Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Department of Energy has finalized a new policy that allows scientists more leeway to speak out about their work, while strengthening the "actual and perceived credibility" of government research.
• The policy formalizes an 2009 edict from President Obama, that political officials should not be involved in suppressing or altering scientific conclusions.
• While DOE officials say there is no connection, President-elect Donald Trump alarmed many scientists and observers when his transition team asked for the names of researchers in the agency who were involved with climate research in the agency. The question has since been withdrawn.

Dive Insight:

The changes were announced this week by Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, who said "DOE officials should not and will not ask scientists to tailor their work to any particular conclusion."

The new rules apply to scientific personnel at DOE laboratories, as wel as other non-federal scientific and technical personnel.

According to the seven-page policy, the rules will ensure a culture of scientific integrity;  strengthen the actual and perceived credibility of the federal government and its research; and facilitate the free flow of scientific and technical information. The new policy also establishes principles for communicating scientific and technological information to the public.

"The cornerstone of the scientific integrity policy at DOE is that all scientists, engineers, or others supported by DOE are free and encouraged to share their scientific findings and views," the policy reads. It allows researchers to speak with the media without prior approval, though they are still required to notify the department after they have done so.

In December, Trump's transition team requested that the DOE provide the names of scientists who had worked on climate change issues, evoking an outcry from the scientific community and many political observers. The team later dropped the question.According to the science journal Nature, Moniz said this week that the new policy is unrelated to the incident with Trump's transition team.