The Sea Grant Collection

This page provides information on submitting and accessing publications funded and/or authored by Sea Grant. Until 2021, the Sea Grant Collection was held by the National Sea Grant Library at University of Rhode Island (URI). In 2022, the National Sea Grant Office worked with the NOAA Central Libraries and URI to transition the 50 year old collection to what is now referred to as the Sea Grant Collection at NOAA. There are three categories within the collection: the peer-reviewed publications entered into the NOAA Institutional repository, the publications entered into the more inclusive NOAA Library Catalog, and the Multi-media Collection managed directly by the National Sea Grant Office.

Access the Sea Grant Collection

Find Sea Grant funded and authored journal articles, reports, educational materials, and more. Locate publications by keyword, grant number, or Sea Grant Program, or simply browse the collection.

Submit Publications to the Sea Grant Collection

View submission forms and guidelines below.

Sea Grant Journal Article Submission

To submit peer-reviewed journal articles to the Sea Grant Collection, use this form and follow the steps below:

Verify whether the accepted, peer-reviewed manuscript or the final version of the article should be submitted. For more information about manuscript versioning and rights, see the NOAA Library’s guidance. If you are still unsure whether your article is Open Access, use the accepted, peer-reviewed manuscript version.
Complete all required fields in the submission form, including Sea Grant Program, relevant grant numbers, and publication information.
Upload the file(s) to the form. If submitting as a batch, complete the required spreadsheet

Sea Grant Publications Submission

To submit other publications (not peer-reviewed journal articles) to the Sea Grant Collection, use this form and follow the steps below:

Review Section 508 Compliance guidelines to ensure publications are accessible. For more information, see the NOAA Library’s guidance and the “Section 508 Resources” section below.
Complete all required fields in the submission form, including Sea Grant Program, relevant grant numbers, and document type.
Upload the file(s) to the form. If submitting as a batch, complete the required spreadsheet.

For a detailed list of accepted documents with corresponding examples, see our guide to accepted documents.

Sea Grant Documents Submission to NSGO

To submit other documents that are not accepted to the NOAA Library, use this form and follow the steps below:

Fill out the required spreadsheet with all relevant metadata for each document.
Complete all required fields in the submission form, including Sea Grant Program, relevant grant numbers, and document type.

Submitting Sea Grant Publications

An overview of the submission processes used to submit Sea Grant documents to the Sea Grant Collection at the NOAA Library and the National Sea Grant Office.

General Resources

Section 508 Resources

NOAA Section 508 Guide: A quick start guide describing the 5 main criteria that NOAA checks for with all submissions to the Library Catalog or Institutional Repository.
NOAA Central Library Section 508 YouTube Playlist: Contains multiple videos including full-length webinars on Section 508 compliance. A secondary “bite-size” playlist on each of the five main elements of Section 508 is also available.
PDF Techniques for WCAG 2.0: Documentation that covers PDF requirements for Section 508 from W3C. Focuses on the WCAG requirements and how to achieve them.
Sea Grant Section 508 Presentation (January 2022)
Sea Grant Section 508 Working Session Recording (January 2022)

About Manuscripts and Versions

Submission of peer-reviewed journal articles to the Sea Grant Collection entails the submission of documents to the NOAA Institutional Repository, which requires the manuscript version of a journal article. This version of the document is often called the post-refereed, pre-publication manuscript. It is a draft of the manuscript after peer-review but does not have publisher-added content like pagination or logos. When submitting peer-reviewed journal articles to the Sea Grant Collection, we ask that this version of the manuscript is submitted. You can find examples of this format here and here.

Manuscripts Explained: An in-depth guide to manuscript versioning and rights from the NOAA Publishing and Scholarly Communications LibGuide.
Manuscripts Webinar: Demystifies manuscripts, explains embargoes, copyright, and submitting to the NOAA Institutional Repository. Covers different types of publications.
What is an Accepted Manuscript? (2015, OSTI.gov) Defines accepted manuscripts.
Understanding and Navigating Open Access: A webinar covering all things Open Access: what it is, the different types, what it means, and how OA fits in with some federal requirements.

Figure 1: The illustration above shows how a manuscript progresses throughout the publishing process. At each stage throughout the process a new version of the manuscript is created and who retains ownership of that version. Image derived from Manuscript detectives – submitted, accepted or published? (2018, Arthur Smith).

Frequently Asked Questions

For additional questions on submitting publications to the Sea Grant Collection, please contact oar.seagrant-pubs@noaa.gov (email)

Who is required to submit publications to the Sea Grant Collection?

All state Sea Grant programs are required to submit publications to the Sea Grant Collection for archival in either the NOAA Institutional Repository or the NOAA Library Catalog. The state Sea Grant staff responsible for publication reporting should complete the submission steps above for all relevant publications.

Do I need to submit a hard copy of my publications?

Sea Grant programs are no longer required to submit hard copies of documents. Digital copies should be submitted following the procedures above.

What if I cannot obtain the final accepted version of a manuscript?

The final accepted (“post-refereed”) manuscript is the ideal version to submit to the Sea Grant Collection. However, if you are unable to obtain this version or are unsure if your version is the correct one, please proceed with your submission, and the NOAA Library staff will reach out if there is an issue.

Does my publication need to be Section 508 Compliant?

Section 508 of the U.S. Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mandates that all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public.

All publications submitted to the Sea Grant Collection should be Section 508 Compliant. Most peer-reviewed accepted manuscripts and published articles in their final form are Section 508 Compliant. If you are unsure whether your publication is compliant, or you require assistance, please proceed with your submission(s) and a NOAA librarian will work with you to ensure publication accessibility. Please see the above “Section 508 Resources” for additional information.

What kinds of documents are accepted into the Sea Grant Collection?

Peer-reviewed journal articles are accepted to the Sea Grant Collection and housed in the NOAA Institutional Repository. Other publications that are accepted include program reports, strategic/program documents manuals/handbooks/guidelines, annual/biennial reports, survey/evaluation reports, technical reports, educational materials, maps/atlases/charts, Sea Grant-authored books, bibliographies, newsletters, conference proceedings/workshops, and theses/dissertations. View a list of examples of accepted publications.

What if I have other kinds of materials I want to submit (i.e. fact sheets, posters, brochures, directories, etc.)?

Documents excluded from the list above should be submitted as a batch to the NSGO using the “Sea Grant Documents Submission” process. These documents will be held and recorded by the National Sea Grant Office and will not be made accessible to the public. Sea Grant Programs should utilize their own platforms to make such documents available to local audiences. Please note this is an interim procedure for FY2022 as the NSGO determines how best to manage material that cannot be accepted to the NOAA Library.

How can I find publications linked to my Sea Grant Program?

Navigate to the Sea Grant Collection in the NOAA Library Catalog. On the left hand column, narrow down results by “NOAA Program & Office,” (click “More” if your program does not immediately appear).