What is a public access mandate?

 
Research funders and organizations are increasingly adopting mandates that encourage or require researchers to make their research findings freely and publicly accessible. A "public" or "open" access mandate or policy usually refers to a policy of a research funding agency, foundation or institution. 

NIH Public Access Policy

National Institutes of Health Grey and White LogoThe NIH Public Access Policy was established by the National Institutes of Health in 2008 and was updated in 2024. The current policy applies to NIH-funded research manuscripts that are accepted for publication on or after July 1, 2025. These manuscripts must be deposited in National Library of Medicine's digital archive, PubMed Central (PMC), on the date of publication, without an embargo period.

Please see the following sites for more information, or reach out to the Research Data and Open Scholarship (RDOS) group at the Library for assistance.

Other funders with public access mandates

Federal funders in the United States

With the 2013 OSTP Public Access mandate, research funded by many government agencies must now be made publicly available, with some private funders adopting similar policies. Keep in mind that publishing in an open access journal does not necessarily satisfy compliance with these policies and may not necessary for compliance. Rather, these policies require the deposit of research publications and data in particular open repositories, regardless of the type of journal in which they have been published. See specific policies for more information.

cOAlition S funders

cOAlition S, an alliance of research funding and performing institutions, consists primarily (but not exclusively) of European organizations. US members include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Their plan S requires member-funded research to be published in open access journals or on open access platforms, with no embargo. The Journal Checker Tool is useful for determining whether a publication option meets plan S requirements.

Open Access policies and statements

Open access policies, statements and resolutions from a number of organizations and institutions, including Cornell University.