Public Access to Public Science Act

Public Access to Public Science Act

Directs each of the covered agencies (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA], National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and National Weather Service) to formulate and implement a public access policy to make covered works publicly available, without charge, starting on the day after the end of an embargo period.

Defines: (1) "covered work" as any research results published in a peer-reviewed scholarly publication based on research funded in whole or in part by a covered agency, with certain exceptions; and (2) "embargo period" as up to 12 months after the initial date of publication of a covered work, unless extended, pursuant to a stakeholder's petition, by the covered agency after determining that the public interest will be substantially and uniquely harmed under the agency's public access policy.

Requires the public access policy to: (1) allow the public to read, download, and analyze by machine covered works in digital form; (2) facilitate easy public search of, analysis of, and access to covered works; (3) encourage public-private collaboration to maximize interoperability between public and private platforms, avoid unnecessary duplication of existing mechanisms, and maximize the impact of the covered agency's research investment; (4) ensure that attribution to authors, journals, and original publishers is maintained; and (5) ensure that publications and metadata are stored in an accessible archive.

Requires a covered agency's public access policy to ensure full public access to metadata of covered works, without charge, beginning when the covered work is first published.