Before you sign a publication agreement or similar copyright transfer agreement, make sure that the agreement allows the paper to be posted to PubMed Central (PMC) in accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy. Final, peer-reviewed manuscripts must be posted to the NIHMS upon acceptance for publication, and be made publicly available on PMC no later than 12 months after the official date of publication.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Which submission method will be used?
- Will you submit to PubMed Central the final peer-reviewed manuscript or the final published article?
- Will your publisher submit the paper or will you submit it?
- When will it be submitted?
- Who approves the submission of the paperwork?
- When will the public have access to your paper in PubMed Central?
