NIH Public Access Policy

Make sure you have the files necessary to deposit to NIHMS. You need to have all files for the paper, including:

• The manuscript text itself (can be a Word document)
• All figures and tables (these can be separate files or integrated with the text)
• References
• Appendices (if applicable)
• Any supplemental information, if this information was included with the manuscript in the published version (this can be in any format)

What format files can you use for the manuscript?

• Use the final, peer reviewed, edited version of the manuscript files whenever possible, not use the journal-formatted final published version of the PDF, unless the journal allows you to submit the formatted version
• The NIHMS system supports a wide variety of file types (MS Word, Word Perfect, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.).
• For images and graphics, high-resolution images (i.e., .pdf, .tiff, .jpg, .eps, .ai) should be submitted to ensure the best reproduction quality in PubMed Central.

Log in to the NIHMS website

• Authors / investigators / research assistants with eRA Commons user names:
  • Log in using the eRA Commons logo in the first row of logos OR
  • Click the All Login Options button to expand to more choices including Login.gov (the most common eRA-linked login method)
• Assistants / delegates without eRA Commons accounts:
  • You can login via other methods using the All Login Options button. Here you can search for your login method (Login.gov is also an option in this selection).
    • If your Commons or NCBI account is linked to your Northwestern credentials, use the More login options button to open a page where you can search for Northwestern and log in.

There are links to sign-in help and reminders on the bottom of the page.

After you've logged in

Your NIHMS "home page" has the My Manuscripts heading. In the main section of this page you will see any manuscripts that may be awaiting your attention.

Before submitting a new manuscript, it's wise to search the NIHMS system to see if your paper might already be in process, if it was deposited by a publisher or by a colleague.

On the right side of the page, use the search box under the Submit New Manuscript button to search NIHMS by PMID, PMCID or NIHMSID. Click the magnifying glass icon to search.

If your search doesn't retrieve any results, or if your paper doesn't have a PMID yet, you can simply click the Submit New Manuscript button to start the process of depositing your paper.