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About the Policy

Who?

• NIH Principal investigators who have peer-reviewed manuscripts accepted for publication on or after April 7, 2008 are required to comply.

• Individuals completing NIH applications, proposals and progress reports on or after May 25, 2008 are required to comply.

What?

• This Policy applies to all peer-reviewed manuscripts resulting from research fully (or partially) funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It ensures that these manuscripts are made publically available through deposit in NIH's digital archive, PubMed Central (PMC).

• Within all NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports, a PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) for citations must be included to refer to NIH funded research articles which fall within the new policy.

When?

• Articles must be submitted through NIHMS (NIH Manuscript Submission) and made publically available within PMC no later than 12 months after publication.

• PMCIDs are assigned to each article once made viewable within PMC. example - PMCID: PMC2223688.

How?

• There are four ways to get your manuscript into NIHMS and PMC - Details

• Include the PMCID at the end of the citations in your NIH applications, proposals and reports - Examples

Why?

• Compliance with current NIH policy.

• PMC is a well-respected digital repository which makes submitted articles freely accessible to researchers and students around the world.

Additional Policy Details

Implications of the NIH Public Access Policy

Before you sign your publication agreement, ensure that it allows submission of your manuscript to the NIHMS. - More Information

Cover Letter