National Institutes of Health Public Access Policy
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- Determining Compliance Options
- Submitting Author Accepted Manuscripts to PMC
- Managing and Citing NIH Publications
- Resources and Training
Library Contact
For more information about NIH Public Access Policy compliance or to schedule a consultation, contact nihms-library-support@umich.edu
NEW: Updated NIH Public Access Policy effective July 1, 2025
The 2024 NIH Public Access Policy (NIH PAP) has gone into effect as of July 1, 2025, replacing the existing 2008 Public Access Policy. The 2024 Policy applies to any NIH-funded Author Accepted Manuscript (final peer-reviewed manuscript) accepted for publication in a journal on or after July 1, 2025.
The updated policy requires that manuscripts be submitted to PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication and made publicly available without embargo. This is a change from the prior policy which allowed for up to a 12-month embargo period before public availability.
Compliance with the policy can be achieved by either 1) a journal submitting the Final Published Article to PubMed Central on the grantee's behalf, or 2) the grantee submitting their Author Accepted Manuscript (final peer-reviewed manuscript) to PubMed Central manually.
Please explore the resources on this guide to learn more.
How to prepare:
- Read your author agreement closely and assess compliance options before signing.
- Confirm in writing whether a journal will submit the Final Published Article to PubMed Central with no embargo on your behalf.
- If publisher submission is not feasible, use the NIH Manuscript Submission System to submit your Author Accepted Manuscript (final peer-reviewed manuscript) to PubMed Central when accepted for publication.
NIH Public Access Policy documentation and tools
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NIH Manuscript Submission System (NIHMS)The NIHMS system facilitates the submission of research manuscripts into PubMed Central.
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NIH Public Access Policy Submission Guidelines for AuthorsDetails on how to determine your compliance and manuscript submission options.
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NIH Public Access Policy with Supplemental GuidanceLatest policy information from NIH.
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SPARC Guide for Authors Complying with U.S. Federal Agency Public Access and Publisher PoliciesHelps authors consider potential publishing-related actions they might take at different stages of the funding lifecycle.