Background
In February 2013, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued guidance for public access to research outputs funded by selected U.S. government agencies. In August 2022, the OSTP released updated guidance that builds on the original framework. HELIOS has provide an informational brochure on this topic for its members, “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research.” The information from this overview is reproduced below, or you can download the pdf.
Key Elements
- Zero Embargo on Papers: Articles resulting from federal funding will be made available without delay through agency designated repositories
- Required for Data: Underlying research data to be made available at the time of article publication
- Optional for Other Outputs: Agencies may choose to encompass peer-reviewed book chapters, editorials, and conference proceedings with their policies
- “FAIR” Principles for Reuse: Papers and data must be shared in machine readable formats and with licensing rights that maximize FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, and re-useable)
- Reach Includes All Federal Agencies: Whereas the previous policy applied only to federal agencies with $100M+ in R&D expenditures, the new guidance applies to all U.S. federal agencies and departments
Timeline
February 2023: Large Agency Plans Due
Agencies with >$100m R&D budgets submit plans for vetting by OSTP and Subcommittee on Open Science
August 2023: Small Agency Plans Due
Agencies with <$100m R&D budgets submit plans for vetting by OSTP and Subcommittee on Open Science
December 2024: Plans Released
All agency access and data plans made public
December 2025: Plans Implemented
All agency access and data plans implemented, with some research integrity elements (e.g., metadata, persistent identifiers) pending until 12/27
Further Reading
- Full Policy guidance on Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research (OSTP memo)
- OSTP Issues Guidance to Make Federally Funded Research Freely Available Without Delay (White House press release)
- White House Orders Free and Immediate Access to Publicly Funded Research (New York Times article)
- Public Access to Advance Equity (Issues in Science & Technology article)
- FAQ on the 2022 OSTP Memorandum on Access to Research (SPARC resource)
Did You Know?
Your institution is a member of the Higher Education Leadership Initiative for Open Scholarship (HELIOS), a network of more than 80 US colleges and universities working to align higher education practices with open science & scholarship values. HELIOS members are collaborating to make open science & scholarship easier for individual researchers and the institutions that support them; to align incentive structures like hiring and RPT to properly reward open activities such as data sharing and open access; to stimulate durable, scalable infrastructure that supports open science & scholarship; and to coordinate activities with the governmental, philanthropic, and professional society sectors.