Following 2022 guidance from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the National Institute of Health (NIH) has released its Draft Public Access Policy, to go into effect on October 1, 2025. Once enacted, this policy will replace NIH’s 2008 Public Access Policy for publications based on NIH-funded research. The draft text and a summary of the changes are included with a Request for Information (RFI). Comments may be submitted through the RFI by August 19, 2024.
UCSF’s NIH-funded researchers are familiar with the current Public Access Policy for publications (in effect since April 7, 2008), which requires the full text of published articles to be made publicly accessible in PubMed Central no more than 12 months after publication (after an embargo). NIH’s Data Management and Sharing Policy, which went into effect in January 2023, is not impacted by the Draft Public Access Policy.
What changes is NIH Proposing?
The draft document introduces definitions for “Manuscript”, “Final Published Article”, and “Official Date of Publication”. A manuscript is the author’s final version that has been accepted for journal publication. It includes all revisions resulting from the peer review process, and associated tables, graphics, and supplemental material.
Key features of the revised policy:
- The full text of manuscripts published from NIH-funded research must be made available immediately upon the official date of publication in PubMed Central. An embargo period will no longer be allowed.
- The policy applies to any manuscript accepted for publication in a journal on or after October 1, 2025.
- Authors must include an acknowledgement of federal funding in the manuscript and final published article.
- Manuscripts submitted to PubMed Central must provide NIH with the equivalent of a government use license, granting NIH the right to make the manuscript available on PubMed Central upon the official date of publication.
- While publication costs for open access publishing of the final published article will still be allowed (within regulations), journal or publisher costs for depositing the manuscript to PubMed Central are not allowable. Authors will continue to be able to deposit the manuscript version of their paper without having to pay.
Compliance and enforcement efforts will continue to be applied. See additional details of the draft policy in the RFI and send comments by August 19, 2024. Comments are voluntary and may be submitted anonymously.
Why is NIH changing its Public Access Policy?
NIH and all other federal agencies that provide research and development (R&D) expenditures are responding to the August 2022 OSTP Memo. This memo recommends an update to public access policies that make publications and research data funded by taxpayers immediately publicly accessible, without an embargo.
The core recommendations in OSTP’s memo to federal funders include:
- Updating their public access policies as soon as possible, and no later than December 31st, 2025, to make publications and their supporting data resulting from federally funded research publicly accessible as soon as they are released
- Establishing transparent procedures ensuring that scientific and research integrity is maintained in public access policies
- Coordinating with OSTP to ensure equitable delivery of federally funded research results and data
NIH will release its updated plan for persistent identifiers and metadata by December 31, 2024.
More information on NIH’s Public Access Policy
For guidance on compliance, see the Library’s NIH Public Access Policy guide.
Contact the Library’s scholarly communication expert to request a consultation or a presentation on this topic.
Feature image by Barbara Ries, 2018