FAQs on Intramural Publication Reviews

Table of Contents

• Manuscript Review
• When an NIH Disclaimer Statement is Needed
• Submission to PubMed Central
• Publishing Options to Comply With the NIH Public Access Policy

Manuscript Review

1. Can my SD (or delegate) disapprove of my manuscript submission if they disagree with my scientific conclusions?
   No.
2. Can my SD (or delegate) disapprove of my manuscript submission if I did not get the appropriate human subjects, animal care and use, or biosafety clearances before conducting the work?
   Yes.
3. If the SD uses iThenticate or Imagetwin platforms to review the manuscript, and calculates a relatively high similarity score, must I edit the manuscript even if I stand by the submission as written?
   No, these tools are meant to be helpful, not proscriptive. Authors should be aware that many journals will use similar software, though, and it would be wise to edit the manuscript to make it clear why there might be a high score.
4. Do I still need manuscript review if the senior or corresponding author is from another IC, and has submitted the manuscript for review with that IC?
   There is no IRP-wide requirement for review by multiple ICs, but many ICs do require review under these circumstances. It is best to check with your IC for the IC-specific policy.
5. Do I need manuscript review if I am a middle author and all other co-authors are from extramural universities and institutes?
   Yes.
6. Do I need manuscript review if I am just submitting to a pre-publication server like bioRxiv?
   Yes.
7. Do I need manuscript review if I am writing a review article with no new primary data?
   Yes.
8. Do I need manuscript review if I am a member of an outside consortium, and the consortium is listed as an author?
   Yes. If a reader will be able to identify an individual in a consortium as an NIH IRP researcher, and the work represents official duty activity, the manuscript should be reviewed by the IC and a disclaimer should be provided for any IRP authors. If IRP researchers are listed as part of a consortium that is issuing a policy statement, the IRP researcher should consult with NIH Office of Science Policy in addition to seeking IC review/clearance, as per the Intramural Academic Freedom Guidance.
9. Do I need manuscript review if I am re-submitting a manuscript to a journal after making revisions?
   Generally, no. However, if the revision represents a substantially different version, leading to substantially different conclusions and/or interpretations, researchers should consider an internal re-review.

When an NIH Disclaimer Statement is Needed

10. Does the NIH disclaimer need to be included in all manuscripts, no matter the NIH author’s position in the author list?
    Yes, it must be included, e.g. as a statement in the acknowledgments. Some ICs internal manuscript review system provides precise disclaimer language for inclusion.
11. Does the NIH disclaimer need to be included in review articles or pre-publication articles?
    Yes.
12. Is there a specific section in a manuscript where the disclaimer must be inserted?
    No. Many authors use the acknowledgement section.
13. Am I permitted to modify the disclaimer to add additional information?
    Yes.

Submission to PubMed Central (PMC)

14. Is it correct that, regardless of where the NIH author appears in the author list, the manuscript must be made available in PMC?
    Regardless of where the NIH funded author(s) appears in the author list, the NIH author(s) must comply with the NIH Public Access Policy. Specifically, peer-reviewed manuscripts should be submitted to PubMed Central at the time of acceptance, to be made available in PMC at the time of publication, without embargo. Note that some journals will deposit the material to PMC on behalf of the author, and the author then has no further PMC responsibilities.
15. Must I submit an accepted paper to PMC if I am a middle author?
    Yes.
16. Must I submit an accepted paper to PMC if I did not provide final approval to the manuscript and am unable to obtain the final version from the corresponding author?
    You may contact OIR under these circumstances to discuss some possible solutions, at IRPinfo@mail.nih.gov.
17. What should I do if I submitted a paper to PMC but the status is listed as “stalled”?
    Contact the NIHMS Help Desk at nihms-help@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

Publishing Options to Comply With the NIH Public Access Policy

18. Am I required to purchase an Open Access Package to comply with the NIH public access requirements?
    Authors must select a payment option that allows them to comply with the NIH Public Access Policy, i.e. submitting the accepted peer-reviewed manuscript to PubMed Central (PMC) upon acceptance, with the article to be made available in PMC at the time it is published, without embargo. Some journals offer the option of a cheaper subscription model and a higher-priced open access model. If both models are available and compliant with the policy, the author can choose. However, a subscription model that requires a PMC embargo period is not compliant with the policy. If the open access model is the only compliant option, the author can either select that method or submit to a different journal.
19. Will purchasing an Open Access Package satisfy my responsibilities to submit to PMC?
    Manuscripts must be submitted to PMC. If the journal will submit the article to PMC (to be made available at the time of publication) as part of its Open Access package, then the author is compliant with the Public Access Policy. If the journal does not submit to PMC, for example it only posts the article free of charge to readers through its own website, then the author must submit to PMC.
20. My manuscript was accepted but my only option appears to be to purchase an expensive open access package. What should I do?
    If you still want to publish there, you will need to purchase the open access. However, many institutions have open-access agreements with publishers. If one of your coauthors is a member of one of these institutions, the open access fees may be covered by this agreement if the coauthor is listed as the corresponding author. It is important, therefore, to assess a journal’s pricing and publishing policies and before submission.
21. I have heard there is a limit on how much I am permitted to pay for publication fees – is that true?
    Not as of the date these FAQs were posted., Although such policies are under discussion, they have not yet been finalized or implemented.