New NIH Rules: Public Access Mandate to NIH-Funded Research

Introduction

New legislation has been passed to ensure that the public has access to published results of NIH-funded research: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-033.html

New rules require researchers to submit all peer-reviewed journal articles that arise from NIH funds to PubMed Central (PMC) within twelve months of publication.  PubMed Central (PMC) is a free online archive of full-text biomedical journal articles.

As of May 25, 2008, all articles falling under the new policy that are cited in NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports that were authored or co-authored by you or arose from your NIH award, must include the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID). This policy includes applications submitted to the NIH for the May 25, 2008 due date and subsequent due dates. The new policy applies to all NIH grants or cooperative agreements active in Fiscal Year 2008 (October 1, 2007 - September 30, 2008) OR directly funded by a contract signed on or after April 7, 2008 .

 

Two parts of compliance for NIH-funded authors

1. Submission of all NIH-funded, peer reviewed final published articles to PubMed Central There are four submission methods: http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process.htm

  • Method A: Journal deposits final published articles in PubMed Central without author involvement
  • Methods B: Author asks publisher to deposit specific final published article in PMC
  • Method C: Author deposits final peer-reviewed manuscript in PMC via the NIHMS ( http://www.nihms.nih.gov/)
  • Method D: Author completes submission of final peer-reviewed manuscript deposited by publisher in the NIHMS: http://www.nihms.nih.gov/

    • 2. Inclusion of the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) All articles falling under the new policy that are cited in NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports that were authored or co-authored by you or arose from your NIH award, must include the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID).

    How to locate and cite the PMC Reference Number (PMCID)

     

    Retaining Author's Rights

    • Authors must address copyright before signing agreements with publishers. See FAQ C.3. http://publicaccess.nih.gov/FAQ.htm#f1
    • Some publisher agreements already provide for deposit in the PubMed Central database; however, many current agreements do not. One useful resource allowing quick review of publisher policies is found at the Sherpa/Romeo website: http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo.php
    • If you are submitting to a publisher whose policies on NIH submittal are unclear, unknown, or non-compliant, be sure to include the comment that the manuscript “is subject to the NIH PubMed Central submittal requirements” in your correspondence with the journal editors.
    • Before signing an agreement to publish the manuscript, insert over your signature “Subject to the attached Addendum”
    • Print out, sign, and attach a document with the following information:

       

      ADDENDUM: 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.
    Author Date
    Publisher Date

     

General Information and Frequently Asked Questions

Comprehensive Guidance on the New NIH Policy

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