NIH Public Access Policy
As of April 7, 2008, all articles arising from NIH funds must be submitted to PubMed Central (PMC) upon acceptance for publication.
There are three steps to the NIH manuscript submission process:
- Addressing Copyright
- Submitting the Manuscript
- Approving the Submission
Does this law apply to me?
The NIH Public Access Policy applies to all peer-reviewed journal articles, including research reports and reviews, if the article is based on work in one or more of the following categories:
- Directly funded by an NIH grant or cooperative agreement active in Fiscal Year 2008 (October 1, 2007- September 30, 2008) or beyond, including K-awards and training grants
- Directly funded by a contract signed on or after April 7, 2008
- Directly funded by the NIH Intramural Program
- You are an NIH employee
The policy does not apply to non-peer-reviewed materials, and correspondence, book chapters, and editorials.
NIH Non-Compliance Enforcement Action
"A grantee’s failure to comply with the terms and conditions of award may cause NIH to take one or more enforcement actions, depending on the severity and duration of the non-compliance. NIH will undertake any such action in accordance with applicable statutes, regulations, and policies. NIH generally will afford the grantee an opportunity to correct the deficiencies before taking enforcement action unless public health or welfare concerns require immediate action. However, even if a grantee is taking corrective action, NIH may take proactive action to protect the Federal government’s interests, including placing special conditions on awards or precluding the grantee from obtaining future awards for a specified period, or may take action designed to prevent future non-compliance, such as closer monitoring. See Enforcement Actions in the NIH Grants Policy Statement (11/03): http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part8.htm#_Toc54600145"
Addressing Copyright
Before you sign an author agreement or copyright transfer agreement, make sure that it allows the article to be submitted to PubMed Central. Submit the Tufts Medical Center or Tufts University cover letter to the publisher order to ensure compliance with the NIH mandate.
NIH FAQ: Whose approval do I need to submit my final peer-reviewed manuscript to PubMed Central?
SHERPA/RoMEO
SHERPA, a UK-based partnership for open access institutional repositories, provides a searchable database of publisher's copyright & archiving policies.
Submitting
Method A: Publish in a journal that deposits all NIH-funded final published articles in PubMed Central without author involvement.
Method B: Make arrangements to have a publisher deposit a specific final published article in PubMed Central (usually fee-based).
Method C: Deposit the final peer-reviewed manuscript in PubMed Central yourself via the NIH Manuscript Submission System (NIHMS).
NIH Tutorial on how to submit your paper to PubMed Central
The following materials are required for NIH manuscript submission:
- PI name and email
- Title of the journal
- Title of the manuscript
- Final peer-reviewed version of the manuscript (or final published version if journal allows)
- Supplemental materials or graphics associated with the manuscript
- Grant number/s (full alpha numeric number)
- All information as necessary for following the stipulations set forth by some journal publishers, including the embargo period
Connect to the NIH Manuscript Submission (NIHMS) System.
Method D: Publish in a journal that deposits the final peer-reviewed manuscript in PubMed Central on your behalf. You will still need to approve the submission.
Need Help?
Hirsh Health Sciences Library (HHSL) Submission Assistance
HHSL will help you submit in two ways:
- Via phone - Contact us via phone at 617.636.6705 or email at NIH@elist.tufts.edu to set up a phone consultation regarding your submission. HHSL will answer any questions and/or walk you through the entire submission process with you over the telephone.
- House call - Contact us via phone at 617.636.6705 or email at NIH@elist.tufts.edu to set up an appointment for an HHSL librarian to come to your office/lab for manuscript submission assistance.
Grant Information
Members of Tufts Medical Center community may contact Robert Bloomberg, Director, Office of Grants & Contracts, rbloomberg@tuftsmedicalcenter.org.
Members of the Tufts community may contact Paul Murphy, Director, Research Administration, Office of Research Administration, Paul.murphy@tufts.edu.
NIH Public Access Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Provides quick answers to specific questions about the NIH Public Access Policy.
Manuscript Submissions in support of the NIH Public Access Policy
Video slide presentation by the National Library of Medicine
providing an overview of the NIH Public Access Policy.
Approving Submission
For Methods C & Method D, authors must authorize NIH to process the manuscript in the NIHMS System, as well as designate the number of months after publication when the manuscript may be made publicly available in PMC. Note: If you do not already have an eRA Commons account you will need to create one in order to access the system.
The NIHMS will then convert the deposited files into a standard PMC format, and email the author to review and approve the PMC-formatted manuscript via the NIHMS System. Corrections to the manuscript, if necessary, may be requested at this time.
Citing
Beginning May 25, 2008, anyone submitting an application, proposal or progress report to the NIH must include the PMCID or NIH Manuscript Submission reference number when citing applicable articles that arise from their NIH-funded research. This policy includes applications submitted to the NIH for the May 25, 2008 due date and subsequent due dates.
Note: The PMCID and PMID are NOT the same.
PMID : PMCID Converter
Setting up EndNote to include PMCID numbers in references
NIH FAQs:
How do I include the PMCID in my citations?
What do I do if the PMCID has not been assigned yet?
Do I have to include a PMCID for every paper that I cite in an NIH application, proposal or progress report?
How do I get the PMCID so I can cite it on my application, proposal or report?
Additional Publication Support
Grants and Funding
- SJM Foundation NIH Grants Course
A private family foundation offering web-based grant training courses, including “Finding and Applying for NIH Grants,” which focuses on simplifying the process associated with NIH grants and providing a competitive advantage in finding, developing, submitting, and obtaining an NIH grant.
Research
Writing
- Setting Up Citation Management Programs to Include the PMCID and NIHMSID
Numbers (University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries)
- Publication Aids
Selecting Where to Publish
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