NIH Public Access Policy
Effective April 7, 2008, the NIH Public Access Policy requires that all peer-reviewed articles arising from NIH funds be submitted to PubMed Central, the NIH digital archive of free, full-text biomedical and life sciences journal articles. Articles are to be submitted to PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication and made publicly available within 12 months of journal publication. The Policy applies to all grants and cooperative agreements active in Fiscal Year 2008 (October 1, 2007 – September 30, 2008), or beyond, and to all contracts awarded on or after April 7, 2008.
Effective May 25, 2008, NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports must include the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) when citing an article that falls under the Policy and is authored or co-authored by the investigator, or arose from the Investigator’s NIH award.
Institutions and Principal Investigators are responsible for compliance. According to NIH, non-compliance will be dealt with administratively, and may delay or prevent awarding of NIH funds.
How to Comply with the NIH Public Access Policy
- Address Copyright
Investigators must retain the right to deposit work in PubMed Central.
Make sure that any copyright transfer or other publication agreements allow the article to be submitted to NIH in accordance with the Policy. SHERPA RoMEO has information on the deposit policies of a number of journals and publishers. Library staff can also help you determine policies of individual journals.
Investigators may need to amend copyright transfer agreements at time of manuscript submission. NIH advises authors to work with the publisher before any rights are transferred to ensure that all conditions of the Policy can be met. NIH cautions authors to avoid signing any agreements with publishers that do not allow the author to comply with the NIH Public Access Policy.
NIH provides sample language that can be used to amend publisher agreements
SPARC Author Addendum generates printable addenda with language that enables authors to retain PubMed Central deposit and other additional rights.
Association of Research Libraries (ARL) provides information on Retaining Rights and Managing Copyright for NIH Public Access
- Submit to PubMed Central (PMC)
The easiest way to comply with this NIH policy is to publish in a journal that automatically transfers copies of published articles to PubMed Central. No further action is required. List of PubMed Central journals.
Some publishers, while not participating in full PubMed Central deposit, will submit copies of manuscripts to NIH upon request. Note: publishers may try to charge a fee for this service. Check publication agreements carefully. If the publisher submits the final peer-reviewed manuscript and not the final version of the published article, PI’s will need to approve final web version via the NIH Manuscript Submission System.
If publisher does not deposit article, the Investigator (or third party on behalf of the Investigator) submits the final, peer-reviewed manuscript, including all graphics and supplemental materials, via the NIH Manuscript Submission System
- Cite PMC Reference Numbers
Beginning May 25, 2008, investigators must include the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) on all applications, proposals, and progress reports. PMCID’s can be found either in PMC or in PubMed. Note: PMCIDs are not to be confused with PubMed IDs. If the PMCID has not yet been assigned, investigators must reference the NIH Manuscript Submission ID (NIHMS ID).
Library Services for NIH Investigators
The MU Libraries are pleased to work with investigators on this important initiative by:
- Consulting with investigators about this policy individually or meet with groups or departmentsHelping with manuscript submission to PubMed Central
- Working with investigators to amend publisher copyright agreements to allow deposit in PubMed Central
- Providing information on individual journals and publishers
- Determining PubMed Central reference numbers
For assistance, contact us!
Benefits of the NIH Public Access Policy
"The new NIH policy is an important step forward for science, scientists, and the higher education community. A wide range of academic and public stakeholders have vigorously supported adoption of such a measure. Here are some of the benefits:
- PubMed Central deposit is a convenient substitute for the submission of print copies of articles in fulfillment of grants reporting requirements.
- Research in PubMed Central is available to virtually all Internet users, regardless of whether their library subscribes to the journal in which the research is published. This will greatly expand access to the estimated 80,000 articles that result each year from NIH funding for use in research, teaching, and patient care.
- A consequence of making work more visible among scientists around the world is greater impact.
- The open environment provided by NIH will facilitate development of new kinds of computational research techniques. Already the full-texts of journal articles in PubMed Central are linked to other scientific databases such as GenBank, enabling researchers to observe and explore relationships that may not previously have been apparent.
- The National Library of Medicine will provide long-term digital archiving of articles in PubMed Central, ensuring tomorrow’s researchers can build on today’s findings.
- The NIH policy precedent can open the door for institutions to secure expanded rights to use research in teaching, learning, and research."
--from ARL's NIH Public Access Policy: Guide for Research Universities
For More Information
- Contact Us
- NIH Public Access Policy
- NIH Manuscript Submission System
- SPARC Information for NIH-funded Researchers
- See especially SPARC's Complying with the NIH Public Access Policy: Copyright Considerations and Options (Appendix A Suggested Cover Letter for Author Journal Submission; Appendix B Analysis of Selected Biomedical Publishers' Copyright Policies)
- ARL Webcast on Institutional Compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy: Ensuring Deposit Rights