NIH Public Access Policy   Tags: nih, nih_policy, nih_public_access, open_access, pmc_id, public_access, pubmed_central  

Overview

The NIH Public Access Policy ensures that the public has access to the published results of NIH funded research. It requires scientists to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to the digital archive PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication.  To help advance science and improve human health, the Policy requires that these papers are accessible to the public on PubMed Central no later than 12 months after publication.

How to Comply

All of your papers that fall under the NIH Public Access Policy, whether in press or in print, must include evidence of compliance in all of your NIH applications and reports.

1. Determine Applicability
   Does the NIH Public Access Policy apply to your paper?
   
   
2. Address Copyright
   Ensure your publishing agreement allows the paper to be posted to PubMed Central in accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy.
   
   
3. Submit Paper
   Submit papers to PubMed Central and approve public release.
   
   
4. Include PMCID in Citations 
   Include the PMCID at the end of the full citation in your application or report.
   You do not need to find PMCIDs for all articles in an NIH grant application, proposal or progress report. You only need to include the PMCID when citing applicable papers that you author or that arise from your NIH-funded research.

Public Access FAQs

NIH Manuscript Submission (NIHMS) System

NIHMS System tutorials

Publication Support at
the Medical Library

Yale Grant & Contract Toolkit

Publishers' Policies Regarding Permissions

Journals that Automatically Submit Articles

PMID/PMCID Converter

The Difference Between PMCID and PMID

5 Things you Need to Know about the NIH Public Access Policy

If you have any questions or need help complying with the NIH Public Access Policy, please contact Denise Hersey at the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library.