Federal Government Public Access Policies

White House Listening Sessions for Early Career Researchers - 4 sessions between May 31st and June 12th

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is hosting a series of virtual public listening sessions to explore perspectives from the early career researcher community on the challenges and opportunities for advancing open science in the United States. OSTP is seeking input from undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows from a diverse range of backgrounds and disciplines, as well as those involved in training and capacity building, including librarians, educators, and administrators.
FORMAT: The virtual listening sessions are open to the public; each session focuses on a particular topic. If a participant would like to share their views, they can indicate their intent to speak on the registration form and they will be welcomed to raise their hand during the listening session. To accommodate a wide array of viewpoints, speakers will be allotted up to two minutes per comment. If time permits, participants may deliver more than one comment.

Please visit the links below to register for any of the four upcoming virtual listening sessions. Registration is required to attend. Dates and links can also be found on OSTP's public Events & Webinars webpage. The listening sessions are as follows:
 
Open Science Possibilities for Lowering Barriers to Entry: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers on Engaging in Open Science on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 1:00 – 3:00 pm EDT
Who: The public, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers
 
Open Science Possibilities for Equitable Participation and Access: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers at Emerging Research Institutions on Monday, June 5, 2023 at 1:00 – 3:00 pm EDT
Who: The public, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers from emerging research institutions, including Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Community Colleges, and Primarily Undergraduate Institutions
  
Open Science Possibilities for Career Advancement: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers on Opportunities and Challenges in Career Progression and Trajectoryon Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 3:00 – 5:00 pm EDT
Who: The public, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers
  
Open Science Possibilities for Training and Capacity Building: Perspectives from the Early Career Researcher-Supporting Community on Monday, June 12, 2023 at 1:00 – 3:00 pm EDT
Who: The public, including trainers, librarians, college and university administrators, or any other staff supporting the early career researcher community in capacity building for open science
 
If you would like to provide information in addition to or in lieu of your participation in the listening session, you may send a brief message to this public email address, openscience@ostp.eop.gov.

 

Over the past 15 years or so, the federal government has been moving increasingly in the direction of public access to taxpayer funded research. NIH has required the sharing of journal articles based on NIH funded research since 2008. In 2013, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a memo requiring the inclusion of data management plans for all grant proposals to agencies with at least $100 million in research funds. In August of 2022, OSTP released another memo which recommends that all federal agencies develop plans indicating how they will provide public access to the results of federally funded research.

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

As plans are released from funding agencies, the Libraries will create informational guides about compliance with major funding agency requirements. 

The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) has announced 2023 as a Year of Open Science. This Year of Open Science will include activities from federal government agencies in support of open science. Open science is defined as "The principle and practice of making research products and processes available to all, while respecting diverse cultures, maintaining security and privacy, and fostering collaborations, reproducibility, and equity."

You can find more information about federal government open science efforts on the Science.gov website.