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NIH Public Access Policy
The NIH Public Access Policy (the Policy) requires all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central (PMC) an electronic version of their peer-reviewed manuscripts upon the official date of publication. The Policy applies to any manuscript that:
- is peer-reviewed;
- is accepted for publication in a journal on or after July 1 2025;
- arises from any direct funding from an NIH grant or cooperative agreement in FY 2008 and beyond, or any direct funding from the NIH Intramural Program, or an NIH employee.
The Policy only applies to peer-reviewed manuscripts. It does not apply to other research output, like editorials, book chapters, conference papers, etc.
Cancer Center Support Grant
The Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) largely supports the institution’s research infrastructure. Manuscripts resulting from research supported by any of the following infrastructure are subject to the Policy.
- Cores & Shared Resources
- Research Programs
- Clinical Trials Infrastructure
- Community Outreach and Engagement
- Cancer Research Training and Education Programs
Authors must acknowledge CCSG support in the Acknowledgement section of their manuscript. The acknowledgement should be included as follows:
- This research was supported in part by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and P30CA016672.
Compliance
A PubMed Central ID (PMCID) is the only acceptable proof of a manuscript’s compliance with the Policy. This unique identification number is assigned to a manuscript once it is successfully submitted to and processed by PMC. There are four methods by which a manuscript is submitted to PMC in accordance with the Policy.
| Method A | The journal automatically posts NIH supported manuscripts directly to PMC. |
| Method B | Authors must make special arrangements for the journal to post the manuscript directly to PMC. This arrangement usually means publishing open access and paying APCs. |
| Method C | Authors or their designee must submit the manuscript to the NIH Manuscript Submission system (NIHMS). If a designee submits, the author is still required to access the NIHMS and complete the process (i.e., provide Approvals). |
| Method D | Publishers submit the manuscript to the NIHMS system but require authors to access the system and complete the process. |
Steps to Compliance
Follow these steps to make sure your manuscript is compliant with the Policy.
- Use the Determine Submission Method wizard to learn which method is required for your manuscript.
- Complete the required steps for the submission method. Methods B-D require action by the author.
- Record the PMCID and use it for reporting purposes.
A PMCID is usually assigned to manuscripts submitted to PMC via Methods A and B around the time of publication. A PMCID is usually assigned to manuscripts submitted to PMC via Methods C-D (i.e., via NIHMS) 2 to 3 weeks following initial approval, given that final approval is provided by the Reviewer in a timely manner.
The NIHMS Submission Process
The NIHMS system is a platform that facilitates Methods C and D submissions to PMC in support of the Policy. If one of these methods is required for your manuscript, watch this short video to understand the NIHMS submission process.
NIH Manuscript Submission (NIHMS): Deposit and Initial Approval
This video, from the National Library of Medicine, is a demonstration of the NIH manuscript submission process.
Quick Video (6:14)
- Faculty/Investigators: Sign into the NIHMS system via eRA Commons. Use this login route each time you access the NIHMS system. Manuscripts are linked to the account by which you accessed the system.
- Administrative Support Staff: Sign into the NIHMS system via the All Login Options. Please see this FAQ for next steps. Use this login route each time you access the NIHMS system. Manuscripts are linked to the account by which you accessed the system.
More Information
Get detailed information and answers to frequently asked questions from the NIH and its partners, and the Research Medical Library.