NIH Public Access Policy
Background
The NIH Public Access Policy became law on December 26, 2007, when President Bush signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2007, instructing NIH to make all of its funded research publicly available, at no charge to the user.
Beginning April 7, 2008, investigators who receive funding from the National Institutes of Health are required to submit their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts to PubMed Central, the open repository provided by the National Library of Medicine. Submission must be no later than twelve (12) months after the article is published in a journal.
The new law also states:
NIH provides a secure website for depositing manuscripts, as well as an informational website offering details about the Public Access Policy, the submission process, important dates, and other information that will help NIH investigators comply with the new law.
Many journals will automatically deposit your article in PubMed Central for you. A list of these journals is available at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process_journals.htm .
More Background
- NIH Public Access Policy FAQ from Peter Suber's Open Access News Blog
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/nihfaq.htm
Offers an overview of the initial policy, which requested article deposit, and a running commentary on how the policy was implemented. - New FAQ for New NIH Policy from Peter Suber's Open Access News Blog
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2008/01/new-faq-for-new-nih-policy.html
Updated overview of the now approved and mandatory policy. - The Alliance for Taxpayer Access: NIH Public Access Policy page
http://www.taxpayeraccess.org/NIH.html
A history of the policy, including the Media Resource Page, which provides links to a wide array of public access-related media reports.
Useful Links (to help NIH investigators comply with the Policy)
- The NIH Public Access Policy website
http://publicaccess.nih.gov/
The official site for information on the policy, this resource provides several helpful pages, including the list of journals that will submit articles to PubMed Central for authors, an FAQ section, and other general information. - NIH Manuscript Submission (NIHMS) System
http://www.nihms.nih.gov/
Where to go to submit the final peer-reviewed manuscript. - Publisher Policies on NIH-funded authors
http://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/Publisher_policies_on_NIH-funded_authors
Wiki updated by Open Access Directory editorial board and medical librarians - NIHMS System Frequently Asked Questions
http://nihms.nih.gov/faq.html - NIHMS System Tutorials (in html, QuickTime, and PDF)
http://www.nihms.nih.gov/web-help/index.html
The NIHMS System Slide Shows demonstrate how to perform various actions in a step-by-step fashion and are illustrated with screen captures. There are three versions available for each help topic: a hyperlinked HTML display, a QuickTime movie, and a PDF file. Submission help for PIs, login help, and other assistance is available here. - Revised Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications Resulting from NIH-Funded Research (the actual statute)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-033.html - PubMed Central: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/
TMC Library Links
