NIH Public Access Policy @ Upstate

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between PubMed and PubMed Central? What is the difference between a PMID and a PMCID?

PubMed Central is an index of full-text papers, while PubMed is an index of abstracts. The PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) is different from the PubMed reference number (PMID). The PMCID links to full-text papers in PubMed Central, while the PMID links to abstracts in PubMed. PMIDs have nothing to do with the NIH Public Access Policy.

Am I responsible for papers that arise from my NIH-funded project for which I am not an author?

Principal Investigators and their Institutions are responsible for ensuring all terms and conditions of awards are met. This includes the submission of final peer-reviewed manuscripts that arise directly from their awards, even if they are not an author or co-author of the paper. Principal Investigators and their Institutions should ensure that authors are aware of and comply with the NIH Public Access Policy.

Does the publisher bear any responsibility for compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy?

No, compliance is always the responsibility of the awardee. A journal that chooses to join PubMed Central will be bound by the terms of its PubMed Central participation agreement, but it is not responsible for compliance with the Policy.

My paper has multiple authors and/or is funded from multiple NIH sources. Who should submit the final peer-reviewed manuscript?

Any author may submit the final peer-reviewed manuscript, but each Principal Investigator and Institution is responsible for ensuring that the terms and conditions of their award are met. A final peer-reviewed manuscript need only be submitted once to the NIH Manuscript Submission system. Authors will be notified during the submission process if they try to submit a manuscript that has already been submitted.

Papers can be assigned multiple NIH award numbers during submission. They can also be linked to an award via the eRA Commons when completing an electronic Progress Report, or listed as arising from any NIH award in writing when submitting an application, proposal or progress report.