HAM-TMC Library
NIH Public Access Policy
- Overview
- How to Secure the Required Copyright
- How to Submit your Article
- How to Cite
- FAQs and Tutorials
- We Can Help You!
- Policy Updates and News
Need Help?
Just call the HAM-TMC Library!
We can answer your questions about the NIH Policy and help you with the submission process!
Overview
The NIH Public Access Policy ensures that the public has access to the published results of NIH funded research. It requires researchers who receive funding from the National Institutes of Health to submit the final, peer-reviewed manuscripts of their journal articles to PubMed Central, the NIH's free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature. Manuscripts must be submitted upon acceptance for publication and must be accessible to the public no later than 12 months after the article is published in a journal.
The policy applies to all peer-reviewed journal articles that are accepted for publication in a journal on or after April 7, 2008 and that arise from any of the following:
- Any direct funding from an NIH grant or cooperative agreement active in Fiscal Year 2008 or beyond
- Any direct funding from an NIH contract signed on or after April 7, 2008
- Any direct funding from the NIH Intramural Program
- An NIH employee
The policy does not apply to non-peer-reviewed materials such as correspondence, book chapters, and editorials.
To comply, you need to do three things:
PMC increases your readership by making your journal articles freely accessible to everyone.
- Ensure your copyright agreement with your journal publisher allows you to comply
- Deposit your article in PMC
- Cite your PMCID numbers in grant reports and other proposals
How to Secure the Required Copyright
Authors often transfer their entire copyright to the publisher when a journal accepts their article. You need to work with your publisher before you sign any publication contract to ensure the publishing contract allows you to meet the NIH requirements. Your agreement with a publisher should stipulate:
- What submission method will be used
- What version of the paper will be made available on PMC: The final peer-reviewed manuscript (without the journal's fonts, pagination, etc.) or the final article as it appears in the journal (with the fonts and pagination)
- Who will submit the paper (the author or the publisher)
- When will it be submitted
- Who will approve the submission
- When will the paper be made public on PMC (delay dates must be under 12 months)
Individual copyright agreements can take many forms. You should consult your institution's legal counsel to see if it has any specific policies or contract addendums. TMC researchers can contact:
- UT-HSC: The Office of Research
- Baylor: Office of Research / Division of Sponsored Programs
- TWU: Office of Research
If your institution does not offer specific legal language to attach to your contract, you will need to at least include something similar to NIH's suggested addendum:
"Journal acknowledges that Author retains the right to provide a copy of the final peer-reviewed 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."
Many universities recommend using the SPARC Author Addendum generator to create a print addendum to your publishing agreement that will enable you to comply with the NIH requirement. It can also create language to secure additional copyrights as well (such as distributing copies in classes, posting on a personal and/or institutional website, etc.)
Some institutions have made their contract language and cover letters public:
- Yale University
- Stanford School of Medicine
- Penn State College of Medicine
- Norris Medical Library
- Washington University
- Case Western Reserve University
- University of Maryland
Nobel Prize Winners support the NIH Open Access Policy.
How to Submit your Article to PMC
There are four submission methods. The first two involve the final article as it appears in the journal (with the journal's fonts, pagination, etc.). The last two involve the final peer-reviewed manuscript (without the journal's fonts, etc.)
- Method A: Publish in a journal that automatically deposits all NIH-funded final published articles into PMC without author involvement. A list of these journals is available at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process_journals.htm
- Method B: Make arrangements to have your publisher deposit your individual final published article to PMC.
- Method C: Deposit your final peer-reviewed manuscript in PMC yourself via the NIH Manuscript Submission System (NIHMS).
- Method D: Some publishers deposit your final peer-reviewed manuscript for you but you are required to finish the submission process in NIHMS. This method usually involves a specified time delay before the manuscript is allowed to be made public in PMC.
For more information, see the NIH Guide to Submission Methods.
How to Cite
You need to include the PMCID number for your articles in NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports. The PMCID number can be found in both PubMed and PubMed Central. For information on where exactly you need to include it in your documents, see the "Reminder Concerning Grantee Compliance with Public Access Policy and Related NIH Monitoring Activities."
- Citation Example:
- Doe, John, Smith, Mary. Common Misuse of Insulin-Pumps. Journal of Juvenile Diabetes Studies. 2009 January 31; 145(7): 578-599. PMCID: PMC4842371
Articles don't get a PMCID number right away. Until they do, use the following citation formats:
- For Submission Methods A and B, use "PMC Journal - In Process":
- Doe, John, Smith, Mary. Common Misuse of Insulin-Pumps. Journal of Juvenile Diabetes Studies. 2009 January 31; 145(7): 578-599. PMCID: PMC Journal - In Process
- For Submission Methods C and D, use the NIHMS ID number.
- Doe, John, Smith, Mary. Common Misuse of Insulin-Pumps. Journal of Juvenile Diabetes Studies. 2009 January 31; 145(7): 578-599. NIHMSID: NIHMS12345
Note: THE PMCID is not the same thing as the PMID number. You can translate from one to the other using the PMCID Converter.
For more information on how to find PMCID numbers, go to: NLM Technical Bulletin
FAQs and Tutorials
What happens if I don't comply?
"Compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy is not a factor in the scientific and technical merit evaluation of grant applications. Non-compliance will be addressed administratively, and may delay or prevent awarding of funds."
FAQs
- NIH Public Access FAQ
Policy, compliance, and submission - NIHMS FAQ
Submission process - Medical Library Association: Q and A
Miscellaneous questions
Online Tutorials
- NIHMS Tutorials Step-by-step instructions on how to submit, review, approve, etc.
- Submitting an Article to PMC (NIH 12 minute video)
- Complying with the NIH Public Access Policy (flowchart)
- Locating and Searching PMCID in PubMed
NIH Contacts
- NIHMS Help Desk: answers questions about the submission process (generally takes 7-10 business days)
- PublicAccess@nih.gov Answers questions and comments about the NIH Public Access Policy:
We Can Help You!
The HAM-TMC Library can help members of the TMC community. Call us for:
- One-on-one help submitting your article to PubMed Central
- Group presentations on the NIH Policy and other related issues
- Journal copyright policies
- A list of open-access journals in your field of study
Contact Kate Krause at 713.799.7126 or email: kathryn.krause@exch.library.tmc.edu
NIH Policy Updates and News
June 25, 2009. Senators Lieberman (I-CT) and Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Federal Research Public Access Act, a bill that is similar to the NIH Public Access Policy. S.1373 would ensure free, timely, online access to the published results of research funded by eleven U.S. federal agencies including:
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Defense
- Department of Education
- Department of Energy
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Transportation
- Environmental Protection Agency
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Science Foundation
In March, 2009, President Obama signed the 2009 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes a provision making the NIH Public Access Policy permanent. Previously it was subject to annual renewal.
The Conyers Bill (HR 801, the "Fair Copyright in Research Works Act") would repeal the Open Access policy at the NIH and block similar policies at all other federal agencies. It was first introduced in September 2008 (HR 6845) but never came up for a vote. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) reintroduced an identical bill in February 2009 and it has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee where Conyers is Chairman.
More News Sources
- NIH Public Access News from The Alliance for Taxpayer Access
- NIHMS News Listserv (updates and changes to the NIHMS submission process)
page updated on 08/27/2009
