NIH Public Access Policy: Approving the Submission to NIHMS

The author designated as the responsible author for completion of the review and approval steps for a PMCID to be assigned to a work depends on the Submission Method:
Submission Method C: The author who submitted the work to NIHMS OR the author designated as responsible author by the third party submitter as instructed by the person who provided the files for submission. The PI for awards associated with the work can also be designated as the responsible author.

Submission Method D: The corresponding author. The PI for awards associated with the work can also be designated as the responsible author.

There are no approval steps required of authors for works published in Submission Method A or B journals.

NIHMS will send four email reminders (one per week) to the author responsible for the review and approval steps. If no approval tasks are completed by the responsible author after four emails, one email will be sent to all authors.

NOTE: Any author of a work or a PI for awards associated with the work can be designated as the responsible author for completing the review and approval steps required for a PMCID to be assigned to a work.

If a work was published in a Submission Method C or D journal and the responsible author is not timely completing their NIHMS approval steps required for a PMCID, any other author or the PI for awards associated with the work can be assigned as the responsible author. This is done by sending an email to the NIHMS Help Desk.

Sample language to the NIHMS Help Desk:

Please assign me [INSERT NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS] as the responsible author for review and approval for the following work per NIH Public Access Policy: [INSERT CITATION TO THE WORK AND PMID].