NSF Public Access Policy Overview
The content in this guide is under active review as funding agencies update their Public Access Plans per guidance issued in 2022. At this time, we do have have a clear implementation date for NSF. However, all U.S. federal funding agency updated public access policies are required to be in place by January 1, 2026. Per SPARC 2022 Updated OSTP Policy Guidance about NSF: "NSF released a draft of its proposed public access policy on December 12, 2024. It is embedded in a larger document called the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)." The PAPPG was open for public comment until February 10, 2025. An update is expected in September 2025 and will hopefully provide clarity. No significant changes to the Public Access Plan are anticipated. It is expected that NSF-funded researchers should prepare similarly to NIH-funded researchers. We strongly encourage all federally-funded researchers to plan now for how they will meet these requirements. Options include:
- Publish in journals whose publishers permit zero-embargo sharing;
- Publish in journals with whose publishers KU has institutional agreements that eliminate or reduce article processing charge (APC) costs;
- Identify sources of funding to pay APCs during and beyond the grant period.
Existing Guidance since 2013
The National Science Foundation (NSF) developed its existing Public Access Plan, "Today's Data, Tomorrow's Discoveries: Increasing Access to the Results of Research Funded by the National Science Foundation" in response to the 2013 OSTP Public Access Memorandum. This document outlines the rational behind the plan as well as details of compliance for both publications and data derived from NSF-funded research.
In summary, authors are to deposit either their final accepted peer-reviewed manuscript or the final published article (AKA Version of Record) for articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings which are derived from NSF-funded research (in whole or in part) into an approved repository within 12 months of publication. The only compliant repository is the NSF Public Access Repository (NSF-PAR).
Authors are also required to develop and submit a Data Management Plan as previously required. It is not possible to submit a proposal without this document.
Non-compliance with the Public Access Policy may result in withholding of future funds. It is the author's responsibility to retain enough rights in their publication contracts to comply with public access policies.
Support at KU Libraries
For assistance with scholarly publication issues, contact Josh Bolick, Head of the Shulenburger Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright, at jbolick@ku.edu or see the KU Libraries Scholarly Communication Services page.
For assistance with research data management issues, contact Jamene Brooks-Kieffer, Data Services Librarian, at jamenebk@ku.edu or see the KU Libraries Research Data Management page.
Compliance Resources
Versions:
NSF identifies 2 versions of articles: final accepted peer-reviewed manuscript, and final published article or version of record.
- Final accepted peer-reviewed manuscript: the author's final manuscript of a peer reviewed paper accepted for journal publication, including all modifications from the peer-review process.
- Final published article or version of record: the publisher's authoritative copy of the paper, including all modifications from the publishing peer-review process, copyediting, stylistic edits, and formatting changes.
Either version is acceptable to meet the public access requirement.
Policy Resources:
NSF Public Access is the home page for the NSF Public Access Policy.
NSF-PAR (Public Access Repository) NSF-PAR is the only repository identified as compliant with the NSF Public Access Policy. Authors should login to https://www.research.gov/ and select the 'deposit publication (PAR)' link on the 'My Desktop' screen.
Journal and Publisher Information The Jisc Open Policy Finder (formerly SHERPA/RoMEO) database contains information about publisher policies on open sharing, including NIH compliance. It is searchable by journal title or by publisher. It is an easy way to see who publishes a particular journal, as well as links to publisher and journal websites with contact information that might be needed as you work your way through the compliance process.
Publishers and Journals Allowing Green OA without Embargo by Penn State provides a (likely incomplete) list of publishers/journals that are compliant with immediate public access by default.
KU Libraries Open Access Agreements and APC Discounts lists publishers with which KU Libraries has negotiated OA opportunities that may support public access requirements.
