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Reference Desk

Telephone: 508-856-6857

Reference Desk Hours:
Mon.-Fri.9 AM-6 PM
Sat.-Sun.CLOSED

Getting Help on the NIH Mandate

Librarians at the Lamar Soutter Library are available to help University of Massachusetts Medical School researchers by answering questions about the new law, helping with copyright questions, and providing training or assisting with using the NIH online submission system. For more information contact Sally Gore at 508-856-1966 or Sally.Gore@umassmed.edu.

 

NIH Public Access Mandate

The NIH Public Access Mandate was signed into law in late 2007. This new law requires all NIH funded researchers to submit or have submitted for them an electronic copy of their final peer-reviewed manuscript to PubMed Central. The manuscript will be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication. PubMed Central (PMC) is a digital repository maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

The NIH has released comprehensive guidance on these new rules including answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Many journals submit articles to PubMed Central on behalf of authors. If you publish your article in one of these journals, you do not need to do anything to comply with the submission requirement. A complete list of these journals is available at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process_journals.htm.

Important Dates

  • April 7, 2008: As of April 7, 2008, all articles arising from NIH funds must be submitted to PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication.
  • May 25, 2008: As of May 25, 2008, NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports must include the PubMed Central reference number when citing an article that falls under the policy and is authored or co-authored by the investigator, or arose from the investigator's NIH award. This policy includes applications submitted to the NIH for the May 25, 2008 due date and subsequent due dates.

Does the Law Apply to Me?

The NIH Public Access Policy applies to all peer-reviewed journal articles, including research reports and reviews, if the article is based on work in one or more of the following categories:

  1. Directly funded by an NIH grant or cooperative agreement active in Fiscal Year 2008 (October 1, 2007- September 30, 2008) or beyond;
  2. Directly funded by a contract signed on or after April 7, 2008;
  3. Directly funded by the NIH Intramural Program;
  4. If NIH pays your salary.

The policy does not apply to non-peer-reviewed materials such as correspondence, book chapters, and editorials.

Copyright and Author's Rights Issues Related to Compliance

Authors need to maintain their rights – before signing publication or copyright transfer agreements, make sure the agreement allows submission to PubMed Central as the NIH Public Access Policy mandates. More information about copyright is available as part of the NIH Public Access Policy Frequently Asked Questions.

Helpful Sites on the NIH Public Access Mandate