Federal Agency Public Access Requirements

2022 OSTP Memo Implementation by December 31, 2025

All federal agencies with research expenditures must implement zero-embargo public access policies by December 31, 2025. This requirement extends beyond traditional research agencies to include the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy, and numerous smaller agencies, affecting researchers across all disciplines.

The August 25, 2022 Office of Science and Technology Policy memorandum “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research” represents a fundamental shift from the 2013 policy that allowed 12-month embargoes and applied only to agencies with over $100 million in research expenditures.

Universal Requirements Across Agencies

Immediate Access: Peer-reviewed publications and underlying scientific data must be freely available without delay upon publication.

Repository Deposit: Final accepted manuscripts or versions of record must be deposited in agency-designated repositories or trusted institutional repositories.

Persistent Identifiers: Digital persistent identifiers (DOIs, Handles) required for publications, data, researchers, and awards by December 31, 2027.

Machine Readability: Publications and data must be provided in formats enabling accessibility through assistive devices and automated analysis.

Major Agency Implementations

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Department of Energy (DOE)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Department of Defense (DOD)

Additional Agencies Implementing Policies

  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
  • Department of Agriculture (USDA)
  • Department of Transportation (DOT)
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
  • National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
  • Social Security Administration