Notice: Due to ongoing construction, 4 East is currently closed to the public.  To obtain items located on 4 East, please place an online request for the item to be paged for you using the ‘Place Request’ button in the catalog. Please visit our Circulation FAQ page for assistance in using our catalog.
Notice: Due to ongoing construction, 4 East is currently closed to the public.  To obtain items located on 4 East, please place an online request for the item to be paged for you using the ‘Place Request’ button in the catalog. Please visit our Circulation FAQ page for assistance in using our catalog.
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United States Federal Public Access Policies

The 2022 "Nelson memo" from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

  • Mandates federal funding agencies to develop a plan by mid-2023 so that all final peer reviewed scholarly publications resulting from federally funded research will be placed in a freely accessible agency-designated online repository. (green open access)
  • Plans must be implemented no later than December 31, 2025
  • Funded authors are not required to publish gold open access, but they should ensure that any publishers they choose to publish with are prepared to allow immediate deposit of publications into the appropriate repository. Check funder web sites for the latest requirements.
  • For more information, see interview with Dr. Alondra Nelson, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director for Science and Society at the OSTP.

What is the NIH Public Access Policy and how do I comply?

  • The law states that: "The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall require that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication."
  • For more information see NIH Public Access Policy Details (plus FAQ).

What is the NSF Public Access Policy and how do I comply?

  • The NSF’s Public Access plan (NSF 15-52) is based on the February 22, 2013 memorandum issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research . The public access requirement will apply to new awards resulting from proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 25, 2016.