Steps for Using NIH Manuscript Submission System

Any scientific manuscript accepted for publication on May 2, 2005 or afterward should be submitted to the NIH Manuscript Submission (NIHMS) system. This system is easy to use and requires only a staff person's regular NIH username and password for entry. It is available through http://nihms.nih.gov/. Manuscripts should be submitted in their final form, with all changes included. Manuscripts are expected to be submitted on their publication date, but may be submitted up to one year following publication in special cases. Scientists may give permission to designees (Secretaries, Administrative Officers, etc.) to submit for them.

Submit only peer-reviewed original (primary) research papers that have been accepted for publication by a journal (not reviews, book chapters, etc.). A submission to the NIHMS system is not necessary if a manuscript has been accepted by a PubMed Central journal that permits free access in 12 months or less. The list of journals participating in PubMed Central can be found at: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/front-page/fp.fcgi?cmd=full_view. The "Free Access" column for each journal indicates when articles become freely available within PubMed Central. (Exception: a few journals in the list, which are marked with a "Yes" in the "NIHPA Deposit Required" column, do not qualify for this submission exemption.)

Steps to Using NIHMS:

1. After your paper has been accepted for publication, check the journal website to determine what embargo period, if any, will be necessary before the manuscript is made available to the public. Each journal or publisher has its own guidelines or stipulations. (Maximum embargo period allowed is 12 months.)

2. Go to http://nihms.nih.gov/index.html. Click on the Log In link at the top right of the page. Choose your login route: intramural investigators should choose "NIH" which directs you to the NIH portal. After logging in at the NIH portal, you will be automatically taken back to the NIH Public Access site to continue your submission.

3. Click on the "Submit New Manuscript" button to begin the submission process.

4. The submission process is simple and straightforward. Begin by entering the name of the journal that has accepted the paper for publication, the title of the paper, and the PI's name and e-mail address. Proceed by entering the project information requested and browse the files on your local computer to upload the manuscript. For most journals, you must upload the final accepted version of the paper before formatting and copy editing has been applied by the publisher. As with most online submission systems, a PDF Receipt is created which must be verified by the submitter. If there is a problem, you can detach the problematic files and upload again.

5. After the files are reviewed by NIHMS staff, the PI will receive an email notification. He or she must then go back into the NIHMS system, approve the PDF, and specify an embargo period.

Helpful answers to frequently asked questions about submission can be found at: http://www.nihms.nih.gov/faq.html#q1 http://www.nihms.nih.gov/faq.html.

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Schneider Lab
origin: 2005 Nov 3
updated: 2005 Nov 3
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