The NIH Public Access Policy ensures that the public has access to the published results of NIH funded research. It requires scientists to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to the digital archive PubMed Central (PMC) upon acceptance for publication.  To help advance science and improve human health, the Policy requires that these papers are accessible to the public on PMC no later than 12 months after publication.

NIH

• PublicAccess@nih.gov

NCBI

• info@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• 1-888-346-3656

eRA Commons

• Toll-free: 866-504-9552 
• Phone: 301-402-7469

NIHMS

• Help Desk Report Form

With this Notice, NIH informs grantees that in Spring 2013, at the earliest, NIH will delay processing of non-competing continuation grant awards if publications arising from that award are not in compliance with the NIH public access policy.  The award will not be processed until recipients have demonstrated compliance.  This change will take effect in tandem with NIH requiring the use of the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPRs) for all Streamlined Non-competing Award Process (SNAP) and Fellowship awards in the Spring of 2013 (see NIH NOT-OD-12-142).

Topics covered in this Guide:

Determine if the Policy applies to your paper 

Process for submitting papers to PubMed Central (PMC)

Correctly cite papers in applications and reports

Link your My NCBI and eRA Commons accounts

Use My Bibliography to track your publications

For additional information you can visit the

NIH Public Access Policy Website.

Or check out Duke Library's NIH Public Access Policy Compliance Guide

Librarians can help you with the Public Access Policy!

We can:

• Find a PMCID number!  Just email us the citation.
• Answer questions about copyright.
• And more!