Department of Defense (DOD)
/Department of War (DOW)

Recommended Interim Guidance for DoD-Funded Public Access Compliance

Given the current lack of detailed implementation guidance from DoD following its December 2024 public access implementation plan, our recommendation is that researchers continue to comply with all existing award-specific and DTIC submission requirements while also planning for immediate public accessibility of peer-reviewed publications whenever feasible.

Although DoD has not yet publicly released comprehensive updated policy documents or revised repository procedures implementing the OSTP Nelson Memo, the Department’s implementation plan clearly signals an intent to move toward free, immediate, and equitable public access without embargoes. At the same time, existing DTIC submission workflows and component-level guidance largely remain in place.

Accordingly, a reasonable interim best practice would be to:

• continue submitting manuscripts and reports through any currently required DTIC or sponsor-specific processes;
• review award terms carefully for any publication review, security, export control, or dissemination restrictions;
• retain sufficient rights to allow repository deposit and public sharing of accepted manuscripts;
• and, where permitted, make peer-reviewed manuscripts openly accessible without embargo through institutional repositories or publisher/open access pathways.

This approach aligns with both the direction of current federal public access policy and the practical reality that formal DoD implementation guidance is still evolving.

 

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