Funding agency responses to federal requirements for public access to research results

Abstract

EDITOR'S SUMMARY A February 2013 government mandate directed federal departments and agencies to develop plans to promote access to the publications and data generated from federally funded scientific research. Panelists representing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Studies and the National Institutes of Health Office of Extramural Research shared updates on their agencies’ progress. While each agency has more or less stringent policies in place for preserving data and making it accessible, the mandate expands their application without additional resources or guidance on writing or evaluating data management plans. The agencies represented will make efforts to minimize the burden on researchers, but audience members questioned who will handle the data management. Possible solutions include having librarians assigned to research projects or providing training to increase citation of datasets and link these outputs to grants.