The NIH Public Access Policy ensures that the public has access to the published results of NIH funded research. It requires scientists to submit journal articles that arise from NIH funds to the digital archive PubMed Central (PMC). The Policy requires that these articles be accessible to the public on PubMed Central to help advance science and improve human health. The law states:

The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall require that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication: Provided, That the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law.

1. Determine if article falls under the NIH policy. Here is a quick chart that provides more detail: http://becker.wustl.edu/pdf/NIHChart.pdf. There is also a decision tree to help OHSU researchers comply with this new policy at: http://www.ohsu.edu/library/scholarlycomm/NIHdecisiontree.pdf (PDF) and a PowerPoint overview of what this new policy means to OHSU researchers at http://www.ohsu.edu/library/scholarlycomm/NIHpublicaccess.ppt.

2. Follow copyright laws by retaining the right from publishers to comply with the new law. Confirm that you have the right. Some authors will need to secure the rights with NIH's suggested language

   "Journal acknowledges that Author retains the right to provide a copy of the final 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."

   Some publishers will grant author's permissions upfront.

3. Submit the work to PMC with one of the following options:
   1. Are you publishing your article in one of these journals? See http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process_journals.htm.
      If yes, see #6 below. If no, see 3b.

   2. Who would you prefer submit your article to PubMed Central?
      1. Self-submission (Note: Requires login)
         http://www.nihms.nih.gov/

      2. OHSU Library
         Online submission form or contact norton@ohsu.edu for more information

      3. Publisher (other than listed above in 3a)
         Check the publisher's website to see if they offer this service to authors. A quick guide to some publisher's policies: http://www.urmc.edu/hslt/miner/research%5Fand%5Fpublishing/PublishersPoliciesonPubMedCentralMinerLibrary.cfm

4. Approve the submission (for all options under 3b)

5. Verify the submission by checking PubMed within 12 months of publication.

6. Cite the NIH Manuscript Submission system reference number (NIHMS ID) or PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) in future NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports.

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April 7, 2008: all articles arising from NIH funds must be submitted to PMC upon acceptance for publication.

May 25, 2008: All NIH applications, proposals and progress reports must include the PMCID when citing an article that falls under the policy and is authored or co-authored by the investigator. This policy includes applications submitted to the NIH for the May 25, 2008, due date and subsequent due dates. If the PMCID is not yet available, include the NIHMS ID instead.

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The policy applies to investigators if a manuscript is generated by research in one of the following categories:

• NIH FY 2008 grant or cooperative agreement and accepted for publication on or after April 7, 2008

• Continuing NIH grant or cooperative agreement that is active in FY 2008 and accepted for publication on or after April 7, 2008

• NIH contract awarded after April 7, 2008

See chart compiled by Washington University on when NIH-funded authors need to comply: http://becker.wustl.edu/pdf/NIHChart.pdf

NIH FY 2008 is October 1, 2007-September 30, 2008.

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• NIH FY 2008 grant or cooperative agreement and accepted for publication before April 7, 2008

• NIH FY 2007 (or earlier) grant or cooperative agreement that is no longer active and accepted for publication before April 7, 2008

• Continuing NIH grant or cooperative agreement that is active in FY 2008 and accepted for publication before April 7, 2008

• NIH contract awarded prior to April 7, 2008

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It is very important that investigators ensure that any publishing or copyright agreements concerning submitted articles fully comply with the NIH Public Access Policy. As per NIH, "Authors should work with the publisher before any rights are transferred to ensure that all conditions of the NIH Public Access Policy can be met. Authors should avoid signing any agreements with publishers that do not allow the author to comply with the NIH Public Access Policy."

Key things to know:

• Authors should seek confirmation from publishers before submitting a manuscript for peer review to verify that a publisher will allow an author to retain the right to comply. Here is additional information on the policy of many journals regarding PMC Deposit: http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo.php (from SHERPA/RoMEO) or http://www.urmc.edu/hslt/miner/research_and_publishing/PublishersPoliciesonPubMedCentralMinerLibrary.cfm (from University of Rochester Health Sciences Library)

• Review the publisher’s copyright agreement form. If there is not a clause in the publisher’s copyright agreement form, inform the publisher so that the publisher can send you an updated copyright agreement form. Alternatively, insert the following language:

  Journal acknowledges that Author retains the right to provide a copy of the final 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.

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Publish with a journal that participates in PubMed Central
The easiest way to contribute articles to PMC is to publish in a journal that automatically transfers copies of articles and makes it available within 12 months. You will not have to do anything to fulfill the submission requirements of the NIH Public Access Policy. Here is a list of journals that deposit the final published article in PMC with an embargo of 12 months or less: http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process_journals.htm

Self-Submission or OHSU Library Submission
As soon as an article is accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, use the NIH Manuscript Submission System (NIHMS) at http://www.nihms.nih.gov/ to deposit it in NIH’s PubMed Central online archive. The submission should include an electronic version of the final, peer-reviewed manuscript, including all graphics and supplemental material associated with the article (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TIFF, JPEG, PDF, etc). Note: It has been reported that the "Save as PDF" option in Office 2007 applications may cause file corruptions when these PDF's are submitted to NIH. If you are using the InfoEd system, then any versions of PDF will work for submissions. Note that you will need the permission of the publisher to submit a PDF provided by them. Label the manuscript with the correct author names, grant number, etc. as directed. When submission is complete, make note of the NIHMS reference number for use on NIH progress reports and follow up in six to 12 months on PubMed Central to locate the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID). It is important to check the publisher’s policy on any submission requirements. A quick guide to some publisher’s policies: http://www.urmc.edu/hslt/miner/research%5Fand%5Fpublishing/PublishersPoliciesonPubMedCentralMinerLibrary.cfm or check the publisher’s website for the most current information.

OHSU Library will also submit the article for you in the NIH Manuscript Submission System. Use the online submission form or contact Judith Norton (norton@ohsu.edu, 503-494-3499) for more information.

With either of these options, the principal investigator will subsequently be asked by NIH to approve the submission and affirm that copyright allows deposit to PMC. NIH will convert the deposited files into a standard PMC format and email the principal investigator to review the formatted manuscript to make any necessary corrections and approve its public availability in PMC after any delay period specified during submission. Manuscripts will not be posted to PMC without final approval from the PI.

Publish with a journal that will deposit manuscripts for you
Some publishers will offer special deposit services to NIH-funded authors. They might submit copies of manuscripts or final published articles to NIH. While the author does not need to go through the deposit process, the investigator will be contacted to review and approve the submitted articles. Publishers may charge a fee for this service or may combine it with other fee-based services such as immediate open access to the article on the publisher’s website. Even if the publisher makes the article available on their website, it still needs to be deposited in PMC within 12 months of publication.

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Per NIH, "As of May 25, 2008, when citing an article in NIH applications, proposals and progress reports that fall under the Policy, and was authored, or co-authored by you or arose from your NIH award, you must include the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID). If a PubMed Central reference number is not yet available, include the NIH Manuscript Submission system reference number (NIHMS ID) instead. This policy includes applications submitted to the NIH for the May 25, 2008, due date and subsequent due dates."

The PMCID reference number (7 digit number) can be found in the article’s abstract. The PubMed record also includes a date for when an article is available for viewing in PubMed Central.

The NIHMS ID will be available after submitting article.

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What if a journal is not listed at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process_journals.htm ?
You should retain the right to deposit the article yourself and do not accept the publisher's promise to deposit the article for you. At the very least, follow up and make sure you receive the appropriate PMCID.

Who is responsible for compliance?
The principal investigator is responsible even if they are not an author or co-author of a publication that falls under the NIH policy.

What is a final, peer-reviewed manuscript?
As defined by NIH it is: "The Investigator's final manuscript of a peer-reviewed article accepted for journal publication, including all modifications from the peer review process."

What if I don't see any information on the publisher's copyright agreement form or information on the journal website about their compliance with the NIH policy?
Do not sign any agreement without contacting the publisher or editor of the journal and notify them that you need to comply with the NIH policy.

What types of published material are affected by this policy?
All peer-reviewed journal articles, including research reports and reviews. It does not apply to materials that are not peer reviewed such as correspondence, book chapters, and editorials.

What are some publisher stipulations for submitting my article?
Some publishers will want a disclaimer noted on the article that it is not the final, published version. Others will want a link to the final version and others will want to make sure that the embargo period is followed.

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For general questions on the NIH policy, contact
Emily McElroy at mcelroye@ohsu.edu or503-494-6659

For someone to come visit your department and discuss the NIH policy in more detail, contact
Andrew Hamilton at hamiltoa@ohsu.edu or 503-494-7527

For questions on copyright or submitting an article into PMC, contact
Judith Norton at norton@ohsu.edu or 503-494-3499

Policy Overview from Association of Research Libraries:
http://www.arl.org/sc/implement/nih/guide/overview.shtml

NIH Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
http://publicaccess.nih.gov/FAQ.htm

Special thanks to Washington University's Becker Medical Library for key information in creating this document.

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