Notice2023-25267
Request for Information (RFI) on NSF Public Access Plan 2.0: Ensuring Open, Immediate, and Equitable Access to National Science Foundation Funded Research
Primary source
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Published
November 16, 2023
Issuing agencies
National Science Foundation
Abstract
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking public input from the science and engineering research and education community on implementing NSF Public Access Plan 2.0: Ensuring Open, Immediate, and Equitable Access to National Science Foundation Funded Research. This plan, described in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, represents an update to NSF current public access requirements in response to recent White House Office of Science and Technology Policy guidance. A primary consideration during the development of NSF's plan has been potential equity impacts of public access requirements. NSF's goal is to improve equity throughout the research life cycle, making data and opportunities available to all researchers, including those from marginalized communities and historically under-resourced institutions of higher education in the U.S. NSF is committed to considering the needs of the diverse US research community, including identifying possible unintended consequences that the plan and its implementation could produce.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 220 (Thursday, November 16, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 220 (Thursday, November 16, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78796-78798]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25267]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Request for Information (RFI) on NSF Public Access Plan 2.0:
Ensuring Open, Immediate, and Equitable Access to National Science
Foundation Funded Research
AGENCY: National Science Foundation (NSF).
ACTION: Request for information.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking public input
from the science and engineering research and education community on
implementing NSF Public Access Plan 2.0: Ensuring Open, Immediate, and
Equitable Access to National Science Foundation Funded Research. This
plan, described in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, represents an update to
NSF current public access requirements in response to recent White
House Office of Science and Technology Policy guidance. A primary
consideration during the development of NSF's plan has been potential
equity impacts of public access requirements. NSF's goal is to improve
equity throughout the research life cycle, making data and
opportunities available to all researchers, including those from
marginalized communities and historically under-resourced institutions
of higher education in the U.S. NSF is committed to considering the
needs of the diverse US research community, including identifying
possible unintended consequences that the plan and its implementation
could produce.
DATES: Interested persons or organizations are invited to submit
comments on or before 11:59 p.m. (EST) on January 2, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The preferred method of response is to complete as much of
the online RFI as you wish. However, if you cannot or do not wish to
access this tool, comments submitted in response to this notice may
also be submitted by the following methods:
Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e4b49186888d87a58787819797d6c9b6a2ada48a9782ca838b92"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a9f9dccbc5c0cae8cacaccdada9b84fbefe0e9c7dacf87cec6df">[email protected]</span></a>. Email submissions should be
machine-readable and not be copy-protected. Submissions should include
``RFI Response: NSF Public Access 2.0'' in the subject line of the
message.
Mail: Attn. Martin Halbert, 2415 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria, VA
22314.
Responses may address one or as many topics as desired from the
enumerated list provided in this RFI, noting the corresponding number
of the topic(s) to which the response pertains. Submissions must not
exceed 3 pages (exclusive of cover page) in 11-point or larger font,
with a page number provided on each page. Responses should include the
name of the person(s) or organization(s) filing the comment, as well as
the respondent type (e.g., academic institution, advocacy group,
professional society, community-based organization, industry, member of
the public, government, other). Respondent's role in the organization
may also be provided (e.g., researcher, administrator, student, program
manager, journalist) on a voluntary basis.
No business proprietary information, copyrighted information, or
personally identifiable information (aside from that requested above)
should be submitted in response to this RFI. Comments submitted in
response to this RFI will be used internally at NSF and may be shared
with other Federal agencies. Any online or public release of data will
only be in aggregate form to protect the identity of submitters. Please
note that all questions are optional.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please
direct questions to Martin Halbert at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4e1e3b2c22272d0f2d2d2b3d3d7c631c08070e203d2860292138"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0f5f7a6d63666c4e6c6c6a7c7c3d225d49464f617c6921686079">[email protected]</span></a>, (703)
292-5111.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. National Science Foundation Public
Access Plan 2.0: Ensuring Open, Immediate, and Equitable Access to
National Science Foundation Funded Research has been prepared in
response to the memorandum dated August 25, 2022, from the White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy, or OSTP, titled Ensuring Free,
Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research, and
signed by Alondra Nelson. It updates NSF's original public access plan,
Today's Data, Tomorrow's Discoveries: Increasing Access to the Results
of Research Funded by the National Science Foundation, dated March 18,
2015.
Broadly, Public Access Plan 2.0: Ensuring Open, Immediate, and
Equitable Access to National Science Foundation Funded Research
describes how:
<bullet> all peer-reviewed scholarly publications resulting from
NSF-funded research will be made freely available
[[Page 78797]]
and publicly accessible by default in the NSF Public Access Repository,
or NSF-PAR, without embargo;
<bullet> such publications will be accessible for assistive
technologies;
<bullet> scientific data associated with peer-reviewed publications
resulting from NSF awards will be made available in disciplinary
repositories;
<bullet> exceptions to the data-sharing requirements will be made
based on legal, privacy, ethical, intellectual property and national
security considerations; and
<bullet> persistent identifiers, or PIDs, and other critical
information associated with peer-reviewed publications and data
resulting from NSF-funded research will be collected and made publicly
available in NSF-PAR.
NSF is committed to ensuring that its approach to public access
enhances equity in the science and engineering ecosystem and wants to
understand any potential barriers that may be faced by researchers in
complying with new public access requirements. Responses may suggest
areas of particular interest to the research community that inspire
future NSF funding opportunities and development plans for NSF-PAR.
NSF seeks responses from all interested individuals and communities
including--but not limited to--individual researchers, research
institutions, libraries, scholarly societies, scholarly publishers,
early career researchers, and students/educators. NSF is particularly
interested in hearing from researchers new to public access at NSF, new
to open science practices more generally, or working in fields or
institutions with unique challenges in complying with public access
requirements, to ensure that NSF is well-positioned to fully consider
potential equity impacts as the plan is implemented.
Comments are welcome on all elements of NSF Public Access Plan 2.0
but would be particularly welcome for the issues/questions identified
below. Please note that all questions are optional.
1. Overall, do you view public access requirements as having more
positive or more negative effects on equity and inclusion in science
(indicate one)?
<bullet> mostly positive
<bullet> somewhat positive
<bullet> neither positive nor negative
<bullet> somewhat negative
<bullet> mostly negative
2. Do you currently have access to data repositories that will
enable you to comply with public access requirements? (indicate one)?
<bullet> Yes, I have access
<bullet> Yes, I have access, but it is limited
<bullet> No, I don't have access
<bullet> I don't know
3. What opportunities or benefits do you anticipate you and/or your
institution would realize from the requirement that NSF-funded peer-
reviewed publications be made available in the NSF Public Access
Repository (NSF-PAR)? (Please limit response to 500 characters.)
4. What challenges or barriers do you anticipate personally facing
while complying with the requirement that NSF-funded peer reviewed
publications be made available in NSF-PAR? (Please limit response to
500 characters) What opportunities or benefits do you anticipate you
and/or your institution would realize from the requirement that the
data underlying your NSF-funded peer-reviewed publications be made
publicly available? (Please limit response to 500 characters.)
5. What challenges or barriers do you anticipate personally facing
while complying with the requirement that the data underlying your NSF-
funded peer-reviewed publications be made publicly available? (Please
limit response to 500 characters.)
6. How can NSF best engage affected communities regarding public
access issues, in particular marginalized or underrepresented groups?
(Please limit response to 500 characters.)
7. If you have any additional comments about NSF's Public Access
Plan, please share them here. (Please limit response to 2,000
characters.)
8. What is your primary field of research, employment, or study
(indicate one)?
<bullet> Astronomy and astrophysics
<bullet> Biological, agricultural, environmental life sciences
<bullet> Computer and information sciences
<bullet> Engineering
<bullet> Humanities or liberal arts
<bullet> Learning sciences/education research
<bullet> Library or communication sciences
<bullet> Mathematics and statistics
<bullet> Medical and health sciences
<bullet> Physical and geosciences (including atmospheric and ocean
sciences)
<bullet> Social sciences
<bullet> Publisher (for profit)
<bullet> Publisher (society or non-profit)
<bullet> Other (please specify)
9. What type of institution(s) best describes where you work?
(Note: if you hold a dual appointment, please indicate all that apply.)
<bullet> U.S. 4-year university; Doctoral-granting, high or very high
research activity
<bullet> U.S. 4-year university; Doctoral-granting, other
<bullet> U.S. 4-year university or college; Masters-granting (i.e., no
Doctoral programs offered)
<bullet> U.S. 4-year college or university; Baccalaureate-granting
(i.e., no Doctoral or Masters programs offered)
<bullet> U.S. community or 2-year college
<bullet> U.S. university-affiliated research institute
<bullet> Government agency (Federal, State or local)
<bullet> Non-governmental, non-university affiliated research
organization
<bullet> Non-profit organization (including tax-exempt, charitable
organization and private foundation)
<bullet> For-profit company or organization
<bullet> Other (please specify)
10. If you work at a university, please indicate all categories
that represent your university (indicate all that apply):
<bullet> Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving
Institution (AANAPI)
<bullet> Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)
<bullet> Historically Black College or University (HBCU)
<bullet> Minority serving Institution (MSI)
<bullet> Tribal College or University (TCU)
<bullet> Women's College or University
<bullet> Other
<bullet> None of the above
11. If you are engaged in academic research, in what stage of your
career are you (indicate one)?
<bullet> undergraduate student
<bullet> graduate student
<bullet> early career researcher (<10 years post-Ph.D.)
<bullet> mid-career researcher (10-25 years post-Ph.D.)
<bullet> late-career researcher (<25 years post-Ph.D.)
<bullet> not applicable
12. What communities do you work with in your research (i.e., about
whom or from whom data is collected)? Please indicate all that apply.
<bullet> American Indian or Alaska Native communities
<bullet> Asian communities
<bullet> Black or African American communities
<bullet> Latine/x/o/a communities
<bullet> LGBTIQA+ communities
<bullet> Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander communities
<bullet> Persons with disabilities
<bullet> non-US-based communities
<bullet> communities with limited socioeconomic status
<bullet> not applicable
<bullet> Other (please specify)
13. Are you Hispanic or Latino?
<bullet> No, I am not Hispanic or Latino
<bullet> Yes, I am Mexican or Chicano
<bullet> Yes, I am Puerto Rican
[[Page 78798]]
<bullet> Yes, I am Cuban
<bullet> Yes, I am other Hispanic or Latino (please specify):
14. What is your racial background (indicate all that apply)?
<bullet> American Indian or Alaska Native--specify Tribal
affiliations(s)
<bullet> Asian
<bullet> Black or African American
<bullet> Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
<bullet> White
15. Do you identify as a disabled person with respect to any of the
following specific functions (indicate all that apply)?
<bullet> SEEING words or letters in ordinary newsprint (with glasses/
contact lenses, if you usually wear them)
<bullet> HEARING in conversation with another person (with hearing aid
or other assistive device, if you usually wear one)
<bullet> WALKING without human or mechanical assistance or using stairs
<bullet> LIFTING or carrying something as heavy as 10 pounds, such as a
bag of groceries
<bullet> CONCENTRATING, REMEMBERING, or MAKING DECISIONS because of a
physical, mental or emotional condition
<bullet> Other disability (please specify)
16. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your
identity that impacts the way you are perceived or your access to the
scholarly ecosystem (e.g., age, gender identity, sexual orientation
etc.) (Please limit response to 2,000 characters.).
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1861, et al.
Dated: November 8, 2023.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2023-25267 Filed 11-15-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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