NIH Public Access Policy

How to Submit Your Article

Step 1: Log on to the National Institutes of Health Manuscript Submission System

Users can log in to NIHMS using their eRA Commons login (for extramural scientists) or their NIH login (for NIH intramural scientists).Additional publisher options are discussed in the Publisher FAQ.

Step 2: Upload manuscript

After providing basic information about the manuscript and contact information, users can upload their manuscript file(s). The system will generate a receipt of the uploaded files in PDF format. The PDF Receipt summarizes the information entered into the system, and merges the manuscript's files into one viewable document. Submitters confirm that the manuscript and any additional supporting documents have been successfully received by NIHMS.

Step 3: Complete the Manuscript Submission Notification Form

Investigators must complete the Manuscript Submission Notification Form in order to inform the Office of Grants and Contracts and the Health System libraries that they have complied with the NIH Public Access Policy.

Step 4: PDF Receipt approval and processing

If the submitter is not the Principal Investigator (PI), an email will be sent to the PI to approve the PDF and indicate the release date when the manuscript will be made publicly available on PMC. Upon approval by the submitter and the PI, the manuscript will be converted into XML - the standardized digital format used by PubMed Central.

Step 5: Approval of the converted manuscript (Web version)

After the conversion process, a preview of the article as it will appear in PubMed Central will be made available,allowing the PI to correct any errors if necessary. After final approval, the article will be publicly accessible through PubMed Central after the time-delay specified by the PI.