NIH Public Access Policy

About the NIHMS Process

Manuscript submission via NIHMS is a process that currently takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks following the initial approval of a complete submission. Approvals must be provided by a designated author (known as a Reviewer) of a manuscript in the NIHMS system. Processing times may vary depending on Reviewer responsiveness and the volume of submissions during a given period.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have the following materials and information on hand before you begin the submission process:

1. The final peer-reviewed, accepted manuscript. This is the version of a peer-reviewed paper accepted for journal publication, including all modifications from the peer-review process. The final published article cannot be submitted, unless the author has the right to submit this version. In most cases, authors relinquish this right. Please check your Author Agreement with the journal.  
2. The manuscript's PubMed ID or DOI
3. Grant number(s) associated with the manuscript
4. eRA Commons or Login.gov credentials
   • eRA Commons Accounts (MD Anderson)
5. *Embargo period, if applicable 

*Some publishers may require an embargo of 6-12 months before the full text of an article is made available in PubMed Central. Please check with your journal about embargo periods. Even if a publisher requires an embargo period, the submission process can be completed and a PMCID is assigned to the paper.

Manuscript Submission

 Step-by-step instructions are provided in the video linked on this page 

1. Visit https://www.nihms.nih.gov/login/

2. Select the eRA Commons option (You can select the Login.gov option once you arrive at the eRA Commons webpage)

3. Click the Submit New Manuscript button 

4. Complete each section (title & journal, awards, and files) > Click the Next button to proceed

5. Designate a *Reviewer and an embargo period, if applicable. If "Self" is not selected, the embargo period is set by the designated Reviewer when they access the system for approvals. 

   • If you select "Self", click the Next button 

   • If you are submitting on an author's behalf, click the Send to Reviewer button

*The Reviewer must be an author on the paper or a PI on the grant associated with the paper. Only one (1) Reviewer can be assigned to a submission record. The designated Reviewer is responsible for providing approvals during the conversion process, signing off on the Submission Statement, and ensuring the documents are accurate and complete. If the Reviewer does not complete the required steps, the submission process cannot be completed. 

Manuscript Approvals

The designated Reviewer must provide initial and final approval of manuscript documents to complete the submission process. The Reviewer will receive email notifications from the NIHMS system with links and instructions for approval. The Reviewer may also receive notifications requesting corrections to the submission record. 

Initial Approval 

 Step-by-step instructions are provided in the handouts linked on this page 

1. The designated Reviewer receives an email notification a few days after the initial submission
2. Click on the Access link provided in the email > You will be directed to the NIHMS system for login
3. Select the eRA Commons login option
4. After login, the system should take you directly to the manuscript awaiting review
   • If the system does not take you directly to the manuscript, you can enter a ticket number in its respective field
5. Review each section > Click the Confirm button to proceed
6. Read and review the submission statement > Click the Agree button 

Final Approval 

1. The designated Reviewer receives an email notification 2-3 weeks after the initial approval
2. Click on the Access link provided in the email > You will be directed to the NIHMS system for login
3. Select the eRA Commons login option (You can select the Login.gov option once you arrive at the eRA Commons webpage)
4. After login, the system should take you directly to the manuscript awaiting review
   • If the system does not take you directly to the manuscript, you can enter a ticket number in its respective field
5. Review the PMC Web and PMC PDF documents to confirm that they are complete and contain no errors
   • If you find an error, use the red location markers or +Add error button to report it
   • If you previously requested corrections, you can review the corrections using the "View requested corrections"
6. If no errors are found, Click the Approve button 

Submission Progress

Reviewers can check back anytime to view the status of a manuscript. Log into the NIHMS system and select In Process from the navigation menu on the left-hand side of the webpage. Select a manuscript to view its submission progress graphic:

Submission Statuses

The NIHMS Glossary provides a complete list of statuses and their meanings here.