Conducting Research

Greetings, scientists!

The National Park Service (NPS) welcomes and encourages your interest in conducting research in national park units (parks, monuments, battlefields, seashores, recreation areas, etc.). The NPS relies on scientific knowledge – including knowledge created by outside investigators like you – to understand and manage these public places for the benefit of all people. Whether you’re a biologist or an economist, an education researcher or a physicist, we’re glad you’re on this site.

While science is important to parks, the converse is also true. Parks are important to science. With over 425 units in 50 states and territories, the U.S. national park system encompasses a broad range of biomes, physical processes, social-ecological systems, land use histories, and human behaviors and values. Research that considers that diversity can advance many fields of science even if it does not directly inform park management decisions today. And with hundreds of millions of visitors every year, parks are ideal places for people to encounter, learn, inform, and even contribute to science related to the places they love. We hope you’ll consider working with park staff to connect visitors with your research.

If you are familiar with National Science Foundation (NSF) grant criteria, you'll see that conducting research in parks can have broad impacts for conservation and public engagement with science.

Under Federal law, scientific research in a park by non-NPS experts requires a research and collecting permit. We in the NPS aim to have permits that:

• Yield high quality scientific results
• Ensure park managers are aware of research activities and the potential applications of results
• Foster good relationships between park staff and outside researchers
• Enable researchers to benefit from knowledge and services provided by park staff
• Create a publicly accessible record of research findings
• Provide opportunities for public audiences to learn and engage with science

Use this site to learn about permits and the broader context of policies and procedures for conducting research in a park.

We look forward to learning what you learn!