DOE Digital Research Data Management

Overview

In October 2024, the Department of Energy (DOE) implemented Order 241.1C, a directive that outlines requirements for managing Science and Technology Information (STI) resulting from DOE-funded research. 

According to this policy, any research outputs that are unclassified and not subject to restrictions must be made publicly accessible promptly after publication. Specifically, scholarly articles must be available without any embargo on their official publication date.  

The scope of research outputs includes: 

  • datasets
  • author-accepted versions of peer-reviewed papers
  • software
  • educational resources
  • metadata
  • other related materials

Guidance for Digital Research Data Management

This page provides a brief overview of the policy, what it entails, and where you can go to find additional information. Please refer to the DOE Requirements and Guidance for Digital Research Data Management website for more information. 

Who does this policy apply to? 

The data management and sharing requirements apply to research and development generated by work funded or supported by the DOE. 

When does this policy take effect? 

The updated requirements for submitting a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) will be integrated into DOE grant solicitations and went into effect on October 1, 2025.

How to comply with the policy 

  • All DOE-funded research and development awards and contracts are subject to a DOE-approved DMSP. Review the DSMP requirements on the DOE website.
  • Scientific data underlying peer-reviewed scholarly publications should be made freely available and publicly accessible at the time of the associated publication.
  • DOE-funded researchers must submit the full-text accepted manuscript of a journal article and associated metadata to DOE’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) through E-Link or through labs’ publication management systems no later than the publication date of the article. If the article itself is published as “open access” (OA), the author may submit the OA article and metadata to DOE.  DOE will provide immediate, free public access to submitted publications through its designated repository DOE PAGES®.
  • Scientific data funded by the DOE not associated with a peer-reviewed scholarly publication should be made available without unnecessary delays.  
  • Data must include acknowledgment of government sponsorship (specifically the sponsoring program), license rights, and any other notices/disclaimers required by the award terms. Language indicating program sponsorship should include DOE, the DOE sponsoring program office, and that sponsoring program office’s subprogram(s) (if possible) funding the research.
  • A DOE sponsoring research program or a specific solicitation may specify that a particular data repository should be used to share scientific data. If a repository is not specified, applicants are encouraged to consider whether any DOE-supported data repositories are suitable for use. 

DOE resources 

University of Oregon resources