Procedures for Peer-Reviewed Publications

NIH staff should follow the steps below as they are establishing publication agreements, submitting papers to PubMed Central (PMC), and including publication references in NIH reports.

The following procedures and forms apply to peer-reviewed works published by NIH employees, contractors working at NIH, and trainees working at NIH (henceforth referred to as “NIH Employees” in this document). These procedures and forms do not apply to extramural awardees.

You must do the following for every peer-reviewed publication:

Part I – Publishing Agreement

1. IRP manuscript authors must add the following disclaimer on scientific publications stating the contents do not represent views of NIH, HHS: This research was supported [in part] by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The contributions of the NIH author(s) are considered Works of the United States Government. The findings and conclusions presented in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NIH or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
2. Obtain clearance for your publication. In general, any writing by an NIH employee on a work-related subject, whether intended for electronic or print publication, or for oral delivery, must be prepared according to accepted NIH standards and administratively reviewed. NIH intramural scientists should use this Manuscript and Abstract Review Form and employees of the Office of the NIH Director should use this form. Other NIH Employees may have different procedures, depending on their IC. Please see NIH Policy Manual Issuance 1184 for more information.
3. Ensure that the “NIH Intramural Research Program and Employee Publishing Agreement and Manuscript Cover Sheet” is submitted with your manuscript. The Cover Sheet must be included when the manuscript is FIRST submitted to a publisher for review. If the manuscript has multiple NIH employees as authors, at least one Cover Sheet must accompany the manuscript to ensure NIH’s interests are protected. The Cover Sheet must be included even if you do not submit the work personally, or if the corresponding author is not an NIH employee. Note, you will not need to submit a Cover Sheet directly if your publisher allows you to approve a Cover Sheet on their website (for example, by checking a box on their website that refers to a copy of the Cover Sheet on our website or theirs).
   The Cover Sheet has been approved in advance by the NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research (DDIR) and must be signed by at least one of the NIH employee authors. It allows you to complete a publisher’s submission process, including clicking any boxes on a publisher website as part of an electronic submission, while protecting NIH’s interests.
4. If your manuscript is accepted for publication, at least one NIH employee author should affix a signed Cover Sheet to the unsigned publisher’s agreement and return it to the publisher. NIH employees may sign only the Cover Sheet as written, and no other publishing agreements. By attaching the Cover Sheet to the publisher’s agreement, you are accepting those terms of the publisher’s agreement that are not in conflict with the terms specified in the NIH Cover Sheet. Some publishers may process these agreements electronically. You will not need to submit a Cover Sheet directly if your publisher allows you to approve a Cover Sheet on their website (for example, by checking a box on their website that refers to copy of the Cover Sheet on our website or theirs). You are also permitted to supply any needed information or check any boxes on the publisher form or website (e.g. identifying information, financial and conflict of interest information, data sharing arrangements) at your discretion.
5. If the publisher refuses to accept the Cover Sheet or wants to negotiate, refer them to your IC Technology Development Coordinator.

Part II – Submitting Papers to PubMed Central (PMC)

The 2024 NIH Public Access Policy applies to peer-reviewed publications in which one or more authors were supported by the NIH. It requires Author Accepted Manuscripts accepted for publication in a journal, on or after July 1, 2025, to be submitted to PubMed Central (PMC) upon acceptance for publication, for public availability without embargo upon the Official Date of Publication. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) can be accessed here.

Part III – Internal NIH Reporting

Include PMCID if you cite your paper in IC reviews. If you cite one of your peer-reviewed articles in your IC’s Annual Report, an IC review (such as a Board of Scientific Counselors review), or a request for competitive funding from the NIH, you must include the article’s PubMed Central reference number (PMCID), or alternative identifying information if the PMCID is not yet available. (An exception will be made only if the paper was accepted for publication prior to April 7, 2008.)