on a case-by-case basis. Some assets are public domain, some are created by NSF contractors, and some are used by NSF with specific permission granted by the owner. Therefore, visual media found on the NSF website should not be reused without permission.

To request information about the copyright holders of a given piece of visual media the NSF website, their contact information and what, if any, usage permissions exist for their material, email olpa_image_research@nsf.gov and provide:

  1. The URL where the asset was found.
  2. The file name, if available.
  3. A screenshot of the visual media.

Granting the right to use a particular visual media from the NSF website does not explicitly or implicitly convey NSF's endorsement of the site where it is used. If a piece of NSF visual media includes an identifiable person, using the media may infringe that person's right of privacy or publicity, and permission should be obtained from the person. Once you receive confirmation from NSF that the visual media is available for use, you must use the appropriate credit provided by the image research team.

If you have any questions regarding the reproduction or use of any NSF graphics, please direct them to OLPA-Webmaster@nsf.gov.

This information is not legal advice. Online readers should not act upon this information without seeking appropriate professional counsel.

Linking policy

NSF.gov links to publicly available websites that are government owned or government sponsored and are on the ".gov," ".mil" and ".fed.us" website domains. NSF.gov also links to:

  • Quasi-government agencies and websites created by public–private partnerships.
  • State and local government websites.
  • Government-sponsored websites that end in ".com," ".org" or ".net" (like www.usps.com for the U.S. Postal Service).
  • Select websites that are not government-owned or government-sponsored. NSF does this if these websites provide information that is not available on an official government website. NSF.gov provides links to these non-government websites as a public service only.

Disclaimer of endorsement

The NSF.gov website includes links to information created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations. NSF provides these links only for your information and convenience. When you select a link to an outside website, you are leaving the NSF.gov site and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the outside website: • NSF does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of information contained on a linked website. • NSF does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites and does not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.

  • The content of external, non-federal websites is not subject to federal information quality, privacy, security and related guidelines.
  • NSF cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website.
  • NSF is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.
  • NSF does not guarantee that outside websites comply with Section 508 (accessibility requirements) of the "Rehabilitation Act."
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