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NIH Public Access Policy Compliance: Compliance Instructions

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a black and white image of an unlocked padlockThis page will walk you through the NIH PAP Compliance Submission process. While it can be time-consuming and frustrating, remember that:

  • the NIH Public Access Policy ensures that the public has access to tax-funded research
  • the policy brings valuable scientific information out from behind publisher paywalls
  • the policy provides broader access to your research, which can increase your citations and your research impact.

If your article is stuck somewhere in the process, check out our Troubleshooting Guide.

Step 1: Determine Your Submission Method

There are four methods of submitting publications for NIH PAP compliance. Your submission method is determine by the journal that your article will be published i

Method A: Publisher deposits the published version of the article directly to PubMed Central. Method A Journals are Open Access Journals that charge APCs (Article Processing Charges).

To check to see if you published in a Method A Journal, click here.

Method B: Author arranges to have the publisher deposit the published version in PubMed Central

To check to see if you published in a Method A Journal, click here.

Method C: Author (or Author Delegate) submits the manuscript to NIHMS. Authors must upload the manuscript copy of the files, approve the PDF version of the article, and approve the final, web version of the article. This method is the most common and offers authors the most control over the submission process.

Method D: Publisher submits the manuscript to NIHMS, but authors still approve the manuscript in NIHMS. This method offers authors the least amount of control and requires authors to pay close attention to the approval process. Publishers will upload the files, but authors must still approve the PDF version of the article and the web version of the article. Keep in mind, publishers may not do upload the files in a timely fashion.

Step 2: Follow Step from NIHMS Based on your Submission Method

Method A: You paid your APCs for open access and the journal submitted the publication for you. You are done; your article is compliant! Update your NCBI "My Bibliography" to confirm this.

Method B: You paid your APCs for open access and the journal submitted the publication for you. You are done; your article is compliant! Update your NCBI "My Bibliography" to confirm this.

Method C: Follow the steps below to ensure that your publication is compliant:

  1. Upload the final, accepted manuscript files to NIHMS, either through your NCBI "My Bibliography" or through the NIHMS wizard. Be sure to include any supplementary material and figures. You will also assign a reviewer at this stage (this person will receive emails from NIHMS throughout the process).
  2. Associate funding to the article and provide the Initial Approval of the material.
  3. Wait for NIHMS covert your files to a PubMed Central ready document
  4. Approve the final version of the PubMed Central document. The assigned reviewer will receive ONE email from NIHMS as a notification to do this.
  5. Your article is given a PMCID and is now compliant. Update your NCBI "My Bibliography" to confirm this.

Method D:

  1. Confirm that the Publisher has submitted your files. Do this by searching NIHMS using the article's title or PMID. If no record exists for your publication, contact your publisher.
  2. Wait for an email from NIHMS to perform your initial approval. All members of the author team and the PI should be alert for this email. Typically, the publisher will choose the corresponding author or the last author, but there is not standard. Each journal has their own method for this and may or may not let you know what that method is.
  3. Perform the initial approval when the email is received.
  4. Wait for NIHMS covert your files to a PubMed Central ready document.
  5. Approve the final version of the PubMed Central document. The assigned reviewer will receive ONE email from NIHMS as a notification to do this.
  6. Your article is given a PMCID and is now compliant. Update your NCBI "My Bibliography" to confirm this.

 

Step 3: Update Your NCBI "My Bibliography"

The information and steps listed below will help ensure that your NCBI "My Bibliography" is up-to-date and accurately tracking the compliance status of your articles. It is important to manage this information as it will be used in your CVs and Biosketches. If you need assistance managing your "My Bibliography," you can assign another person as a delegate. Use this guide to assign a delegate.

 

1. Login to your NCBI account to access your "My Bibliography." Be sure that you are logging in to the correct account (researchers often have their accounts linked to different email addresses; contact the NIH Help Desk to merge accounts if needed).

2. Click on the numbers in red to update and manage the compliance of your articles. This is important for ensuring that your Biosketch is correct and up-to-date.

 

3. Use the color coded cards to determine the status of your publications. Take action where needed!

A green card denotes that your article is compliant and will list the PMCID of the publication.

 

A red card denotes either a non-compliant article or an undefined article. No matter the status, a red card means that you should take action. Use the "Edit Status" buttons to start the submission process in NIHMS or to denote that the article is exempt from the Public Access Policy (only if the publication was not directly funded by the NIH).

 

 

A blue card denotes that the article is in process with NIHMS. This will provide the NIHMSID, which you can cite in a biosketch or grant report.

 

A grey card denotes that a publication is exempt from the policy or that this policy is not applicable. This will only occur a publication was not directly funded by the NIH or if it does not meet the requirements for policy (published prior to 2008, different format, etc.).