When must manuscripts be made available from PubMed Central under the NIH Public Access Policy?
Last Updated: Jun 18, 2025Views: 24
The Author Accepted Manuscript must be made publicly available from PubMed Central under the NIH Public Access Policy no later than the Official Date of Publication of the article in its final, edited form (whether in print or electronic/online format).
Currently, the NIH determines the Official Date of Publication based on information received from the publisher and the National Library of Medicine (as defined in the updated policy). This is consistent with expectations under the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy (DMS Policy).
However, because submitting and depositing to PubMed Central can be a lengthy process, Harvard encourages authors to start as soon as the manuscript is accepted by the journal.
🆕 No Embargo: Author Accepted Manuscripts deposited in PubMed Central must be made publicly available no later than the article’s official date of publication, eliminating the previous 12-month embargo.