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NIH Public Access Policy

Anyone submitting an application, proposal or report to the NIH must include the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) when citing applicable papers that they author or that arise from their NIH-funded research.

Try PubMed Central ID Converter to see if an article has a PMCID.

What is the difference between a PMID and a PMCID?

  • The PMID is the unique identification number that PubMed assigns for each publication that is entered into this database of abstracts.
  • The PMID has nothing to do with the NIH Public Access Policy.
  • The PMCID, on the other hand, is part of the policy. PubMed Central (PMC) is an index containing full text publications
  • Each full text publication is:
  • Assigned a unique number known as the PMCID.
  • Inclusion of a publication in PubMed Central means that the authors have followed the policy’s guidelines to make their publication freely available no later than 12 months after publication.

For further information about the actual policy see NIH Public Access Policy details.

For submission Methods A and B use PMC-In Process in place of the PMCID because you will not have an NIHMSID to enter.

  • Sala-Torra O, Gundacker HM, Stirewalt DL, Ladne PA, Pogosova-Agadjanyan EL, Slovak ML, Willman CL, Heimfeld S, Boldt DH, Radich JP. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression and outcome in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood. 2007;109(7):3080-3. PMCID: PMC Journal - In Process

For submission Methods C and D use the NIHMSID until the PMCID is available. The NIHMSID is assigned during the submission process.

  • Geiger H, Zheng Y. Cdc42 and aging of hematopoietic stem cells. Curr Opin Hematol. 2013;20(4):295-300. NIMHMSID: 586366

Once you are assigned the PMCID number refer to the above box to add the PMCID.

  • Donovan EF, Sparling K, Lake MR, Narendran V, Schibler K, Haberman B, Rose B, Meinzen-Derr J, Ohio Perinatal Quality C. The investment case for preventing NICU-associated infections. Am J Perinatol. 2013;30(3):179-84. PMCID: PMC3789586
     
  • Shah TA, Meinzen-Derr J, Gratton T, Steichen J, Donovan EF, Yolton K, Alexander B, Narendran V, Schibler KR. Hospital and neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely low-birth-weight infants with necrotizing enterocolitis and spontaneous intestinal perforation. J  Perinatol. 2012;32(7):552-8. PMCID: PMC3496418.

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