{"id":3744,"date":"2022-11-15T06:29:59","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T06:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/researcher.life\/blog\/?p=3744"},"modified":"2024-02-19T07:59:38","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T07:59:38","slug":"new-zero-research-embargo-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/researcher.life\/blog\/article\/new-zero-research-embargo-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zero Research Embargo Policy: How Academia is Reacting"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Recently a new public access policy was issued from the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) outlining updated requirements for research conducted using public funds. This memorandum, Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research, was released by Dr. Alondra Nelson, the head of OSTP, dated August 25, 2022 (Nelson Memo). It instructs federal departments and agencies to update their policies to ensure all publications resulting from federally funded research are made freely and publicly accessible without any embargo. The plans are to be completed and published by December 31, 2024, with an effective date within a year of publication.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since 2013, federal agencies have been operating under the OSTP Memorandum on Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research (2013 Memorandum). This directed all federal departments and agencies with over $100 million in annual research and development expenditures to develop a plan to increase access to publicly funded research, including access to publications and data resulting from that research.<\/span>1<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the Nelson Memo, \u201cThe 2013 Memorandum helped to reshape the landscape for data and research by sharing results freely and openly with the public and the scientific community.\u201d<\/span>1<\/span> However, the main limitation of the 2013 Memorandum was the 12-month embargo on free access to the results of federally funded research. Only those who paid or had access to scholarly journals through an institutional account could read and use the information for one year.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Nelson Memo describes the open and freely shared research related to COVID-19 as a case study on how cooperation between government, industry, and scientists can lead to great benefits for society. Allowing free and immediate access to data and research through a zero science embargo policy could provide similar benefits in other areas such as climate change, economic disparities, and cancer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to ending the research embargo, the Nelson Memo states that federal agencies should update their data sharing plans and make the scientific data underlying the research freely available and publicly accessible at the time of publication. The Nelson Memo also expands the policy to include all federal agencies that use any federal research funds, in contrast to the previous inclusion of only those with over $100 million annual research expenditures.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the White House, \u201cThis policy update reflects extensive public engagement with stakeholders across the research publication ecosystem on ways to strengthen equitable access to federally funded research results.\u201d<\/span>2<\/span> The OSTP will continue to work with these agencies to support the development of their updated public access and data sharing plans.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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