| a) | coordinate between federal science agencies to enhance efficiency and reduce redundancy in public access plans and policies, including as it relates to digital repository access; |
| b) | improve awareness of federally funded research results by all potential users and communities; |
| c) | consider measures to reduce inequities in publishing of, and access to, federally funded research and data, especially among individuals from underserved backgrounds and those who are early in their careers; |
| d) | develop procedures and practices to reduce the burden on federally funded researchers in complying with public access requirements; |
| e) | recommend standard consistent benchmarks and metrics to monitor and assess implementation and iterative improvement of public access policies over time; |
| f) | improve monitoring and encourage compliance with public access policies and plans; |
| g) | coordinate engagement with stakeholders, including but not limited to publishers, libraries, museums, professional societies, researchers, and other interested non-governmental parties on federal agency public access efforts; |
| h) | develop guidance on desirable characteristics of, and best practices for sharing in, online digital publication repositories; |
| i) | identify the key parameters that must be considered in planning how to maximize appropriate sharing of federally funded scientific data that have not been used to support scholarly publications; and, |
| j) | develop strategies to make federally funded publications, data, and other such research outputs and their metadata are findable, accessible, interoperable, and re-useable, to the American public and the scientific community in an equitable and secure manner. |
6. General Provisions
Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or functions of the Director of OMB.
Nothing in this memorandum, or the agency plans developed pursuant to it, shall be construed to authorize or require federal agencies to undermine any right under the provisions of Title 17, 18, or 35 of the United States Code, or to violate the international obligations of the United States.
Provisions of this memorandum should be implemented to the extent feasible and consistent with applicable law, privacy, indigenous rights, foreign policy and international development objectives, and national security considerations. Any provisions of the 2013 Memorandum that are not updated or superseded by this new policy guidance are maintained. Provisions of this memorandum should be implemented consistent with law, OMB Guidance, and the Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, by any party against the United States; its departments, agencies, or entities; its officers, employees, or agents; or any other person.
