Information Quality Support

Purpose

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is committed to applying rigorous scientific standards to ensure the accuracy and reliability of research results. The scientific community recognizes peer review as the primary method of quality control for scientific and technical documents.

CDC receives input from highly qualified peer reviewers on a routine basis. Peer reviewers look for propriety, accuracy, completeness, and quality (including objectivity, utility, and integrity) of CDC materials. Peer review may be different throughout the scientific process. However, the overall goal is to get an objective evaluation of scientific information from fellow scientists.

Peer review standards

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) encourages Federal agencies to use peer review, especially when sharing official government scientific information. To support this, OMB developed Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review. This document includes guidelines to create standards for peer review. The Bulletin is part of a broader effort under the 2001 Information Quality Act (Public Law No. 106-554, Section 515[a]). This ensures the quality of all information that federal agencies share with the public.

What's included

CDC has developed information quality guidelines to continue providing the public with high-quality information. The guidelines also include ways for people to submit requests to CDC for corrections, if they suspect the information does not follow them.

CDC cannot always predict how shared information will influence and affect others. However, the agency expects all CDC scientific reports to have clear and specific information stating how the results are generated, including

• The data that are used.
• Various assumptions.
• Analytic methods.
• Statistical procedures.
• Sources of error.

This ensures that the original analysis of shared scientific information is a fully transparent process.

What it applies to

The guidelines apply to information in all forms-print, electronic, audiovisual, verbal, etc. The guidelines focus primarily on the dissemination of substantive information (e.g., reports, studies, summaries) rather than information belonging to basic agency operations. Information that is shared at the request of CDC or with specific CDC approval through a contract or a grant is subject to these guidelines.

Information that is subject to the guidelines includes:

• Scientific research papers, books, journal articles, and similar authoritative materials unless they have disclaimers alerting the audience that they do not represent official views of CDC.
• Official reports, brochures, documents, newsletters, electronic documents, and audiovisual productions.
• Editorials, commentaries, and letters to the editor, but only if they are provided by CDC staff representing official CDC viewpoints.
• Verbal information, including speeches, interviews, and expert opinions, but only if it represents CDC viewpoints, official positions, or policies.
• Statistical information, including statistical analyses and aggregated information by program, institute, or center or for CDC, including funding information and histories (by disease, funding mechanism, dollars, and other criteria).
• Consensus panel reports and open meetings' proceedings and minutes.

What it doesn’t apply to

Although information that is not covered by the OMB guidelines is not subject to the new administrative correction procedures, the information is still subject to the usual CDC internal review procedures for accuracy and high quality. This information includes:

• National Library of Medicine (NLM) databases or other archival records, CRISP, and similar databases.
• Documents not authored by the agency and not representing the agency's views, including information authored and distributed by CDC grantees.
• Information that is limited in dissemination to Government employees or agency contractors or grantees.
• Information pertaining to basic agency operations, including information about agency authorities, activities, and programs; contact information for the public; organizational charts; CDC or institute or center directors' status reports; solicitations [program announcements (PAs)/requests for applications (RFAs)]; and receipt and review materials (e.g., summary statements, information for advisory councils or advisory committee members).
• Information intended solely for intra- or interagency use.
• Responses to requests for agency records under the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, or other similar laws
• Information relating solely to correspondence with individuals.
• Press releases that support the announcement or give public notice of information that CDC has disseminated elsewhere.
• Information for public filings, subpoenas, or adjudicative processes.
• Opinions where the agency's presentation makes it clear that what is being offered is personal opinion rather than fact or the agency's viewpoints.

Documents

Corrections

CDC has developed administrative mechanisms to allow affected persons to seek and obtain correction of disseminated information that does not comply with OMB, HHS and CDC guidelines.

How to request

The complaint must contain:

1. Detailed description of the specific information that needs to be corrected including where the information is located, i.e. the publication title, date, and publication number, if any, or the Website and Web page address (url), or the speech title, presenter, date and place of delivery;
2. Specific reasons for believing the information does not comply with OMB, HHS or CDC guidelines and is in error and supporting documentation, if any;
3. Specific recommendations for correcting the information
4. Description of how the person submitting the complaint is affected by the information error; and
5. Name, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, and organizational affiliation, if any, of the individual making the complaint.

Complainants should be aware that they bear the "burden of proof" with respect to the necessity for correction as well as with respect to the type of correction they seek.

Where to send

Complaints or requests for review and correction of information must be in electronic form and sent to InfoQuality@cdc.gov.

What happens next

CDC will respond to all requests for correction within 60 calendar days of receipt. If more than 60 days are needed, CDC will inform the requestor that more time is required and will state the reason why and an estimated decision date.

Based on a review of the information provided, CDC staff will determine whether a correction is warranted, and if so, what action to take. Any corrective action will be determined by the nature and timeliness of the information involved, the significance of the correction on the use of the information, and the magnitude of the correction. CDC will respond to the requestor by email. The response will explain the findings of the review and the actions CDC will take. CDC may reject claims made in bad faith or without justification.

Requests for correction of information are handled primarily by the director or designee (e.g., scientific director, laboratory or branch chief) of the institute or center where the information originated. If more than one institute or center was involved in releasing the information, the institute or center of the lead CDC author should take primary responsibility for coordinating a response.

Appeal requests

If CDC denies your request for correction, you can send a written request for reconsideration within 30 days of receiving the agency's decision. You can send the request as a hard copy or electronically.

How to appeal

• State the reasons for the appeal.
• Reference the CDC tracking number provided in the CDC response to the original request.
• Clearly mark the appeal with “Information Quality Appeal”. (Hard copy)
• Clearly mark the outside envelope with "Information Quality Appeal". (Hard copy)

Where to send

To submit the appeal electronically, send an email to InfoQuality@cdc.gov.

Contact information

For any other questions on CDC Information Quality, send an email to InfoQuality@cdc.gov.