We will continue to add to and update these FAQs as new information becomes available. Please send your questions to nihcompliance@hshsl.umaryland.edu. For more information, visit the official NIH Public Access Policy FAQ

Q.Does the NIH 2024 Public Access Policy apply to me?

The 2024 NIH Public Access Policy applies to any manuscript (Author Accepted Manuscript) accepted for publication in a journal, on or after July 1, 2025, that is the result of funding by NIH in whole or in part, regardless of the when the award was originally made, as long as the award was not closed prior to July 1, 2025.

The Policy does not apply to other scholarly products, such as book chapters, that are not peer-reviewed or accepted for publication in a journal. In addition, the Policy does not apply to peer-reviewed manuscripts resulting from research that is not the result of NIH funding, but only used NIH data, resources, or infrastructure generated or supported by NIH funds.

Q. How does the 2024 Policy differ from the 2008 Policy?

The 2024 policy removes the 12-month embargo period that was allowed between the date of publication of an article and deposit in PubMed Central (PMC)..

Q. What is an Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM)?

The AAM is the accepted version of the peer-reviewed manuscript before final copy-editing and formatting by the publisher. 

Q. How do I address copyright?

Authors own the original copyrights to materials they write. Consistent with individual arrangements with authors' employing institutions, authors often transfer some or all of these rights to the publisher when the journal agrees to publish their paper. Some publishers may ask authors to transfer these rights when the paper is first submitted to the journal.

Authors should work with the publisher before any rights are transferred to ensure that all conditions of the NIH Public Access Policy can be met. Authors should avoid signing any agreements with publishers that do not allow the author to comply with the NIH Public Access Policy. NIH recommends that authors inform publishers that their manuscript is the result of NIH funding and subject to the Policy during manuscript submission. 

Q. How do I demonstrate compliance with the 2024 NIH Public Access Policy?

Anyone submitting an application, proposal, or report to NIH must include the PubMed Central identifier (PMCID) when citing applicable manuscripts to demonstrate compliance with the Policy. An NIH Manuscript Submission identifier (NIHMSID) may be used in lieu of a PMCID for up to three months following the Official Date of Publication.

Q. How do I submit the Author Accepted Manuscript to PMC?

There are three possible methods for submitting to PMC. 

1. Publisher automatic deposit (Check the PMC journal list - only "Immediate Release" journals comply with policy)
2. Publisher selective deposit
3. Author deposit

See Submission Methods for more details. 

Q. How do I check compliance with the 2024 NIH Public Access Policy

Connect your eRA Commons and NCBI accounts, and then use MyNCBI's My Bibliography tool to view and manage articles that are subject to the Policy. See Manage Compliance for more details

Q. Does publishing in an Open Access journal demonstrate compliance with the Policy?

No, even if your article was published in an Open Access journal, there must also be a version deposited in PMC, and you must be able to provide a PMCID in your progress reports. 

Librarians at the HSHSL can help determine a researcher's compliance status, provide instructions for complying with the Public Access Policy, and answer questions about the NIH Policy. For assistance from the HSHSL, contact nihcompliance@hshsl.umaryland.edu.

NIH provides FAQs on various resources to help ensure compliance. Contacts for additional assistance are below:

NIH Office of Extramural Research: publicaccess@nih.gov

eRA Commons: https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help

NIHMS: nihms-help@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

NCBI: info@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov