New government requirement for public access to NIH-funded research articles

On January 11, the National Institutes of Health announced its Revised Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications Resulting from NIH-Funded Research, placing a new reporting requirement on NIH-funded researchers taking effect on April 7, 2008.

The final, peer-reviewed manuscripts of all articles arising from NIH-funded research which are accepted for publication on or after April 7th will need be submitted to PubMed Central, NIH's digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature, where they will be freely accessible to all so that they might better advance science and improve health.

There are three components to the requirement:

1) retaining key rights
2) depositing your article to NIH
3) citing your article

Am I affected?

(easy guide - PDF - Courtesy of Becker Medical Library, Washington University School of Medicine.)

The policy applies to you if your peer-reviewed article is based on work that is:

When selecting a journal for your article, and before signing away any rights, you must ensure that the publisher's agreement will allow you to comply with t he NIH Public Access Policy. Many publishers will go so far as to submit your articles for you (NIH maintains a list of journals that automatically submit articles to PubMed Central), but there are many others whose current agreements implicity prohibit submission to PubMed Central and other similar depositories. If the agreement transfers copyright to the publisher, and it does not specifically allow for submission to PubMed Central or other similar depositories, then the author does not retain that right. In these cases, the NIH suggests adding the following language to the contract:

"Journal acknowledges that Author retains the right to provide a copy of the final manuscript to the NIH upon acceptance for Journal publication, for public archiving in PubMed Central as soon as possible but no later than 12 months after publication by Journal."

If you are not certain of your publisher's policies, you may contact them directly or contact Geneva Henry (ghenry@rice.edu)

As mentioned above, you may not need to deposit anything yourself—many publishers will do this on your behalf. If you publish in one of these journals, you are considered to have fully complied with the policy.

Some other publishers—while not participating in the automatic submission of all their articles—will submit your manuscripts for you. In this case you will be prompted to log in to the submission system to review and release a copy of your work to PubMed Central. If you are not certain if your publisher does this, contact them directly or contact Geneva Henry (ghenry@rice.edu)

If you do not publish in one of these journals, then you must submit—or designate someone to submit—your final, peer-reviewed manuscript upon acceptance for publication. Log in to the NIH Manuscript Submission System. You will need your grant number(s), author names, a copy of the final, peer-reviewed manuscript, and any supporting figures, tables, and data that were submitted to the publisher. NIH provides some very good tutorials to guide you through the process.

How do I cite my article? Beginning May 25, 2008, anyone submitting an application or progress report to the NIH must include the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) or NIH Manuscript Submission reference number (NIHMS ID) when citing applicable articles that arise in whole or in part from their NIH funded research. This policy includes applications submitted to the NIH for the May 25, 2008 due date and subsequent due dates. The requirement applies both to funding received directly from NIH and NIH funding received via a subaward from another institution or entity.

List the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) at the end of the already-required full journal citation for the article. If a PubMed Central reference number is not yet available, include the NIH Manuscript Submission system reference number (NIHMS ID) instead.

Examples:

Varmus H, Klausner R, Zerhouni E, Acharya T, Daar A, Singer P. 2003. PUBLIC HEALTH: Grand Challenges in Global Health. Science 302(5644): 398–399. PMCID: 243493

Zerhouni, EA. (2003) A New Vision for the National Institutes of Health. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology (3), 159–160. PMCID: 400215

What happens if I don't comply?

The NIH's Public Access FAQ states that, although failure to comply won't be a factor in the evaluation of applications, it "may delay or prevent awarding of funds."

How is Rice University planning to help?

We are in the process of building a simple article submission system that will guide you through the process. In the meantime, articles may be emailed to Geneva Henry (ghenry@rice.edu) to begin the submission process. We can help you ensure you have the necessary rights, guide you through the submission process, and help you understand how to cite your articles in future applications and progress reports.

Resources:

• NIH Guide Notice for Public Access - The policy itself.  

• NIH Compliance Flowchart - Courtesy of Becker Medical Library, Washington University School of Medicine.

• Association of Research Libraries - info on complying with NIH Public Access Policy

• SHERPA RoMEO - Outlines the policies of many of the publishers likely to be affected by the NIH Public Access Policy. Search by the title of the journal to which you would like to submit. If the information you're looking for isn't there, you'll need to consult the author agreement itself, speak directly with the publisher or contact Geneva Henry (ghenry@rice.edu) for assistance.

• Rice University's Office of Sponsored Research - provides assistance to faculty, staff and students in the development and submission of proposals to external sponsors and in the negotiation and acceptance of research and training awards.