NIH Public Access Policy

Publishing

Selecting the correct journal/publisher is essential for compliance with the 2024 NIH Public Access Policy. A compliant publisher either submits the author accepted manuscript (AAM) or final published article (FPA) to PubMed Central (PMC) immediately upon publication or allows authors to retain the rights needed to self-deposit their AAM without delay.

Some journals have agreements with the University of Utah Eccles Library that may fully or partially cover APCs. A variety of tools are available to assist with identifying compliant journals and APC coverage; however, consulting a librarian is strongly recommended to ensure full compliance.

Consult with a librarian

Ultimately, the article must be deposited into PubMed Central (PMC) without embargo to ensure compliance. To achieve this, a journal must either:

Submit on your behalf: the publisher deposits the AAM or FPA into PMC without embargo, OR
Allow immediate self-deposit: the publisher allows the author to retain the rights to self-deposit the AAM into PMC without embargo.

Not all journals/publishers support these options, which is why verification is critical. Consulting with a librarian is the best way to ensure compliance.

Consult with a librarian

An Article Processing Charge (APC) is a fee for open access and/or publishing with select journals/publishers. Many publishers require an APC for publishing models that allow immediate PMC deposit.

APC amounts vary widely.
The NIH is reviewing options for managing publication costs.

For additional details see the Costs & Fees page

Open Access (OA)

Publishing method that makes article freely available on the publisher’s website.

Needed to comply with NIHPAP, unless author is permitted retention of rights to self-deposit
Access must be immediate (no embargo) to comply if rights are not retained

Types of OA policies

Gold

Published content is freely available to read but requires some form of payment by the author or their funder, typically as an APC.

Diamond/Platinum

(used interchangeably): Published content is freely available to read, and journals do not charge authors or readers.

Green

Journals grant right for author(s) to self-deposit into repositories or websites.

Occasionally have an embargo period to self-deposit, there cannot be an embargo to comply with the NIHPAP.

Public Access

Research that is made freely available to the public.

NIH ensures this by requiring all NIH-funded articles to be deposited into PMC.

Hybrid Access

Publisher has both a subscription and open access option. Must choose open access or must allow author to retain rights to self-deposit, to comply with this option.

Article processing charge (APC) generally required for open access

COMING SOON.

When it comes to proving compliance with the policy the PMCID is your proof of compliance, ensure the PMCID is added to your citation once received.

When you start the NIHMS submission process you will receive an NIHMSID. You may use this NIHMSID in lieu of PMCID as proof of compliance for up to 3 months. It can take time for NIH to review your manuscript submission, but if you do not receive a PMCID within 3 months of your submission contact NIH directly.

Please keep in mind that a PubMed ID (PMID) is not the same as a PubMed Central ID (PMCID). PubMed and PubMed Central are two different websites with different functions.

PubMed (PM):  database of citations and abstracts, excludes full-text articles
PubMed Central (PMC):  electronic archive of freely available full-text journal articles

Ensure you have compliant citations by using My Bibliography to check and update citation compliance.

See My Bibliography page for additional information

Ensure you reference all applicable NIH awards in your citation, this includes any awards from NIH funded University departmental resources. For example, if you used CTSI (NIH funded) resources, then cite the specific CTSI award.

See NIH Overview page and Cost & Fees page for additional information on when and how to reference awards.