NIH Public Access & PMC

• What is the connection between PMC and the NIH Public Access Policy?
• How are NIH-funded articles submitted to PMC?
• What is the relationship among the following article reference numbers: PMCID, NIHMSID, and PMID?
• How can I find a PMCID, NIHMSID, and PMID?
• Is there a way to add funding information to a manuscript or final, published article?
• What is the difference between the PMC Journal list and the NIH Public Access Policy Journal list?
• How can I, as a publisher, ensure that my journal title is on the NIH Public Access Policy Journal list?
• When will my journal appear on the NIH Public Access Policy Journal list?

What is the connection between PMC and the NIH Public Access Policy?

Since its creation in 2000, PMC has served as a free digital archive of full-text biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Beginning in 2005, PMC has also been the designated repository for papers submitted in accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy and for those that fall under similar policies from other funding agencies.

How are NIH-funded articles submitted to PMC?

The final, published versions of NIH-funded articles are supplied to PMC only through publishers who have formal PMC participation agreements. NIH-funded author manuscripts must be submitted through the NIH Manuscript Submission (NIHMS) system. The submission process may be initiated by either an author or a publisher, but must be completed by the author.

What is the relationship among the following article reference numbers: PMCID, NIHMSID, and PMID?

The PMCID is a unique reference number or identifier that is assigned to every article that is accepted into PMC. The PMCID is also used by recipients of NIH funding to demonstrate compliance with the NIH Public Access policy. The PMCID can be found in both PMC and PubMed (see figures below).

The NIHMSID is a preliminary article identifier that applies only to manuscripts deposited through the NIHMS system. Once the paper appears in PMC, it will also be assigned a PMCID.

The PMID is a unique reference number for PubMed citations. The PMID is a distinctly different number from the PMCID and is used only for PubMed records. However, the PMID can be used to find the corresponding PMCID (or NIHMSID) if these reference identifiers have already been created. You can do this type of search with the PMID to PMCID Converter.

How can I find a PMCID, NIHMSID, and PMID?

You can find a PMCID, NIHMSID, and PMID through viewing the PubMed abstract; a PMC search result; and a final, published article and author manuscript in PMC. Hover over or click on the images below for details.

PMID and PMCID	PMCID
PMCID	PMCID and NIHMSID

Is there a way to add funding information to a manuscript or final, published article?

You can use the My Bibliography feature of MyNCBI to associate grant information with an article that is already in PubMed, but has not included the particular NIH funding information in its acknowledgements. However, please note that adding grant information to a PubMed abstract does not automatically ensure that the article is in compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy. You will still have to ensure that the article is submitted to PMC.

What is the difference between the PMC Journal list and the NIH Public Access Policy Journal list?

The PMC Journal List offers a view of all the journal titles that have deposited or are currently depositing final, published articles into the PMC archive. A journal title will appear on the PMC journal list only when the journal's articles are publicly available in PMC.

The NIH Public Access Policy Journal List comprises those journal titles that deposit the final, published versions of all NIH-funded articles in accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy. In contrast with the PMC journal list, the NIH PA list may include journals whose articles are not yet viewable in PMC because of publisher embargos.

How can I, as a publisher, ensure that my journal title is on the NIH Public Access Policy Journal list?

In order for a journal title to appear on the NIH Public Access Policy Journal list, a publisher must have a formal PMC participation agreement stipulating that you will deposit either the complete contents of a journal or, at a minimum, all the NIH-funded articles that are included in the journal.

When will my journal appear on the NIH Public Access Policy Journal list?

Your journal will appear on the NIH Public Access Policy Journal list after PMC has determined that the journal submissions meet PMC's standards for editorial quality and technical production.