Quick Reference - What You Need to Know
Bottom Line: By end of 2025, ALL federally funded research must make articles and data publicly available immediately upon journal acceptance - no waiting periods allowed. You'll need data management plans before getting funding and must budget for sharing costs.
Key Deadlines:
- December 31, 2025: All federal agencies must implement new public access rules
- August 23, 2025: Agencies must have implementation plans ready
- Now: NIH and NASA already enforcing these requirements
What Changed and Why
The Old Rules (2013):
- Only applied to agencies spending $100+ million on research
- Allowed 12-month delays before making articles public
- Limited data sharing requirements
The New Rules (2022 + 2025):
- ALL federal agencies with any research spending
- NO delays - immediate public access required
- Expanded scope: articles, book chapters, data, and more
- Required data management plans before you get funding
Why the change? Two key policy updates drive these requirements:
- 2022 White House memorandum on public access to federally funded research
- 2025 "Restoring Gold Standard Science" executive order
Find Your Agency Requirements
Last Updated: 2025-09-02
Federal agencies are responsible for developing policies and procedures to implement the directives of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The table below provides an overview of key implementation strategies by agency:
| Agency | Status | Started | Article System | Data Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIH | In Effect | Publications: July 2025 Data: January 2023 | PubMed Central (NIHMS) | Public repository required |
| NASA | In Effect | December 2022 | PubSpace | Public repository required |
| DOE | Policy Ready | October 1, 2025 | DOE PAGES (E-Link) | Public repository required |
| NSF | Draft Policy | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| DOD | Draft Policy | TBD | TBD | TBD |
For a comprehensive comparison across agencies, see the SPARC Publication and Data Sharing Requirements resource.
Need help navigating federal research sharing requirements? Each agency has its own systems, deadlines, and procedures for implementing the new public access mandates. Whether you're submitting to PubMed Central, preparing a data management plan, or figuring out compliance requirements, understanding your specific agency's approach is crucial for successful grant management and avoiding funding issues.
Learn more about agency-specific guidance to help Ohio State researchers meet federal sharing requirements and maintain compliance throughout the research lifecycle.
What You Need to Do
Before You Apply for Funding
- Check requirements: Does your agency require a data management plan? (Most do now)
- Budget properly: Include costs for publication fees and data management
- Plan repositories: Identify where you'll store and share your data
- Review agency specifics: Each agency has different systems and requirements
When Your Article Gets Accepted
- Submit immediately: Use your agency's submission system (no waiting period)
- NIH: Submit to PubMed Central using NIHMS
- DOE: Submit to DOE PAGES using E-Link
- NASA: Submit to PubSpace using STI Contact Form
- Others: Check your agency's specific system
When You Publish or Your Grant Ends (whichever comes first)
- Share your data: Upload to a public repository
- Document access: Include data access instructions in your publication
- Report compliance: Include progress in your required reports to the agency
Important Notes
- No exceptions: These requirements apply even if you don't publish in a traditional journal
- Includes more than articles: Book chapters, editorials, conference proceedings also covered
- Compliance matters: Non-compliance can affect future funding decisions
Ohio State Resources
University Libraries and the Enterprise for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge co-sponsored a working group to research and develop resources for Ohio State investigators who are subject to the updated public access policies. This initiative has produced the following resources for investigators and their support teams:
Getting Help:
- Informational sessions held throughout 2025-26 academic year
- Working group resources developed specifically for Ohio State investigators
Publishing Resources
Data Management and Sharing Resources
NIH
Additional Information
- For questions related to public access compliance, please contact Sponsored Programs at OSP-Pub-Access-Compliance@osu.edu
- For questions related to data management and sharing, please contact University Libraries at datamanagement@osu.edu