What are the guidelines for using public datasets for publication?
A public data set is just that: public.  They have been made available for the specific purpose of being used by other people.

Thus, you generally do not need permission, but you will need to appropriately cite the source of the dataset, thereby giving appropriate credit to its originators.  For a well-curated collection, you can find appropriate citation information embedded within either the "packaging" or metadata of the dataset or at the online source where you obtain it.