NASA has taken a significant step towards promoting open science and increasing public access to federally funded research through the launch of PUBSPACE, its designated public access repository. This initiative aligns with the agency’s commitment to disseminating scientific knowledge and fostering transparency in its research endeavors.
PUBSPACE, a collection within the NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Repository, serves as a centralized platform for accessing peer-reviewed scholarly publications resulting from NASA-funded research. The repository aims to provide free online access to accepted peer-reviewed manuscripts and published versions of journal articles, subject to designated publisher embargo periods.
Background and Mandate
The establishment of PUBSPACE stems from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) memorandum titled “Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research,” issued in February 2013. This directive instructed federal agencies with substantial research and development expenditures to develop plans for making the published results of federally funded research freely accessible to the public within one year of publication.
In response, NASA formulated the “NASA Plan for Increasing Access to the Results of Scientific Research” and the associated policy NPD 2230.1, “Research Data and Publication Access.” These guidelines outline a framework for enhancing public access to scientific publications and digital scientific data resulting from NASA-funded research initiatives.
Submission Requirements and Compliance
All NASA-funded researchers, including civil servants and non-civil servants (grantees, contractors, and cooperative agreement holders), are required to deposit copies of peer-reviewed publications and associated data into PUBSPACE. However, certain exceptions apply, such as materials governed by personal privacy, export control, proprietary restrictions, or national security laws and regulations, as well as patents.
To facilitate compliance, NASA has partnered with the Clearinghouse for the Open Research of the United States (CHORUS), a publishing group that coordinates with funding agencies, publishers, and institutions to share knowledge and promote open access. NASA-funded authors publishing in CHORUS member journals can more easily satisfy the agency’s public access requirements through this collaboration.
For publications not available through CHORUS, authors must submit the accepted peer-reviewed manuscript directly to the NASA STI Program through an online submission form.
Benefits of PUBSPACE
The establishment of PUBSPACE aims to provide numerous benefits to the scientific community and the general public:
- Accelerating scientific discovery: By making research results more accessible, PUBSPACE facilitates the dissemination of knowledge, enabling researchers to build upon previous work more efficiently.
- Increasing transparency: PUBSPACE enhances transparency by showcasing how NASA’s research investments lead to scientific outputs, fostering accountability and public trust.
- Facilitating cross-disciplinary collaboration: By removing access barriers, PUBSPACE promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration, enabling researchers from diverse fields to explore and contribute to NASA’s research endeavors.
- Engaging the global community: PUBSPACE invites the global community to participate in exploring Earth, air, and space by providing free access to NASA-funded research, fostering international cooperation and knowledge-sharing.
- Maximizing research impact: By ensuring that NASA-funded research is widely available, PUBSPACE amplifies the impact of the agency’s investments, contributing to scientific advancement and societal benefits.
Ongoing Efforts and Future Developments
NASA continues to collaborate with the scientific community, academic institutions, publishers, and other federal agencies to refine and enhance the implementation of its public access plan. This includes exploring ways to streamline submission processes, expand the scope of accessible research, and leverage emerging technologies to improve the organization and discoverability of information within PUBSPACE.
As the agency remains committed to promoting open science and maximizing the impact of its research investments, PUBSPACE represents a crucial step towards achieving these goals. By providing free and accessible scientific knowledge, NASA aims to foster innovation, drive scientific progress, and engage the global community in exploring the frontiers of Earth, air, and space.
