[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 220 (Thursday, November 16, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78796-78798]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[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: [email protected]. 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 [email protected], (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:
     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;
     such publications will be accessible for assistive 
technologies;
     scientific data associated with peer-reviewed publications 
resulting from NSF awards will be made available in disciplinary 
repositories;
     exceptions to the data-sharing requirements will be made 
based on legal, privacy, ethical, intellectual property and national 
security considerations; and
     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)?

 mostly positive
 somewhat positive
 neither positive nor negative
 somewhat negative
 mostly negative

    2. Do you currently have access to data repositories that will 
enable you to comply with public access requirements? (indicate one)?

 Yes, I have access
 Yes, I have access, but it is limited
 No, I don't have access
 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)?

 Astronomy and astrophysics
 Biological, agricultural, environmental life sciences
 Computer and information sciences
 Engineering
 Humanities or liberal arts
 Learning sciences/education research
 Library or communication sciences
 Mathematics and statistics
 Medical and health sciences
 Physical and geosciences (including atmospheric and ocean 
sciences)
 Social sciences
 Publisher (for profit)
 Publisher (society or non-profit)
 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.)

 U.S. 4-year university; Doctoral-granting, high or very high 
research activity
 U.S. 4-year university; Doctoral-granting, other
 U.S. 4-year university or college; Masters-granting (i.e., no 
Doctoral programs offered)
 U.S. 4-year college or university; Baccalaureate-granting 
(i.e., no Doctoral or Masters programs offered)
 U.S. community or 2-year college
 U.S. university-affiliated research institute
 Government agency (Federal, State or local)
 Non-governmental, non-university affiliated research 
organization
 Non-profit organization (including tax-exempt, charitable 
organization and private foundation)
 For-profit company or organization
 Other (please specify)

    10. If you work at a university, please indicate all categories 
that represent your university (indicate all that apply):

 Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving 
Institution (AANAPI)
 Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)
 Historically Black College or University (HBCU)
 Minority serving Institution (MSI)
 Tribal College or University (TCU)
 Women's College or University
 Other
 None of the above

    11. If you are engaged in academic research, in what stage of your 
career are you (indicate one)?

 undergraduate student
 graduate student
 early career researcher (<10 years post-Ph.D.)
 mid-career researcher (10-25 years post-Ph.D.)
 late-career researcher (<25 years post-Ph.D.)
 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.

 American Indian or Alaska Native communities
 Asian communities
 Black or African American communities
 Latine/x/o/a communities
 LGBTIQA+ communities
 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander communities
 Persons with disabilities
 non-US-based communities
 communities with limited socioeconomic status
 not applicable
 Other (please specify)

    13. Are you Hispanic or Latino?

 No, I am not Hispanic or Latino
 Yes, I am Mexican or Chicano
 Yes, I am Puerto Rican

[[Page 78798]]

 Yes, I am Cuban
 Yes, I am other Hispanic or Latino (please specify):

    14. What is your racial background (indicate all that apply)?

 American Indian or Alaska Native--specify Tribal 
affiliations(s)
 Asian
 Black or African American
 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
 White

    15. Do you identify as a disabled person with respect to any of the 
following specific functions (indicate all that apply)?

 SEEING words or letters in ordinary newsprint (with glasses/
contact lenses, if you usually wear them)
 HEARING in conversation with another person (with hearing aid 
or other assistive device, if you usually wear one)
 WALKING without human or mechanical assistance or using stairs
 LIFTING or carrying something as heavy as 10 pounds, such as a 
bag of groceries
 CONCENTRATING, REMEMBERING, or MAKING DECISIONS because of a 
physical, mental or emotional condition
 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