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NIH Public Access Policy

#nih #publicaccess #openaccess

If You Use a Citation Manager

RefWorks
  • Exporting from PubMed or PubMed Central will include the PMCID if you use the NIH output style.
EndNote
  • EndNote x3 and later come with updated files that import the PMCID into the PMC field automatically. 
  • For older versions of EndNote, you will need to download an import filter and output style from EndNote's website

See more about Citation Managers on our Citation Management Guide.

Verify Your PMCID

The PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) is different from the PubMed reference number (PMID). PubMed Central is an index of full-text papers, while PubMed is an index of abstracts. 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.

  • If you received a temporary NIHMS number, this number will be replaced with a PMCID number when the submission process is complete.
  • The PMCID is posted in PubMed as soon as an article has been processed (usually at the time of publication). 
  • You can verify that you have a PMCID number using the PMCID converter tool.

Cite Your Manuscript

You are required to provide the PMCID number when citing your papers. 

If you have not yet received a PMCID number, use the following in your citation:

  • If the journal has submitted the paper for you and you have not received the PMCID number, use: “PMC Journal - In Process.”
  • If the journal is not on the approved “automatic submission” list but has submitted on your behalf, you will need to provide a valid NIHMSID number (not more than three months old).
  • If you submitted the manuscript, you will need to provide a valid NIHMSID number (not more than three months old).

Examples of Citations

The appropriate citation format is to list the PMCID number at the end of the full journal citation.

Example of a Citation with a PMCID

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 April 1; 109(7): 3080–3083. PMCID: PMC1852221

Before the PMCID is Available

For Submission Methods A and B, use “PMC Journal - In Process”:

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. [a publication date within 3 months of when the application, proposal or report was submitted to NIH]. PMCID: PMC Journal - In Process

For Submission Methods C and D, use the NIHMSID:

Cerrato A, Parisi M, Santa Anna S, Missirlis F, Guru S, Agarwal S, Sturgill D, Talbot T, Spiegel A, Collins F, Chandrasekharappa S, Marx S, Oliver B. Genetic interactions between Drosophila melanogaster menin and Jun/Fos. Dev Biol. In press. NIHMSID: NIHMS44135

Text from http://publicaccess.nih.gov/citation_methods.htm#examples.