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NIH Public Access Policy: Steps to Compliance : NIH Public Access Policy

Policy on enhancing public access to publications resulting from NIH funded research.

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The Policy

NIH Public Access Policy

"The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall require that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication: Provided, that the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law."

NIH Enforcement of Open-Access Policy on Research It Supports

In early 2013, the NIH put additional teeth into the Public Access Policy by establishing new compliance requirements to prevent delays of grant payments to investigators and authors of non-competing grant awards. 

Compliance is being tracked through Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs). These interface with the My Bibliography feature of My NCBI to alert researchers and authors of non-compliant publications.