Basic repo with readme, disclaimer and license markdown documents in the repo.
- Click the green "Use this template" button to start a repository with these files
- Edit the Readme as needed. Depending on the nature of the repository, you may not need the disclaimer and license in the readme.
The one you include will depend on what is in your repository and whether you have links outside of the federal government. If you are sandboxing or learning, then you might not have any disclaimer. Although it is good practice to have one if the repository is clearly associated with NOAA, e.g. it is in a GitHub organization with some branding (logos, footers) that indicate that. You will definitely want some type of disclaimer if the repository can be interpreted as a scientific product (software package, data package, online documentation, report or manuscript, etc). You might start with a generic simple disclaimer (the last one listed) and modify to a different one later.
This repository is a scientific product and is not official communication of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the United States Department of Commerce. All NOAA GitHub project content is provided on an ‘as is’ basis and the user assumes responsibility for its use. Any claims against the Department of Commerce or Department of Commerce bureaus stemming from the use of this GitHub project will be governed by all applicable Federal law. Any reference to specific commercial products, processes, or services by service mark, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply their endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the Department of Commerce. The Department of Commerce seal and logo, or the seal and logo of a DOC bureau, shall not be used in any manner to imply endorsement of any commercial product or activity by DOC or the United States Government.
Links to websites outside the U.S. federal government or the use of trade, firm, or corporation names within the Department of Commerce websites are solely for the convenience of the user. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the U.S. Department of Commerce of any private sector website, product or service.
This repository is a scientific product and is not official communication of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the United States Department of Commerce. The scientific results and conclusions, as well as any views or opinions expressed herein, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the Department of Commerce.
If you are releasing a code package (packaged or scripts), something that is a "communication" (a manuscript), or something that is intended for re-use, then you will want a license to indicate that the work is in the public domain. Not all repositories have a license since not all repositories are "products". If you sandboxing (or learning) or it is not something that someone would conceiveably reuse, then a license might not make sense.
For things that you would put a license on, here are typical license addendums for the Readme. In addition, you will have a LICENSE file in the repo. CC0 is common for a repo that is not a software package and GPL-3 is common for software packages.
Software code created by U.S. Government employees is not subject to copyright in the United States (17 U.S.C. §105). The United States/Department of Commerce reserve all rights to seek and obtain copyright protection in countries other than the United States for Software authored in its entirety by the Department of Commerce. To this end, the Department of Commerce hereby grants to Recipient a royalty-free, nonexclusive license to use, copy, and create derivative works of the Software outside of the United States.
This content was created by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties. This content is not subject to copyright in the United States (17 U.S.C. §105) and is in the public domain within the United States of America. Additionally, copyright is waived worldwide through the CC0 1.0 Universal public domain dedication.
Use of a footer with links to NOAA or with NOAA logos will indicate that the product is intended to be interpreted as a product from NOAA. You do not use NOAA logos and footers for all repositories. You would use it for repositories that are with a NOAA branded GitHub organization (like a center, office or program GH organization) or for something that intended to be viewed as a NOAA product. These types of repositories and products undergo some type of internal review, which is going to be specific to your situation and office.
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries