Open Access

The OSTP Public Access Memo, also known as the Nelson Memo, is a memorandum that was released on August 25, 2022 by the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) under the direction of Dr. Alondra Nelson. It was issued as an update on the 2013 Expanding Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research memorandum. 

The Nelson Memo provides policy guidance to federal agencies on ensuring free, immediate, and equitable access to federally funded research, recommending taxpayer-funded research be made publicly accessible without an embargo period. The memo recommends that all federal agencies update their public access policies to provide immediate public access to publicly funded peer-reviewed scholarly publications and underlying research data.

Important Dates

• August 25, 2022 - The Nelson Memo is released.
• December 31, 2024 - This is the recommended date that agencies should publish their new or updated public access policies.
• December 31, 2025 - This is the recommended deadline for federal agencies to put their new updated public access policies into effect.
• December 31, 2026 - This is the date for agencies to publish full implementation plans for public access policies regarding metadata collection and assignment of personal identifiers. 
• December 31, 2027 - This is the date that all agency public access policies for metadata collection and assignment of PIDs must be in effect.

Impact

The Nelson Memo introduces significant changes to public access policy guidance, recommending immediate public access to research articles and data from federally funded research. It also includes new guidelines for metadata, directing agencies to collect metadata such as author names, affiliations, funding agencies, and grant numbers, and provide PIDs for these metadata.

Open Access

Researchers have options for compliance, including depositing preprint versions in repositories or publishing in open access journals. The Nelson Memo’s shares several options to comply with public access. 

• No-cost: One way researchers can satisfy recommendations in the memo is to choose to publish in journals that offer green open access pathways or self-archiving options that do not require an embargo period. Green open access allow authors to share their research openly in specific locations, like institutional repositories or subject repositories, without paying article processing charges.
• APC: Another option is researchers can choose to publish in gold open access journals or hybrid journals that offer open access options. These types of journals and open access pathways usually require payment of article processing charges or open access fees to make published research openly available immediately.

Funding Agencies

All federal funding agencies are subject to the Nelson Memo's recommendations. Researchers should stay updated on their granting agencies’ policy changes, which are expected to be in effect by the end of 2025. For a list of federal agencies that award grants, see this list of grant-making agencies.

Public Access Plans

Federal agencies are working on updating their public access plans in response to the Nelson Memo. Researchers should expect to be asked to obtain a PID for themselves and their research outputs. A list of OSTP memo plans published by federal agencies is available on the Implementation of Public Access Programs in Federal Agencies webpage.