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Source Release Clearance Guidelines

Source release clearance is the maintainer review step that decides whether a source can be included in a public CUSP release.

Clearance Fields

Each structured process-script docstring should include:

  • release_clearance
  • permission_basis

Contributors can fill in the best information they know. Maintainers make the final release decision.

Review Workflow

  1. A contributor adds or updates a source-processing script.
  2. The contributor records source citation, processing assumptions, and permission basis in the script docstring.
  3. New sources should usually start with release_clearance = "needs_review".
  4. A maintainer reviews the source, license or permission basis, processing assumptions, and known limitations.
  5. The maintainer updates release_clearance to approved, deferred, or do_not_release.
  6. The metadata generator updates PROCESS_SCRIPT_METADATA.csv.

Release Clearance Values

Value Meaning
approved Source can be included in the public CUSP release.
needs_review Source has not yet received a maintainer decision.
deferred Source may be useful later but should not be included now.
do_not_release Source should not be distributed in the public CUSP release.

Permission Basis Values

Value Meaning
self_generated Data were generated by the contributor or CUSP team.
published_literature Source comes from published literature.
public_repository_terms Data are available through a repository with terms that permit reuse.
emailed_approval Permission was granted by email.
verbal_approval Permission was granted verbally and should be documented as soon as possible.
institutional_approval Permission follows an institutional agreement or approval.
other Permission basis does not fit the listed categories; explain in notes.
needs_review Permission basis is not yet known.

Contributor Guidance

Contributors are not expected to make legal judgments for the project. They should record why they think the source can be added to CUSP and let a maintainer make the final release-clearance decision.