Publication, Authorship & Public Access

Scientific and scholarly publications, defined as articles, abstracts, presentations at professional meetings and grant applications, provide the main vehicle to disseminate findings, thoughts, and analysis to the scientific, academic, and lay communities. For academic activities to contribute to the advancement of knowledge, they must be published in sufficient detail and accuracy to enable others to understand and elaborate the results.

This page provides resources in support of the dissemination of knowledge as part of University mission, and in relation to sponsored research.

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Publication Rights
Authorship
Public Access
Resource List

Publication rights: Essential to the WU mission

Washington University is committed to maintaining a teaching and research environment that fosters the creation and dissemination of new knowledge. Essential to this mission is a policy of open research that promotes academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas. An environment of openness ensures the progress of research in all disciplines at Washington University. It is the policy of the University, therefore, not to undertake classified research with security clearance requirements or research activities, including student theses and dissertations, that involve restrictions on the publication and dissemination of research results.

Publication Restriction: Implications for Federal Contracts, CUI, and Export Control

The Joint Research Office of Contracts (JROC) will work with award contracting officers to ensure that appropriate terms and conditions are included to allow University publication rights and to pursue the Fundamental Research Exclusion for University research activities when applicable.

Learn more:

• Navigate Federal Contracts at the Award State
• Restrictions on publication can violate the “Fundamental Research Exclusion” applicable to federal contracts and export control regulations. Visit “Spot Red Flags” for export control.
• It is the university’s policy to assure compliance with the Export Control Laws by conducting its research and other activities under the Fundamental Research Exclusion to the Export Control Laws. Learn more about the Export Control Policy.
• The Fundamental Research Exclusion is also significant in relation to Controlled Unclassified Information regulations that may apply to your award.

Authorship

Just as publications and presentations are the means of sharing findings with the community, for the authors of such works, these products provide avenues to scholarly achievement and repute.

At the same time, the benefits of authorship are accompanied by a number of responsibilities for the proper planning, conducting, analysis, and reporting of research, and the content and conclusions of other scholarly work.

Visit the Authorship page to learn more about authorship policies and best practices to ensure scientific integrity.

Public Access

Public Access Policy refers to requirements and policies requiring that federal research sponsors (and their funded investigators) provide public access to federally-funded scientific research publications and data sets.

The requirement often manifests as award terms that require federally-funded researchers to submit research publications and data in publicly accessible databases.

Learn more from University Libraries about:

• Background about the OSTP federal policies on public access plans
• Requirements and submission portals by Agency
  • NIH Public Access Policy Libguide and Resources by Becker Medical Library
  • NSF Requirements

Resource List