Public Access Policies for Federally Funded Research

"Public access" to federally funded research means that the articles and datasets are available to the taxpayer at no cost. 

In 2013, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a memo stating that "to the greatest extent and with the fewest constraints possible and consistent with law... the direct results of federally funded scientific research are [to be] made available to and useful for the public, industry, and the scientific community. Such results include peer-reviewed publications and digital data" [Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research]

On August 25, 2022, Dr. Alondra Nelson of the OSTP released a memo with the subject "Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research." This document has become colloquially known as "The Nelson Memo."

The Nelson Memo provided policy guidance to federal agencies with research and development expenditures on updating their public access policies. The OSTP asked federal agencies to update their public access policies no later than December 31, 2025, to make publications and their supporting data resulting from federally funded research publicly accessible without an embargo on their free and public release; to establish transparent procedures that ensure scientific and research integrity is maintained in public access policies; and to coordinate with OSTP to ensure equitable delivery of ferally funded research results and data.

This libguide is intended to provide basic information about the federal government's plans for public access, and how the TTU Libraries can help you with compliance.

Find out more information about how to comply with the NIH Data Sharing and Public Access Policies. 

Click here to view: Federal Research Sharing Policy Resource

SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) has provided this community resource to help researchers track, compare, and understand both current and future U.S. federal funder requirements for sharing research publications and data. Please use the link above the image to review and compare public access plans.

SPARC has also developed a Guide for Authors Complying with US Federal Agency Public Access and Publisher Policies, released in November 2025.

Science.gov provides access to millions of authoritative scientific research results from U.S. federal agencies. Search results may include scientific and technical reports, peer-reviewed scholarly publications, e.g., accepted manuscripts and journal articles, digital data, software, conference presentations and proceedings, and other scientific and technical information that federal agencies publish as a result of their research investments.