USDA Implements Public Access to Publications Policy [April 2026 UPDATE]

As of December 31, 2026, all USDA agencies began requiring peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters arising from scientific research supported by any level of USDA funding to be made publicly accessible in the PubAg repository.

The regulation impacts awardees and contractors from non-USDA organizations engaged in USDA-supported scientific research as well as USDA employees who engage in scientific research during official duties.

The policy includes journal articles derived from scientific research supported by:

• Any direct funding from a USDA grant or cooperative agreement active in Fiscal Year 2023 or beyond;
• Any direct funding from a USDA contract signed on or after October 1, 2022; or
• Any direct funding or arrangement, including in-kind support, from any USDA Intramural Research

Authors are encouraged to submit the accepted manuscript of scholarly works associated with USDA awards to the PubAg manuscript submission system. The final, published article or chapter may be submitted where the authors retain copyright.

The consequences of failing to abide by this requirement is unclear at this time, but public access noncompliance in other federal agencies typically results in the stalling of award distributions and possible award application penalties. Awardees should review their funding agreements for more information.

The policy allows authors to request a waiver to publish in journals that do not permit them to meet public access requirements. They must request the waiver prior to the initial submission to the journal.

The policy is based on the USDA’s 2023 Implementation Plan to Increase Public Access to USDA-Funded Research Results, and made effective under Public Access to Scholarly Publications and Digital Scientific Research Data (DR 1020-006) departmental regulations, effective April 7, 2026.

For more information about the new policy, see the Public Access Service’s USDA Public Access Essentials page or contact us at publicaccess@wisc.edu.

The Public Access Service’s BuckySubmit tool is available to submit manuscripts to PubAg on behalf of authors and awardees.