Guides @ UF: NIH Public Access Policy and Manuscript Submission: Manuscript Submission (NIHMS)

Useful Links

The NIH has a number of resources further explaining their policy and processes:

Submission Methods

There are three main ways to get your paper into PMC, depending on what journal it is being published in:

1. Publish in a journal in this PMC Journal List and no author involvement is required. Journals deposit final published articles in PubMed Central:

If your article was accepted for publication on or after July 1, 2025:

- if the journal is in the list but has a default embargo, you either need to make special arrangements with the journal or publisher to deposit without an embargo (see Item 2 below) OR submit the AAM yourself (see Item 3 below)

2. Make arrangements with the publisher to deposit your final published article for you. Publishers in this Selective Deposit Programs list will deposit your final published paper, at your request (often for a fee): Always confirm the arrangement directly with the publisher.

3. Deposit the Author Accepted Manuscript (aka final peer-reviewed manuscript) yourself via NIH Manuscript Submission System (NIHMS).

Log in from here using eRA Commons option: http://www.nihms.nih.gov/ (see NIHMS: How it Works box below for more information)

More information on journal policies can be found here.

NIHMS: How it Works

Manuscripts may be entered by any author or a person delegated by the author. Typically the corresponding author is the person who has the accepted version of the manuscript, which is the version that must be submitted to NIHMS. An author designated as the Reviewer must perform the final approval in Step 4 before the manuscript is published in PubMed Central. Note that while the author is responsible for submission of any article, it is the PI who will be held responsible by NIH for lack of compliance of articles funded by their specific grant award.

Step 1: Log in to NIHMS

Those with NIH awards should use the eRA Commons button

Anyone needing an account can use the request form at: https://research.ufl.edu/dsp/proposals/other-eproposal-systems/nih-era-commons-registration-form.html.

For questions regarding login routes for other funders: https://support.nlm.nih.gov/kbArticle/?pn=KA-05242

You should use the same login for all subsequent visits to NIHMS!

NOTE: If you are unable to see a manuscript you entered previously, it is often due to using a different login route.

If you need a reminder of your previous login route: https://www.nihms.nih.gov/login/?next=/submission/#reminder

NIHMS Login Tutorial: https://trace.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/core/assets/nihms4/help/NIHMS_Login_Tutorial.pdf

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Step 2: Initial Submission

After logging in, begin submission

Click Select New Manuscript button
Populate article information from PubMed, DOI, or My Bibliography (only enter manually if no other option is available)
Select all appropriate NIH funding mechanisms that supported the manuscript
- Note that grants can be linked to articles later, but at least one funding mechanism needs to be provided at this stage.
Upload all files that make up the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM), aka final, peer-reviewed manuscript (e.g., Main text.docx, Tables.xlsx, Figure1.tiff)
Designate a Reviewer (can be yourself or other author if they've agreed) and any Embargo*
- If you are the Reviewer, you can complete the Initial Approval step now as well
- *An embargo period (up to 12 months) is acceptable only for manuscripts accepted for publication before July 1, 2025
Confirm that: this manuscript was the result of NIH funding, it was peer-reviewed and all resulting edits included, and you have the right to make the version you submitted available in PubMed Central

Video tutorial from NIH showing Deposit and Initial Approval: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwIrhRTj8-M

NIHMS Submission Tutorial: https://trace.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/core/assets/nihms4/help/NIHMS_Submission_Tutorial.pdf

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Step 3: NIHMS Conversion

The NIHMS system will merge the manuscript's files into one viewable document. Your NIHMSID will be assigned when this is done.

In 2-3 weeks, once the conversion is completed, the Reviewer will receive an email requesting that they review the manuscript as it will appear in PubMed Central (the Final Approval step). Be alert for this email!

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Step 4: Final Approval

An email will be sent to the Reviewer to approve the web version and PDF as it will appear in PubMed Central.

Use the link provided in the email to go directly to the manuscript needing approval

if necessary, corrections may be requested, After the Reviewer makes the final confirmation and the article has a PMID, the article will be assigned a PMCID and made publicly accessible through PubMed Central