The NIH has released a new 2024 Public Access Policy for publications resulting from NIH funding (in whole or in part) and has issued an updated effective date. The 2024 NIH Public Access Policy applies to Author Accepted Manuscripts which are accepted by Journals on or after July 1, 2025. This updated policy eliminates the previously permitted 12-month embargo period, and now requires that NIH-funded research be made publicly available immediately upon publication as of July 1, 2025.
There are several key actions you can take as an NIH-supported researcher to ensure compliance with this new policy:
- Clearly state any NIH funding associated with your publications at the time of submission. This helps ensure that your publisher is aware of your NIH funding and understands that compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy is required.
- Select an appropriate licensing model when signing your author agreement. Ensure that you retain the necessary rights to submit your manuscript to PubMed Central and avoid inadvertently signing an agreement that prohibits this.
- Initiate the submission of your article to PubMed Central upon its acceptance. Processing the final author manuscript can take time, and your goal should be to have it ready when the journal publication goes live.
- Determine which submission method your journal or publisher uses. The steps of the submission process vary depending on the journal or publisher. Knowing the method in advance can save you time and help avoid complications.
- Track the compliance of your publications proactively using the My Bibliography tool. My Bibliography (part of your MyNCBI account) is required to manage and report the compliance of all manuscripts associated with NIH funding. Regular monitoring can help you avoid delays and prevent potential issues with non-compliance. Instructions for linking a MyNCBI account to an eRA Commons account can be found here.
For publications involving multiple authors, please note that the first author and/or corresponding authors are primarily responsible for ensuring compliance with the new NIH Public Access Policy. When a publication cites multiple funding sources and includes NIH funding, adherence to this policy is mandatory.
UConn librarians are available to assist you with any questions you may have and can be contacted through the following websites:
Best,
OVPR Sponsored Programs
For more information, contact: OVPR SPS at research@uconn.edu