As soon as the manuscript is accepted for publication, you will need to start the process of depositing the paper into PubMed Central or PMC. So what is PMC? PMC is an archive of biomedical and life sciences NIH-funded research. Once finished, you will have a PMCID (PubMed Central ID) you will use to demonstrate compliance. PubMed Central is NOT the same as PubMed, and a PMCID is NOT the same as a PMID.
The NIHMS ID (NIH Manuscript Submission), is not a permanent substitute for a PMCID. It is assigned when the deposit process is started, and is only valid for three months post-publication.
Look up your paper using its PMID with this tool to check compliance.
There are four methods (A, B, C, and D) to ensure your paper is in compliance with the policy. Authors should use the most appropriate method and be consistent with their publishing agreement. Instructions for each method are detailed below.
| Version of Paper Submitted | Task 1: Who Starts the Deposit Process? | Task 2: Who approves the paper for processing? | Task 3: Who approves the paper for PMC display? | To cite papers, from acceptance for publication to 3 months post publication | |
| Method A: Journal deposits final published articles in PMC without author involvement | Final published article | Publisher | Publisher | Publisher | PMCID or "PMC Journal In Process" |
| Method B: Author asks publisher to deposit specific final published article in PMC. Author usually pays a fee | Final published article | Publisher | Publisher | Publisher | PMCID or "PMC Journal in Process" |
| Method C: Author deposits final peer-reviewed manuscript in PMC via the NIHMS | Final peer-reviewed manuscript | Author or designee, via NIHMS, upon acceptance for publication | Author, via NIHMS, approves the PDF | Author, via NIHMS approves the web version | PMCID or NIHMSID |
| Method D: Author completes submission of final, peer-reviewed manuscript deposited by publisher in the NIHMS. Authors and awardees are responsible for ensuring that the manuscript is deposited into NIHMS upon acceptance of publication. | Final peer-reviewed manuscript | Publisher via NIHMS, upon acceptance for publication | Author, via NIHMS, approves the PDF | Author, via NIHMS, approves the web version | PMCID or NIHMSID |
