NIH Public Access Policy

It is the responsibility of the NIH awardees to ensure compliance with this policy.

1. Check journal practices before submitting: Verify if and how the journal will support compliance with the NIH policy.  There are four methods (A, B, C, D) to ensure that a relevant publication is submitted to PubMedCentral (PMC) in accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy.  See below for more details.
2. Deposit your manuscript after acceptance: Submit the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) to the NIH Manuscript Submission System (NIHMS) unless the publisher does it for you. It is your responsibility to ensure the publisher complied.
   • Help with the NIHMS: Videos, tutorials, and FAQs are available to guide you through the deposit process. 
3. Track compliance: Use “My Bibliography” in My NCBI to check the status of your articles. Noncompliance can delay grant renewals and future funding decisions.  
4. Cite your PMCID: Be sure to include your PMCID in progress reports, applications, or proposals to the NIH.

There are 4 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.  For more details see the NIH Overview of Submission Methods.

Method A: Some journals automatically post NIH supported papers directly to PMC.  These are journals that are typically published in full in PMC.  

• Version: Final Published Version 
• List of Journals: Journals
• Submitter: Publisher
• Approver: The publisher will approve the Submission and approve the PMC web version; Responsibility to confirm: NIH Awardee

Method B: Authors must make special arrangements for some journals and publishers to post the paper directly to PMC.  This typically involves an additional fee (fee can be avoided through C or D).

• Version: Final Published Version
• List of Publishers: Publishers
• Submitter: Publisher
• Approver: The publisher will approve the Submission and approve the PMC web version; Responsibility to confirm: NIH Awardee

Method C: Authors or their designee must submit manuscripts to the NIHMS

• Version: Final Peer-Reviewed Manuscript
• Submitter: Authors or their designee
• Approver: The Author will approve the submission and approve the PMC web version via NIHMS

Method D: Some publishers will submit manuscripts to the NIHMS

• Version: Final Peer-Reviewed Manuscript
• List of Publishers: Publishers
• Submitter: Publisher
• Approver: The Author will approve the submission and approve the PMC web version via NIHMS