Update to the NIH Public Access Policy: Beginning July 1, 2025, authors will be required to start the PMCID process immediately upon acceptance for publication. There will be no embargo period. Authors will need to work with their journal or begin the submission process to PMCID to ensure that the manuscript is available in PubMed Central upon the official date of publication.
What is the NIH Public Access Policy?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy requires authors to obtain a PMCID for peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that are funded in part or whole by the NIH. All institutions and investigators who receive NIH funds are required to adhere to this policy.
Do I need to comply?
You will need to comply with the NIH Public Access Policy if your manuscript meets the following criteria:
- Peer-reviewed
- Research article
- Book chapters, commentaries, replies, conference proceedings or editorials do not need a PMCID.
- Funded in part or whole by NIH or CPRIT funds.
How do I comply (get a PMCID)?
- Cite NIH or CPRIT funds. Confirm with all co-authors if there are any NIH or CPRIT that need to be cited.
- When you publish, let the journal know that you have NIH funds attached to your manuscript.
- Search the PMC journal list to determine if the journal will submit on behalf of the authors.
- If the journal will not submit for the authors, the authors will need to submit to the NIHMS system.
- Note: Obtaining a PMCID through the NIHMS system takes four to six weeks on average.
