Public Access Policy
- Effective Date: July 2025
- Last Revised: July 2025
- Responsible Office: Office for Sponsored Programs
Reason for Policy
Harvard University has established the following guidance to comply with sponsor and Harvard’s Open Access policy.
Public Access policies ensure that the public, researchers and scientists have access to research findings for further research and replication of results. This enables faster and broader dissemination of content containing the latest scientific advancements. Additionally, this policy embodies responsible stewardship of public funds by requiring that research publications be made freely accessible to the public.
The university has a responsibility to ensure stewardship or research funding and results. The visibility, impact, and societal benefits of the research sponsors fund are maximized when findings are made widely and freely accessible.
Applicability
This guidance applies to all Authors and Principal Investigators (PIs) performing research on sponsored awards.
Public Access Requirements
In general, sponsors require authors of peer-reviewed manuscripts arising from sponsored research to be uploaded to a repository to enable others to review and replicate scientific findings. Appendix A provides a list of common agencies and information regarding their public access policy. The most specific or strictest rules prevail, so if a sponsor has a specific repository for submission or timeframe, you must adhere to those requirements if they sponsored the scientific research.
Procedures
Follow the sponsor requirements for Open Access. Departments may outline specific procedures to assign individuals responsibilities to ensure compliance with these policies.
Sponsored Funding Considerations
There are no associated costs for depositing manuscripts into open access repositories. Costs to deposit manuscripts into open access repositories may not be allowed to be charged to federal awards. See specific sponsor guidelines.
Publication costs, such as page fees may be charged if allowed per the terms and conditions of the sponsored award.
See Sponsored Expenditure Guidance questions on allowability of costs.
Who Must Comply
All Principal Investigators (PIs) at Harvard University within all schools, units, divisions, University-wide initiatives, and centers who are involved with proposing, managing and producing manuscripts related to research funding must adhere to this guidance.
Roles and Responsibilities
Principal Investigators (PIs)/Authors
- Responsible for ensuring compliance with public access policies and ensuring manuscripts are deposited by deadlines established by sponsors.
- Responsible for ensuring lab members are aware of and comply with public access policies.
Second accountability partner (e.g. lab manager, grant partner, faculty assistant)
- Provide guidance on the allowability of costs for publications.
- Support Author in depositing manuscripts by deadlines.
School/tub level officials/Office for Sponsored Programs (OSP)
- Provide review for compliance with progress report review and submission.