public access
Public Access
NIH Releases Public Access Plan and RFI for Research Findability and Transparency
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released the final version of its public access policy in response to the August 2022 memorandum issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The memorandum announced new requirements for federal agencies to make peer-reviewed publications resulting from federal funding freely available to the public immediately following publication (see previous COSSA coverage). The new policy, finalized from the draft released in June 2024 (see previous COSSA coverage), is set to take effect on December 31, 2025, and provides clarification on the definitions of Article, Manuscript, Final Published Article, Official Date of…
NIJ Seeks Input into Public Access Plan
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is seeking stakeholder input into the development of its Public Access Plan. NIJ is interested in hearing from NIJ grantees, criminal justice practitioners, researchers, publishers, and other interested parties. Development of the plan aligns with the Biden Administration’s 2022 directive that federal agencies make peer-reviewed publications resulting from federal funding freely available to the public immediately following publication. However, it is important to note that given its size, NIJ is not required to comply with the 2022 memorandum, unlike larger federal science agencies (e.g., National Institute of…
OSTP Provides Update on Estimated Open Access Publishing Costs
In June, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released an update to a November 2023 Report to Congress on Financing Mechanisms for Open Access Publishing of Federally Funded Research (see previous COSSA coverage). The report responds to a directive included in the final fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bill requiring OSTP to provide additional information with respect to financing mechanisms for open access publishing of federally funded research, as well as potential impacts of federal public access policies on peer review and research integrity. OSTP provided initial cost estimates to Congress in 2022 and late 2023. This latest report provides: additional information on…
NIH Issues RFI on Draft Public Access Policy
On June 18, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a request for information (RFI) to obtain public comments on the NIH Draft Public Access Policy. The RFI is also seeking feedback on two supplemental draft guidance documents pertaining to government use license and rights, and costs for publications. The draft NIH policy responds to the August 2022 memorandum issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announcing new requirements for federal agencies to make peer-reviewed publications resulting from federal funding freely available to the public immediately following publication. NIH previously sought input into the development of their policy in February 2023….
Analyzing the Cost of Open Access for Federally Funded Research
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is facing demands from Congress to provide a detailed cost estimate for its open access plan for federally funded research. Initiated by OSTP in August 2022, the plan requires that research funded by science agencies be freely accessible to the public upon publication. It mandates OSTP to complete a thorough financial analysis by June. Failure to meet this deadline will require OSTP to delay its plans until the report is submitted to Congress. OSTP has already explored the financial aspects of open access in two reports. The first report, released in…
OSTP Investigates the Costs of Open Access Publishing
On November 22, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a report exploring the impact for covering the cost of openly publishing federally-funded research. The report outlines multiple challenges endured by federal grantees and intramural researchers, but estimates that in 2021 the cost was roughly $378 million. Congress requested the report through its appropriations legislation for fiscal year (FY) 2023, citing concerns that some open access publishing financing mechanisms, particularly total article processing fees (APCs) and transformative agreements, may “present growing barriers to knowledge generation and sharing.” Congress asked OSTP to estimate how much of the costs of both APCs and transformative agreements…
AAAS Hosts Federal Agencies to Discuss Public Access Policies
On July 17, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) hosted federal agencies alongside the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a discussion, How can public access advance equity and learning? During the first half of the webinar, officials from NSF, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) discussed their implementation strategies for public access. During the panel and audience Q&A session, AAAS invited professors and PhD candidates to discuss the effect of public access on universities and students. In accordance with…
NIH Seeking Feedback on Plan to Enhance Public Access to Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a Plan to Enhance Public Access to the Results of NIH-Supported Research, a direct response to the August 2022 memorandum from the White House directing federal research agencies to make publications and data from federally funded research publicly accessible (see previous COSSA coverage). The plan outlines the agency’s proposed actions to make NIH research more publicly accessible, especially in regard to research data and scholarly publications. In addition, NIH will be accepting feedback on the public access plan, with particular interest on the following topics: Comments will be accepted through April 24,…
OSTP Announces “Year of Open Science,” Doubles Up with Scientific Integrity Policies
On January 11, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a fact sheet detailing several actions aiming to advance open science and research while dubbing this year the “Year of Open Science.” The announcement comes in the wake of the recent guidance aiming to increase public access to federally funded research (see previous COSSA coverage). Some of the notable actions include developing an official definition of “open science,” requiring federal agencies to update their public access plans, and publishing a new online resource for the public to learn about engaging in open science programs. A few…
White House Announces New Requirements for Public Access to Federally Funded Research
On August 25, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced new requirements on federal agencies to make peer-reviewed publications resulting from federal funding freely available to the public immediately following publication. Citing longstanding concerns around inequitable access to “the full benefits of scientific research” as well as recent success in the sharing of COVID-19 research and data, the memorandum directs federal agencies to eliminate the optional 12-month publication embargo period for federally funded peer reviewed research articles and to make data associated with peer reviewed research articles immediately available upon publication. Specifically, federal agencies are expected…
OSTP Requests Information on Open Access in Peer-Reviewed Publications
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a request for information on the implications of open access to peer-reviewed publications and data resulting from federally funded research. The request is intended to follow up on a 2013 memorandum from OSTP titled Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research and a 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) providing recommendations for increasing public access of unclassified published research. OSTP is most interested in hearing perspectives on the following topics: The existing limitations of communicating research outputs and how to improve communications; The role of…
March’s Headlines Webchat to Feature OSTP Assistant Director for Academic Engagement
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly Headlines webchat on Thursday, March 12. The COSSA team will break down the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month and answer your questions. The February chat will feature a deep dive discussion with Dr. Lisa Nichols, Assistant Director for Academic Engagement at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Individuals employed by or affiliated with a COSSA member organization or university can register for the webchat here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.