NIH Public Access Policy

The NIH Public Access Policy ensures that the public has access to the published results of NIH funded research.  It requires scientists to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to the digital archive PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication.  To help advance science and improve human health, the Policy requires that these papers are accessible to the public on PubMed Central no later than 12 months after publication.

The NIH Public Access Policy applies to any final manuscript that is

• Peer-reviewed;
• And, is accepted for publication in a journal on or after April 7, 2009;
• And, arises from:
  -  Any direct funding from an NIH grant or cooperative agreement active in Fiscal
     Year 2008 or beyond, or;
  -  Any direct funding from an NIH contract signed on or after April 7, 2008, or;
  -  Any direct funding form the NIH Intramural Program, or;
  -  An NIH employee.

Important Public Access Policy Links:

NIH Public Access Homepage
Public Access Frequently Asked Questions
Public Access Communications and Training
Public Access Journals
Submission Methods
Helpful Information and Tools from the Carolina Population Center
PMID:PMCID Converter
How to Comply with the Policy using EndNote
NIH Public Access Policy Toolkit
Flowchart to Help Authors Comply with the Policy