Policies
Doing research at Stanford?
Stanford University's research landscape is wonderfully rich, but it is also complex and may be difficult to navigate. This section of DoResearch is intended to serve all Stanford faculty, staff and students, new and experienced, as a hub that organizes and provides access to the many laws, regulations, and policies that may be applicable to one's research, and to resources that enable research.
Research Policy and Integrity Office
Learn more about how the RPI teams provide policy and regulatory support throughout the research ecosystem.
Handbooks, Manuals, & Guides
Property Management Manual
The manual contains policies and business processes used for the control, care, custody, inventory, disposition, and financial reporting of capital equipment (referred to as “property”) owned and/or otherwise accountable to Stanford University.
Service Center Manual
Outlines policies on operating service centers that provide services essential to supporting the university's teaching and research functions. There are three types of service centers: Academic, Administrative, and Specialized.
Space Inventory
Stanford University uses the iSpace system to track the occupancy and use of all rooms in buildings on campus and in off campus buildings leased for use by Stanford organizations.
Additional Policy Resources
Administrative Guide
The Administrative Guide is Stanford's official manual for administrative policies. Contents include chapters on Organization, Personnel, Accounting, Gifts, Procurement, Computing and Services.
Faculty Handbook
The Faculty Handbook contains University policies and procedures that apply to those holding professorial appointments in the tenure line, non-tenure line, University Medical Line, as Senior Fellow at specified policy centers and institutes, Academic Staff-Teaching (Senior Lecturer, Lecturer, Artist-in-Residence), and Other Teaching Titles (acting faculty, consulting faculty, visiting faculty, and voluntary clinical faculty).
Graduate Academic Policies & Procedures
The Graduate Academic Policies & Procedures is a repository for University policies and other information related to the academic progress of Stanford graduate students.
Recent Policy Updates
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January 28, 2026
Operation of Unmanned Flying Vehicles
The proposed revision removes the requirement for Unmanned Flying Vehicle (UFV) approval for faculty use of drones in off-campus field research.
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September 1, 2025
Policy and Procedures for Appointment and Promotion: Academic Staff - Research
Update contains new information on defining ranks, CA Pay Transparency, delegation of approver authority at the department level, and minimum salary requirements. This update also includes minor administrative, procedural and grammatical changes.
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June 19, 2025
Postdoctoral Scholars
Clarifying language around funding for postdocs who hold H-1B visa status.