Publishing with federal funds?
Here’s how to stay compliant and cut costs
Last Updated: Sep. 24, 2025
Definitions of Key Terms
- Author Accepted Manuscript
- This is the accepted article following peer reviewed version prior to the copyediting/proof stage.
- Final Published Article
- This is the version of the article that appears in the journal after copyediting and formatting. Note that some publishers do not allow this version to be shared and insist that the AAM be submitted.
- Official Date of Publication
- This is the date the journal publishes the article. Because authors have little control on the timing of publication, it is strongly recommended that authors submit the AAM to PubMed Central on the date of article acceptance.
- Subscription-based journals
- Articles within these journals require a subscription to access the articles. Confirm with the journal that their policy is consistent with the NIH policy.
- Open access (OA) journals
- Articles in these journals are freely available online. No subscription is needed to access. Most OA journals require the author to pay an article processing charge (APC). Publishing OA does not automatically fulfill the NIH requirements. The AAM must be submitted to PubMed Central.
- Hybrid journals
- These journals offer both open access and subscription-based publishing. Confirm that option you chose is consistent with the NIH policy.
- Preprint servers
- Platform to share articles prior to peer review. Some preprint may be available in PubMed Central.
Overview
A 2022 federal directive called for immediate public access to federally funded research by 2026. This policy change requires that articles from federally funded research be made public at the time of publication. For researchers it will be important to consider how this policy may impact their choice of journal when planning for publication.
This article provides an overview of the revised NIH public access policy which went into effect in July 2025. NIH’s early adoption serves as a model for other federal agencies and similar requirements will be in effect for the NSF, DOD and other federal agencies by the end of the year.
NIH Public Access Policy in Nutshell
- Who: Any NIH-funded PI, Co-I, or key personnel who publishes a journal article resulting in whole or part from NIH funding
- What: Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM)
- Where: PubMed Central via the NIH Manuscript System (NIHMS)
- When: Authors should submit to PubMed central on the date of acceptance to ensure that public access is granted immediately upon publication
Key Change
This new policy eliminates the 12-month embargo period. Importantly, some journals do not permit public sharing of articles during the first 12-months following publication unless they are published Open Access. Care should be taken to confirm that the journal you submit to will allow you to comply with the public access terms of funding awards. Furthermore, authors cannot rely on the journal to deposit to NIHMS and should plan to self-submit on the date of article acceptance.
Considerations for Different Publishers
It is also important to recognize that the road to public access may look different depending on which publisher and publication model you select. We have provided guidelines for the three most common publishers used by UAB authors:
| Publisher | UAB Support for APC? | How to comply under the subscription-based publishing model |
|---|---|---|
| Elsevier | No | Deposit the AAM into a preprint server. See Elsevier policy. |
| Wiley | Yes, 100 articles per year, 15% discount thereafter* | NA. The only avenue with no embargo is open access. See Wiley policy. |
| Springer/Nature | Yes, unlimited APCs for qualifying journals* | NA. The only avenue with no embargo is open access. See Springer/Nature policy. |
*Not all titles. See the list of qualifying journals for which are covered by UAB agreements.
UAB has agreements with other Open Access publishers. See this list of qualifying journals for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
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My journal publisher claims that I’m not allowed to file in PMC until 12 months have passed. Does that mean I’m exempt from the new rule?
If the final published article cannot be deposited by time of publication, the NIH policy requires filing the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) – the Word document that comes after peer review but before publisher contributions such as copyediting, layout, and design work. A statement acknowledging federal funding must be added to the AAM before filing the AAM.
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I published my work on a preprint server that ingests into PMC. Am I in compliance?
Maybe, the NIH policy requires the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) version be made available in PMC. It is not in compliance if the preprint is a version prior to peer review. Be aware, some journals prohibit the sharing of the AAM on preprint services.
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What could happen if I do not comply?
Non-compliance may lead to a delay or loss of funding. You can monitor your compliance in the MyNCBI application.
More FAQs are available on the NIH Grants & Funding website.
UAB Resources and Help
- The UAB Libraries guide with more information on using the NIHMS and additional resources.
- Open Access fees may be included in grant budgets.
- UAB Libraries has agreements with multiple publishers to reduce or waive the APC. These agreements have saved UAB authors over $2 million since 2021. To take advantage of these agreements see this list of qualifying journals.
- Questions? Contact the Office of Scholarly Communication, Jeff Graveline or Marla Hertz, for assistance.