Scholarly Communication

The NIH Public Access Policy ensures that the public has access to the published results of NIH-funded research. Beginning with manuscripts accepted for publication after April 7, 2008, investigators are required to submit peer-reviewed papers to PubMed Central. The 2024 updates align with the 2022 OSTP memo calling for immediate public access without embargo.

Key Points:

• Applies to all peer-reviewed articles from NIH-funded research.

• Final peer-reviewed manuscripts must be submitted to PubMed Central.

• Compliance is a condition of award.

The revised policy emphasizes zero-embargo access, requiring immediate availability of publications funded by the NIH. Other changes include enhanced data-sharing expectations and integration with grant reporting.

Notable Updates:

• Immediate public access (no 12-month embargo).

• Applies to all NIH-funded investigators, regardless of publication venue.

• Stronger alignment with data-sharing policies.

To comply with the NIH Public Access Policy, authors must ensure that their peer-reviewed manuscripts are submitted to PubMed Central (PMC). The NIH provides four submission methods:

• Method A: The publisher automatically deposits the final published article in PMC without author involvement.

• Method B: The publisher deposits the final published article in PMC, but the author must make special arrangements with the publisher to do so.

• Method C: The author (or a delegate) submits the final peer-reviewed manuscript to the NIH Manuscript Submission System (NIHMS).

• Method D: The publisher submits the final peer-reviewed manuscript to NIHMS on behalf of the author.

Full details of these methods are described in the chart below:

More information on these methods from NIH: https://sharing.nih.gov/public-access-policy/submitting-to-pubmed-central

What Does “Final Peer-Reviewed Manuscript” Mean?
In this context, “final peer-reviewed manuscript” typically refers to the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM), also known as a Post Print, the final version of the article after peer review but before the publisher’s formatting or typesetting. This is not the preprint or the final published PDF unless the publisher allows that version to be deposited. (To check on what version of a manuscript authors allow for depositing, visit the Open Policy Finder Database).

Author Tips:

• Retain rights to share your AAM when signing publishing agreements. (Visit the Author Rights section of this guide to learn more on this topic.)

• Talk with your co-authors early to confirm who is handling submission to NIHMS.

• Track the status of submissions in My Bibliography in My NCBI.

NIH-funded researchers at Rowan can benefit from Open Access Read and Publish agreements the university has with several publishers. These agreements often cover open access publishing fees (APCs) and may facilitate automatic compliance with NIH’s Public Access Policy by enabling immediate deposit in PubMed Central (PMC).

How This Helps You:

• Many eligible journals under these agreements automatically deposit articles into PMC, satisfying the NIH policy.

• Open access fees may be waived or discounted, reducing the administrative and financial burden on the researcher.

• You retain more rights over your work, allowing straightforward compliance with NIH's requirement to make your manuscript publicly accessible.

Steps for Authors:

1. Check Rowan’s list of Read & Publish partners to see if your target journal is included. (You can also contact a Rowan Librarian for assistance with this process.)

2. Confirm that the journal offers immediate open access and participates in automatic PMC deposits.  
   To determine how journals handle PMC submission, refer to this NIH web page:
   Determine Submission Method: https://sharing.nih.gov/public-access-policy/determine-submission-methods

3. Retain rights necessary to share your accepted manuscript if required. (Visit the author rights section of this guide for more information on this topic.)

4. Acknowledge NIH funding and ensure PMC submission either by the journal or through NIHMS.

For details on Rowan’s publishing support and which publishers are included in the current Read and Publish agreements, visit:

Rowan Scholarly Publishing Support: https://libguides.rowan.edu/Scholarly_Publishing_Support

If you are unsure how your journal or publisher handles NIH-funded publications, contact Rowan University Libraries for assistance before signing a publishing agreement.

NIH requires grantees to demonstrate compliance with the Public Access Policy in all applications, proposals, and progress reports. The primary way to do this is by citing PMCID numbers for peer-reviewed publications that arise from NIH funding.

What to Know:

• Include the PMCID (not the PMID) when citing applicable articles in NIH grant documents. (This ID is obtained from PubMed Central not PubMed.)

• My Bibliography, a tool in My NCBI, lets you easily track which articles are compliant and export properly formatted citations.

• Non-compliance may delay funding, including new grants, renewals, and progress report approvals.

Best Practices:

• Maintain a regularly updated bibliography in My NCBI

• Use the NIHMS system promptly after acceptance to initiate manuscript submission.

• Coordinate with co-authors and journals early to ensure compliance.

Navigating public access compliance can be complex, but Rowan University Libraries provides personalized support to researchers at every stage of the process.

How the Library Can Help:

• One-on-one consultations to review manuscripts, journal choices, and compliance workflows.

• Guidance on using NIHMS, My NCBI, and understanding publisher policies.

• Assistance interpreting Read & Publish agreements and how they intersect with NIH policy.

• Workshops and instructional materials for labs, departments, or research groups.

Contact us here: https://askus.lib.rowan.edu/campbell