New NIH Public Access Policy Now in Effect
Sharon Duffy, MLIS, Research Services Librarian and Matthew Folse, MLIS, Scholarly Communication Librarian
On July 1, 2025, the 2024 NIH Public Access Policy went into effect and now requires that all peer-reviewed publications resulting from NIH funding be made immediately available in PubMed Central (PMC) by the official date of publication. This change replaces the 2008 Public Access Policy, which allowed a 12-month embargo before articles became publicly available in PMC. Articles accepted for publication on or after July 1, 2025 must follow the updated policy.
Researchers who use any amount of NIH funding need to understand and comply with the new policy to avoid jeopardizing current or future funding.
Key Points of New Policy:
- The Author Accepted Manuscript must be deposited in PubMed Central by the Official Date of Publication.
- It applies to both the peer reviewed publication AND the underlying scientific data.
- Publishing in an Open Access journal is NOT required to comply, but authors need to be aware of publisher policies regarding article embargoes.
- NIH does allow for direct funds to be used to cover Article Processing Charges (APCs) if the author chooses to publish in an Open Access journal.
- Depositing the Author Accepted Manuscript into PubMed Central is free for authors.
Key Definitions:
Author Accepted Manuscript: The author's final version that has been accepted for journal publication and includes all revisions resulting from the peer review process, including all associated tables, graphics, and supplemental material. This is the version that gets deposited into PubMed Central. It is NOT the preprint that has not yet undergone the peer review process. It is also NOT the publisher’s final PDF version.
Official Date of Publication: The date the Final Published Article is first made available – either in print or online.
Support for Researchers:
The LSU Health Sciences Center Libraries are here to support you with complying with the new requirements:
- View our Informational Session about the new policy from July 2, 2025
- Resource Guide
- Continually updated to reflect publisher responses
- Assistance with manual submission to PubMed Central
Please contact Sharon Duffy (sduffy@lsuhsc.edu) and Matthew Folse (mfols3@lsuhsc.edu) for assistance or to learn more about complying with the new policy.