U.S. Geological Survey public access policy

Please note: Below is the current policy and procedures for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This policy and procedure will change as all federal funding agencies begin compliance with the August 2022 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) policy memorandum entitled “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research.” Please see our OSTP/Nelson Memo impact webpage for more details and updates about the policies and upcoming changes.

On July 6, 2023, USGS released a new version of its Public Access Plan. The effective date for full implementation of this plan is December 31, 2025.

What do I need to submit?

The full text of publications produced by USGS funded scientists must be stored electronically in the USGS Information Product Data System (IPDS). IPDS houses the accepted manuscripts (AM) from journals for publications funded by the USGS, both intramural and extramural. All USGS funded, peer-reviewed and disseminated publications released outside of the USGS (e.g., as journal articles) will be cataloged in the USGS Publications Warehouse with appropriate metadata to ensure discovery by the public. The full text of the final, accepted, peer-reviewed manuscript will be stored in the IPDS ready for release at the end of any embargo period and linked to the record in the USGS Publications Warehouse.

Do I have the rights to submit this?

2 CFR § 200.315 Intangible property provides the Federal awarding agency the right to reserve a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use any work that is subject to copyright and was developed, or for which ownership was acquired, under a Federal award for Federal purposes, and to authorize others to do so; and pursuant to 2 CFR 215.36 Intangible Property, the Federal government has the right to: (1) Obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data produced under a Federal award; and (2) Authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data for Federal purposes.

Where do I submit?

Extramural scientists funded by the USGS must provide their publications to the USGS project scientist responsible for the USGS funded extramural research; the USGS project scientist will place the publication into the IPDS dark archive.

When do I need to submit?

Papers submitted to the USGS Information Product Data System (IPDS) repository located within the USGS Publications Warehouse Website within 12 months of publication are considered compliant.

How do I submit?

Publications by extramural scientists funded by the USGS will be provided to the USGS project scientist responsible for the USGS funded extramural research, who will place the publication into the IPDS dark archive.

As part of this plan the USGS has contracted with Clearinghouse for the Open Research of the United States (CHORUS), to provide notification to the USGS of the release of USGS-funded extramural publications on non-USGS publishers’ websites for those publishers participating in the CHORUS service. These extramural publications (i.e., not published as USGS series reports using the USGS in-house publishing process of the USGS Science Publishing Network) and their metadata will then be cataloged in the USGS Publications warehouse, and a link provided to the full-text of the article on the publisher’s website, where free public access will be provided after the embargo period has expired.

For those publications for which the full text cannot be accessed through CHORUS (publisher not part of CHORUS) or because the publishers embargo period is longer than 12 months, the accepted manuscripts stored in the IPDS dark archive will be made publicly available via USGS internal servers and accessible through the USGS Publications Warehouse.

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