Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is responsible for meeting the public access requirement?

The primary award recipient, whether an institution or an individual, is responsible for ensuring compliance with the policy, as described in the terms and conditions for the award. For collaborative projects, it is important to assign article and data sharing tasks to a member of a project team. 

2. Which repository does NEH require recipients to use for depositing publications?

Recipients will use eGMS Reach, the same platform used for reporting and other award management activities, to share articles with NEH. The agency has contracted with Michigan State University to develop NEH Commons. Products of NEH-funded work will be available in a public area of the Knowledge Commons website, which already shares thousands of works by humanities scholars.

3. Which repository does NEH require for data deposit?

Where specific NEH programs mandate data sharing, applicants should explain in their required Data Management and Sharing Plan which repository(ies) will ensure intended audiences find project data long-term. This may include general purpose repositories such as Zenodo, discipline-focused repositories such as ICPSR for the social sciences or Open Context for archaeology, or college or university institutional repositories. 

4. Do you have examples of Data Management and Sharing Plan available? 

Recent examples are available on the Digital Humanities Advancement Grants program page, under Application Instructions –> Review –> Sample Application Narratives. Samples will be available for other programs in future. Note that programs with data sharing requirements will include specific instructions in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

5. Does NEH allow for an embargo or delay for public access to journal articles?

No. NEH expects recipients to deposit articles in eGMS Reach no later than the date of publication, meaning the date the final published article first becomes available online. NEH will then make the article available in NEH Commons. NEH encourages recipients to communicate this to journal editors and publishers upon manuscript submission; most academic publishers are familiar with U.S. federal agency public access policies.

6. How should recipients link between different versions of a journal article, or between an article and related data?

Wherever possible, recipients should include a digital object identifier (DOI) or other permanent URL provided by the publisher when depositing an article in eGMS Reach. If the publication’s underlying data is also available, recipients should also include one or more DOIs for that material. The record for the article in Knowledge Commons will include these links.

7. Does NEH require recipients to apply a Creative Commons license to articles or data shared under the policy?

No. NEH does not require the use of any specific license that would grant rights in articles or data beyond the agency’s nonexclusive license to share the work publicly. Recipients will have the option of assigning a license upon article deposit, and many data repositories allow or even require the use of open licenses.

8. My article is already freely available in an open access journal, through another funder, or through my institution. Do I still need to submit it to NEH?

Yes. Recipients are required to submit articles directly to NEH, even if they are already available elsewhere.

9. My article will not be published until after the award period of performance. Will I still be able to deposit it in eGMS Reach?

Yes. Project directors and institutional grants administrators will retain access to the grant record in order to deposit articles. In cases where staff changes or where subrecipients need to deposit work, NEH will work with you to find an alternative method. 

10. Why is the policy limited to journal articles and data? What about books and edited volumes?

As NEH introduces this new policy, one aim is to make it as easy as possible for authors, rrecipient institutions, publishers, and other stakeholders. While common practices have developed to support public access to journal articles, similar models for book access remain experimental. Rather than mandate public access to humanities books at this point, NEH has developed complementary initiatives such as the Fellowships Open Book Program to support publishers ready to take this step.

11. Am I required to publish in an open access journal?

No. You are not required to publish in an open access journal, defined here as a journal where all content is free and publicly available directly through the journal website. Many journals have adopted what is known as a “hybrid” model, where some content is publicly available, and other content is accessible only to subscribers. If you would like the publisher’s version of your article to be available to all on the journal website, you may choose to publish open access.

12. If I want to publish in a journal that requires a fee for open access to the version of record, will NEH pay this fee?

For those NEH programs that make awards to individuals, recipients may choose to use the funds as appropriate to their project needs. For NEH awards to organizations, the budget may include specific fees for open access publishing, typically up to a total of no more than $6,000. Many publishers will also consider fee waivers in cases where funds are unavailable; if you want to pursue this option, you should include this request with your initial manuscript submission. 

13. My peer-reviewed article includes findings from research conducted during the period of performance for my or my institution’s NEH award, but I didn’t rely on NEH funds to write it. Does the policy still apply?

Yes. Any peer-reviewed journal article produced in whole or in part through NEH funding is subject to the policy.

14. I wrote an article that is based on others’ NEH-funded scholarship or research data, but I did not participate in the funded project. Does the policy apply?

No. The policy only applies to NEH rrecipients. 

15. I am attending an NEH-funded institute, seminar, or workshop as a participant. If I write a peer-reviewed article based on what I learn, is it subject to the Public Access Policy?

No. The policy does not apply to individual participants within an NEH-funded professional development program. However, peer-reviewed articles produced by the rrecipient or subrrecipients (e.g., a peer-reviewed article evaluating the program) would be subject to the policy.

16. I received an award from my state humanities council. Does the Public Access Policy apply?

No. The policy does not apply to awards made by state humanities councils, where funding is provided by general support grants through NEH’s Office of Federal/State Partnership. 

17. I wrote a peer-reviewed article based on NEH-funded work prior to implementation of the Public Access Policy. May I still share my article in the new repository?

Yes, we welcome rrecipients dating back to the agency’s beginnings to share journal articles, as well as links to other NEH-supported project outputs. Email @email.