The National Institute of Standards and Technology is soliciting feedback on its draft proposal to broaden public access and availability of federally funded scientific publications and research data.
The plan aims to align with a 2022 memorandum issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, which calls for free and immediate access to scientific research results, according to a notice posted Friday on Federal Register.
NIST is looking to update its Public Access Plan, which has been in place since 2015. It originally focused on maintaining the integrity of the institute’s research data, as well as making its measurement, research and S&T activities more visible.
Under the new NIST Plan for Providing Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research, the institute would eliminate embargo periods for obtaining information from studies that it financed.
To finalize the policy, NIST is looking for recommendations on how to ensure equal access to publication opportunities. It is also taking suggestions for monitoring the impact of the policy on authors, readers and other affected communities.
The request for comment will close on Aug. 14.
