Important Changes: 

• Removal of the 12 month embargo period, requiring manuscripts be submit to PubMed Central immediately upon publication.
• Official date of publication is now defined as the date on which the final published article is first made available in final, edited form, whether in print or electronic (i.e., online) format.

While most publishers have yet to release updated policies in response to these changes, there are immediate actions you can take when submitting articles for publication: 

• Ensure co-authors and publishers are aware of NIH Public Access requirements at the start of the journal submission process.
• Confirm that publisher policies allow you to comply with funder publication mandates.
• Include funding acknowledgment in manuscripts.
• Include the following NIH suggested language in both the submitted manuscript and final author accepted manuscript: “This manuscript is the result of funding in whole or in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is subject to the NIH Public Access Policy. Through acceptance of this federal funding, NIH has been given a right to make this manuscript publicly available in PubMed Central upon the Official Date of Publication, as defined by NIH.”

With the goal of advancing science and improving public health, the NIH Public Access Policy, effective April 7, 2008, requires scientists submit final peer-reviewed manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to the digital archive PubMed Central (PMC). MSK's Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG), is awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and provides the major extramural funding for many of the Center's research core facilities. This funding has been integral to MSK’s role as an international leader in cancer research and care, and our ongoing status as a CCSG recipient benefits all members of the MSK community. 

Effective September 1, 2015, all peer-reviewed publications by MSK faculty or employees must:

1. acknowledge the MSK CCSG P30 CA008748 in the funding acknowledgements;
2. be deposited in PMC (PubMed Central) and assigned a PMCID and;
3. be properly associated with the P30 Core Grant in MyNCBI/My Bibliography.

Here is a quick summary of the key steps in the compliance process. Vist Policy Process for more details. 

1. Determine Eligibility: All peer-reviewed publications by MSK faculty or employees are subject to the NIH Public Access Policy. 

2. Address Copyright: For papers published on or after July 1, 2025, MSK authors must ensure that all agreements with journal publishers allow submission of the author's manuscript to PMC immediately upon online or print publication, without embargo. Confirm that publisher policies allow you to comply with the NIH Public Access Policy. 

3. Acknowledge Funding: Include the following text in the funding acknowledgments section of the manuscript: This research was funded in part through the NIH/NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA008748. Be sure to also include any other relevant funding sources. 

4. Retain a copy of the final author accepted manuscript provided by the publisher, including all graphics and supplemental materials associated with the article. This is the version you are allowed to submit to PMC, NOT the final online version from the publisher website. 

5. Submit your manuscript to PMC/NIHMS with 3 months of the publication date. There are four possible submission methods, depending on the journal. If you are responsible for the submission via Method C follow these steps to deposit your author accepted manuscript to NIHMS and stay on the alert for email communications from the NIHMS system that will require you to login and make approvals throughout the process. Note: Even if the publisher performs the initial deposit, the responsible author needs to approve the paper's deposit. NIHMS emails should be addressed immediately.  If no action is taken, then the paper will not move forward to be assigned its PMCID.

6. Associate the Core Grant (P30 CA008748) to all applicable publications in the My Bibliography tool in MyNCBI.