Research Data Management: Policies and Guidelines
National Legislation and Policy
2022 OSTP Public Access Memo Release
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a memorandum on August 25, 2022, that recommends all federal agencies develop new or update existing plans for how they will provide public access to the outcomes of federally funded research. The goal is to provide free, immediate (i.e., without embargo), and equitable access to research supported by federal funds. The memo concerns all federal agencies and applies to both peer-reviewed publications and related datasets, the OSTP recommends that agencies:
- Describe how public access will be provided to publications including machine-readable formats
- Describe how public access will be provided to scientific data that underlies publications
- Indicate researcher responsibilities on how federally funded scientific data will be managed and shared
- Allow researchers to include costs associated with complying with public access policies
- Use persistent identifiers for research outputs, researchers, and awards
Bayh-Dole Act
Formerly known as the Patent and Trademark Act Amendments, the Bayh-Dole Act is a federal law that enables universities, nonprofit research institutions, and small businesses to own, patent, and commercialize inventions developed under federally funded research programs within their organizations.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The FOIA provides the public with the right to request access to records from any federal agency. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement.
For specific federal agency requirements, view the National Agencies list below.
Resources Beyond The U
University of Minnesota Funding Agency Guidelines
Still Have Questions?
Contact Us!
Your Research Data Librarians at the J. Willard Marriott Library are happy to answer any questions you may have related to data management compliance with various funding sources and offer one-on-one consultation appointments focused on your specific project's needs. If you would like to request a consultation or schedule data management training for your class or department, contact Kaylee Alexander (kaylee.alexander@utah.edu) or Madison Golden (madison.golden@utah.edu).
National Agencies
Administration for Community Living (ACL)
Effective as of October 2017, data must be published within 24 months of award's end date. ICPSR is the preferred repository that data be deposited in; National Statistical and Data Centers for specific Programs. Publications must be made available in PMC.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Effective as of February 2015, data must be published by time of article publication. Data should be deposited in a commercial repository. Publications must be made available in PMC.
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
Effective as of October 2014, data must be published within 30 months of collection. Data should be published in a publicly accessible repository. Publications must be made available in PMC.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Effective as of July 2013, all data must be published by time of article publication and/or within 30 months of collection. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) or CDC WONDER are appropriate repositories to use. Publications should be made available in CDC STACKS.
Department of Defense (DOD)
Effective as of October 2015, data must be published within a reasonable time frame. Data must be published in a public repository. Publications must be made available in DOD/DTIC.
Department of Education (IES)
Data should be made available by time of article publication. For more information see IES public access statement below. IES provides several suggestions for appropriate repositories to use. Publications must be published on ERIC.
Department of Energy (DOE)
Effective as of October 2014, data must be published by time or article publication. More information is provided regarding what repository should be used. Publications should be archived using PAGES.
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Effective as of December 2015, data must be published by time of article publication. The repository used must be publicly accessible. See appropriate repositories for options. Publications must be made available in the National Transportation Library.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Effective as of the year 2018, extramural research must be made available within 30 days of publishing associated articles on PMC. Data must be archived on a publicly accessible repository. Metadata must be entered in EPA's EDG. Articles must be published on PMC.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Effective as of October 2015, data must be published by time of article publication. Data should be published in an appropriate data repository that reflects the PI's field of research where available. Articles should be published in PMC.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Effective as of October 2015, data must be published at time of article publication. Data must be published in NASA archives or some other repository. See question 16 on FAQ 3 for more information on NASA archives. Publications must be archived in PubSpace.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Review project or grant guidelines for data archiving and article publication requirements. Data should be published in a publicly accessible repository that is specific to the field of research where available.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Effective as of April 2008, data must be published at time of article publication. See NIH-supported repositories for publication options. Publications must be archived in PMC. Click for more information on the NIH Public Access Policy or about how papers get into PubMed Central.
National Institutes of Standard and Technologies (NIST)
Effective as of October 2015, data must be made available within 12 months of article publication. Data should be published within the EDI registry of datasets. Articles should be published in NIST/PMC.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Effective as of January 2016, data must be made available within 12 months of article publication. For long term data preservation look into using NOAA Data Centers. Articles must be published in NOAA Central Library.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Effective as of January 2016, most data should be published at time of article publication. Any remaining data should be published within a reasonable timeline. Data should be published within an appropriate repository. Publications must be archived in NSF-PAR. A simple handout is available on how to deposit NSF funded publications.
Smithsonian Institute (SI)
Effective as of October 2015, data must be published within 12 months of article publication. Data must be published in a Smithsonian approved data repository. Articles must be published in Smithsonian Research Online.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Data must be published within 12 months of article publication. Data should be archived in Development Data Library or other appropriate repository. Articles should be published on DEC.
United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)
The VA has not specified when data should be published. Review grant or project guidelines for any specified procedures. Articles should be published in PMC.
United States Geological Survey (USGS)
Effective as of October 2016, data must be published by time of article publication. Data should be published in an USGS approved repository. Articles must be published in USGS Publications Warehouse.
US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Effective as of January 2016, data must be published within a reasonable time period. Data should be published USDA Ag Data Commons and have a Data Submission Guide. Publications must be archived in PubAg.
Source: Utah State University Libraries, "Agency Requirements."
