Contact Librarians
Librarians are happy to help with any research questions, or to have a consultation in-person or virtually.
Acronym Decoder
CHORUS - Clearinghouse for Open Research of the U.S.
DMP - Data Management Plan
DMSP - Data Management & Sharing Plan
OA - Open Access
OSTP - White House Office of Science & Technology
AM - Accepted Manuscript
PAPPG - Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide
SPARC - Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition
FAQs
— What are the consequences of non-compliance?
Non-compliance might influence future funding decisions by the agency.
— What is the difference between Accepted Manuscript & Version of Record?
Accepted Manuscript (Author Manuscript): The peer-reviewed version that has been accepted for publication, but not yet copyedited or typeset by the journal.
Version of Record (Final Published Paper): The official published article, formatted and copyedited by the journal.
Federal Open Access Requirements
In 2013, the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy [OSTP] required federal agencies with $100+ million budgets to develop public access plans for federally funded research. Most agencies had issued these plans by fall 2015.
In August 2022, OSTP issued the "Nelson Memo" — a memorandum calling for immediate, free public access to federally funded research. This policy eliminates the previous 12-month embargo period.
Key Requirements:
- Immediate public access to federally funded research articles and data
- Use of persistent identifiers and robust metadata
- Emphasis on equity in publishing and access, particularly for underserved communities and early-career researchers
Timeline: All agencies must have updated policies in effect by December 31, 2025. Implementation status varies — some policies are already active, others will launch before the end of 2025, and some agencies haven't yet published their updated requirements.
For Researchers: Contact your librarian for guidance on compliance, especially when applying for federal grants. Requirements vary by funding agency, and policies may continue to evolve as agencies refine their implementation approaches.
SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition, provides updated guidance on the 2022 OSTP Memo for all federal agencies, including those not listed here, like the Smithsonian and CDC.
Federal Repositories for Engineering Research
Each federal agency has its own process for making federally funded research publicly accessible. Below you’ll find links to the official repositories and deposit instructions most relevant to engineering researchers.
Use these to confirm where and how to submit your publications and data.
DOEd | DOD | DOE | DOD | DOT | EPA | NASA | NIH | NIST | NOAA | NSF
DoEd — Department of Education 
Deposit at: ERIC Grantee Submission System | Institute of Education Sciences [IES] Implementation Guide
Required to submit: final peer-reviewed scholarly publications and data
Public Repository: Educational Resources Information System [ERIC]
DoEd policy went into effect September 30, 2024. Awards made prior to October 1, 2024 are subject to the public access requirements.
DOE — Department of Energy 
Deposit at: E-Link | Grantee Instructions
Required to submit: full-text accepted manuscript and data
Public Repository: DOE Public Access Gateway for Energy and Science [DOE PAGES] from osti.gov
DOE policy went into effect October 1, 2025. Publications emanating from DOE-funding published on or after October 1, 2025, will fall under DOE Public Access Plan requirements.
DOD — Department of Defense 
Deposit at: DTIC Submission Center | Grantee Instructions [pdf]
Required to submit: final accepted manuscript of peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles
Public Repository: Defense Technical Information Center [DTIC]
DOD policy will go in effect January 2026
DOT — Department of Transportation 
Deposit at: NTL Digital Submissions
Required to submit: final peer-reviewed manuscript
Public Repository: Repository & Open Access Portal [ROSA P] from the National Transportation Library [NTL]
DOT plan will go in effect January 2026
EPA — Environmental Protection Agency 
Deposit at: NIH Manuscript Submission System | Grantee Instructions
Required to submit: author manuscript associated with the journal publication
Public Repository: PubMedCentral
EPA policy went into effect January 2, 2025
NASA — National Aeronautics Space Agency
Deposit at: PubSpace | Grantee Instructions
Required to submit: peer-reviewed scientific publications and associated data
Available at: PubSpace Collection inside NASA Technical Reports Server
NASA policy went into effect December 2, 2022
NIH — National Institute of Health 
Deposit at: NIH Manuscript Submission System | Grantee Instructions
Required to submit: electronic version of the Author Accepted Manuscript
Public Repository: PubMedCentral
NIH plan went into effect July 1, 2025
NIST — National Institute of Standards & Technology 
Deposit at: NIH Manuscript Submission System | Grantee Instructions
Required to submit: electronic version of final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts or final publications
Public Repository: NIST Publication Collection inside PubMedCentral
NIST policy has not been released, the 2023 Public Access Plan is here [pdf]
NOAA — National Oceanic + Atmospheric Association 
Deposit at: NOAA Institutional Repository Deposit Form | Grantee Instructions
Public Repository: NOAA Institutional Repository
NOAA policy has not been released
NSF — National Science Foundation 
Deposit at: NSF's research.gov | Grantee Instructions
Required to submit: peer-reviewed, published journal articles and juried conference papers
Public Repository: NSF Public Access Repository
NSF policy will go in effect January 2026