title: Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies: Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research
Creators: name: Holdren, John P.
name: Executive Office of the President
name: The White House: Office of Science and Technology Policy
Publisher: name: Executive Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00bws1855
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2013
Subjects: classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/88193
subject: Access
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/89879
subject: Best practices
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/88959
subject: Compliance
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/89013
subject: Contract administration
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/97348
subject: Data files
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/97410
subject: Data management plans
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/97409
subject: Data management
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/97445
subject: Data sharing
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/88724
subject: Government funding
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/97444
subject: Information dissemination
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/97293
subject: Information management
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/88911
subject: Laws and legislation
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/88887
subject: Policy
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/89024
subject: Research management
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/97413
subject: Research projects
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/97477
subject: Research reports
classificationCode: https://trt.trb.org/term/97412
subject: Research

description: This memorandum, issued on February 22, 2013 by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and directed to the heads of executive departments and agencies, calls for all federal agencies that are engaged in research and development to outline plans to provide public access to all results of scientific projects that are receiving federal funds. These plans were to be submitted to OSTP for review within six months of the publication of this memorandum. Plans must contain strategies addressing the following concerns: fostering public-private partnerships with scientific journals; improving access to digital data; optimizing archival and search features; plans for notifying federally funded researchers of their obligations; measurement and potential enforcement of compliance; identification of resources for implementation of the plan; and identification of circumstances that may exempt agency participation. OSTP further outlines specific objectives in increasing access to scientific publications as well as scientific data. Regarding scientific publications, OSTP requests that agencies ensure that the public can access final manuscripts in digital form, following a 12-month publication embargo as a guideline. OSTP also asks agencies to facilitate public search and analysis of peer-reviewed scholarly work and to ensure public access to publications’ metadata. In addition, agencies must encourage public-private collaboration, maintain accurate attribution to original authors, and provide archival solutions to storing metadata and publications that are publicly accessible. With respect to scientific data, OSTP requires that agencies maximize free public access to digitally formatted data created with federal funds, while protecting privacy and proprietary information. This involves requesting that grant recipients outline data management plans and detail any reasons why their data cannot be made publicly accessible. OSTP also requests that agencies allow for the inclusion of appropriate costs associated with data management and access in Federal grant proposals.