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NIH Public Access Policy: How to Comply with the Policy

NIH

How to Comply with NIH Policy

1.   Determine Applicability
2.   Address Copyright
3.   Submit Paper
4.   Include PMCID in Citations

 1.  Determine Applicability
Does the NIH Public Access Policy apply to your paper?

The NIH Policy applies to any manuscript that:
  •  Is peer-reviewed
  •  Is accepted for publication in a journal on or after April 7, 2008
And arises from:
  •  Any direct funding from an NIH grant or cooperative agreement active in Fiscal Year 2008 or beyond, or;
  •  Any direct funding from an NIH contract signed on or after April 7, 2008, or;
  •  Any direct funding from the NIH Intramural Program, or;
  •  An NIH employee.

 

2.  Address Copyright
Ensure your publishing agreement allows the paper to be posted to PubMed Central in accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy.  Before you sign an author agreement or copyright transfer agreement, make sure that it allows the paper to be submitted to PubMed Central (PMC) in accordance with the public access policy. 

One option you have is to modify the publisher's copyright transfer agreement to retain the right to make the article available in PMC by adding the following language to the publication agreement: "Journal acknowledges that Author retains the right to provide a copy of the final manuscript to the NIH upon acceptance for Journal publication, for public archiving in PubMed Central as soon as possible but no later than 12 months after publication by Journal."

Another option you have is to attach the Addendum to Publication Agreements for CIC Authors found at http://www.uic.edu/depts/senate/authorsrightsfinal.pdf. The addendum allows authors to share their work in a variety of circumstances, including posting the work in institutional or disciplinary repositories. The UIC Senate voted to support this addendum in the Spring of 2007, and the Provost and the Secretary of the Senate sent a letter promoting awareness of the addendum in January 2008.

 

3.  Submit Paper
Submit papers to PubMed Central and approve public release.  There are four methods to ensure that an applicable paper is submitted to PubMed Central (PMC) in compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy.  Authors may use whichever method is most appropriate for them and consistent with their publishing agreement.

 

4.  Include PMCID in Citations
Include the PMCID at the end of the full citation in your application or report. 

How to Locate and Cite the PMCID Reference Number

For papers published more than 3 months before an application, proposal and report is submitted:
List the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) at the end of the full journal citation for the paper in NIH applications, proposals and reports.  A PMCID is the only way to demonstrate compliance for these papers.  

For papers in press, or published within 3 months of when an application, proposal or report is submitted:

  • When using Submission Method A or B, indicate “PMC Journal - In Process” or the PMCID at the end of the full citation.
  • When using Submission Method C or D, provide a valid NIH Manuscript Submission System reference number (NIHMSID) or PMCID at the end of the full citation. Note, NIH awardees are responsible for ensuring that all steps of the NIHMS submission process are complete within three months of publication.

Adapted from NIH Public Access Overview http://publicaccess.nih.gov

The NIH PAP and Your Grant Video

PIs and Authors: A short 8 minute video on what you need to know about complying with the NIH PAP.

http://tinyurl.com/cvy8mjz