What is the Institute of Education Sciences Policy Regarding Public Access to Research?
Beginning in FY 2012, the Institute of Education Sciences requires its grantees and contractors to submit their peer-reviewed research publications to ERIC. Grantees and contractors are required to submit the electronic version of their final manuscripts upon acceptance for publication in a peer-reviewed, journal or as a final deliverable, unless the grantee or contractor has published their work in a source that has agreed to submit the work on their behalf.
For more information, see the IES Policy Regarding Public Access to Research, the video on the IES Public Access Policy, and the recorded webinar Submitting Federally Funded Research to ERIC.
For additional details, view the following recorded webinar on submitting federally funded research to ERIC:
How do I know if I have to submit work to ERIC?
This flow chart should help with your decision:
How many publishers have agreed to submit final, peer-reviewed manuscripts to ERIC on the author's behalf?
Publishers of almost 700 sources have agreed to submit work to ERIC on behalf of IES grantees and contractors. To see the list of participating sources, click here.
Our organization produces materials (e.g., research reports) that are funded by the U.S. Department of Education. If these are not published in a participating source, how should they be submitted to ERIC?
Some U.S. Department of Education grantees and contractors are subject to making their work widely available in ERIC. These awardees should submit those materials to ERIC through our online submission system. Select 'Yes' to the question "Has your work been funded (in whole or in part) by a U.S. government research grant or contract?" and enter the grant or contract number(s) into the submission form (multiple numbers should be separated by semi-colons) and include it on the submitted PDF. Please also specify the funding source within the Department and include this information on the submitted PDF as well.
I have received a grant or contract from IES. What if my publisher does not give me permission to deposit my work in ERIC?
It is the awardee’s responsibility not to sign away the right to deposit their work in ERIC. Because submission to ERIC is a condition of award, this must be negotiated prior to being accepted for publication.
How can I get a waiver?
There are no waivers for this policy. Please contact your project for any questions about the conditions of your award.
What is the final, peer-reviewed manuscript?
The author’s final manuscript is defined as the final version accepted for journal publication and includes all modifications from the peer-review process. This is different from the journal version in that it may not have final formatting and editing.
My article is “in press”—do I still need to put a date on the PDF?
Yes. Every PDF must show either a publication, completion, acceptance, or “online first” date. The date shown on the PDF must be the same as the date entered in the submission form.
The journal I am publishing in is already indexed in ERIC. Do I still need to submit this work to ERIC?
Yes. To comply with your grant or contract, you must submit your final, peer-reviewed manuscript to ERIC unless the publisher of the source has agreed to submit the work on your behalf. To see the list of participating sources, click here.
When do I need to submit my work to ERIC?
Grantees and contractors are required to submit their work to ERIC using the online submission system as soon as the article has been accepted for publication in a journal or accepted by the Department as a final deliverable.
When will my work be visible in ERIC?
The citation and abstract of grantee work will be available in ERIC within 90 days of submission. The full-text PDF of your work will be available in ERIC 12 months after publication for journal articles. Contractor-produced work will be available immediately
Do all deliverables need to be submitted to ERIC?
If you produce work that is funded by IES, peer-reviewed, and not published by IES, then it should be submitted through the online submission system. Please contact your Contracting Officer’s Representative for more information and to discuss how the public access policy applies to your work.
How will my work be displayed in ERIC?
Grant-funded work submitted through the online submission system will be displayed with Grantee Submission as the source on the ERIC record. The citation will be available immediately and the full text will be displayed after a 12-month embargo from the publication or completion date. If the journal is indexed by ERIC, there will be a journal citation for that article as well. For an example, see here.
Contractor-funded work will be displayed immediately with the contractor name or the program name as the source. The work will be identified by the contract number entered in ERIC. For example, see here.
Can my submission be considered a Grantee Submission if the funding comes from some other entity than the U.S. government?
No. This publication type is only used for work funded by the U.S. government. Work that is funded by countries outside of the United States, U.S.-based foundations or other private organizations, or state governments will be indexed with Online Submission as the source. Their funding information will not be included in the record.
