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NIH Public Access Policy

This Guide provides detailed information about the NIH Public Access Policy and its implications for MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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NIH Public Access Policy Update

On December 17, 2024, the NIH issued its updated Public Access Policy.

The 2024 Public Access Policy is effective for manuscripts accepted for publication on or after December 31, 2025. Until then, NIH's current (2008) Public Access Policy remains in effect. You can view the 2024 policy and supplemental guidance at: https://osp.od.nih.gov/policies/public-access/. 

What is the NIH Public Access Policy?

About the Policy

The NIH Public Access Policy (the Policy) requires scientists to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to PubMed Central immediately upon acceptance for publication.

Does the policy apply to my paper?

The policy applies to any paper that:

  • Is peer-reviewed, accepted for publication after April 2008, and arises from any direct funding from an NIH grant or cooperative agreement.

Please be aware that many of the institution's Cores & Shared Resources are funded by the by the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG), which is awarded by the National Cancer Institute. If your research involved any of the Cores & Shared Resources, it is subject to the Policy. 

How do I Comply?

Process of Compliance

  1. Submit your paper to PubMed Central via the appropriate method
  1. Associate the paper with the award via My Bibliography
  1. Locate the PMCID in PubMed Central or PubMed and use it for reporting purposes

Who is Responsible for Compliance?

Ensuring Compliance

Principal investigators (PIs) and their institutions are responsible for ensuring compliance of papers that arise directly from their awards, even if they are not an author of the paper. 

When a Manuscript is Accepted for Publication

The compliance process should be initiated upon a paper's acceptance for publication. As a best practice, determine up front who will be responsible for ensuring that the paper is submitted to PubMed Central. Typically, the Corresponding Author takes up this responsibility as part of their role, but this should be confirmed by all of the authors of the paper.

Non-Compliance

A paper is non-compliant if it is not posted to PubMed Central upon its publication in the journal, whether online or in print. Keep in mind that non-compliant papers are reported in the primary awardee's name. Currently, Giulio Draetta, M.D., Ph.D. is the PI of the CCSG.