New NIH Public Access Policy in Effect beginning July 1, 2025.
The NIH Public Access Policy ensures that NIH funded research is immediately available to the public. Authors who receive NIH funding must make their Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) freely available in PubMed Central (PMC) at the time of publication (with no embargo). The Author Accepted Manuscript is the article version that has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication but is not the final copyedited and formatted version for publication in a journal.
The policy applies to any manuscript that is:
- Is peer reviewed
- And, is accepted for publication on or after July 1, 2025
- And arises from:
- funding by NIH in whole or part through a cooperative agreement, including training grants, contracts, or other transaction, OR
- NIH intramural research, OR
- the official work of an NIH employee.
If your manuscript was accepted for publication before July 1, 2025, comply with the previous policy that allows authors up to 12 months to make their Author Accepted Manuscripts available in PMC.
Notes:
- Open Access Fees: Authors should investigate their preferred journals' policies on "Green Open Access" (aka self-archiving) and depositing into PMC. Many journals charge open access fees so the only option for free compliance may be choosing a different journal.
- Self-Archiving: Even if a journal allows authors to make their AAM immediately available in PMC, many require the authors to complete that step.
- Compliance/Enforcement: Non-compliance may affect future funding decisions for the institution or delayed processing of awards.
- The Article Processing Charges page provides details about Read & Publish agreements that UTMB has in place that waive or discount open access publishing fees.
