What does it all mean? Understanding US public access policy: the authors’ view
January 2014 saw President Obama sign the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 into law in the United States. This Act requires federal agencies with research and development budgets exceeding $100 million per year to develop public access policies, allowing for funded research articles to be made freely available online in a machine readable format within 12 months of publication. Agencies are yet to finalise their plans and policies, but researchers in receipt of federal funds will need to be aware and understand what they must do to comply with this legislation. This means that at least