1. Before signing an author agreement or copyright transfer agreement, make sure that it allows the article to be submitted to PMC.
2. If need be, submit the Tufts Medical Center or Tufts University letter to the publisher in order to ensure compliance with the NIH mandate.

1. Determine if the journal submits final published articles to PMC automatically (method A).  If so, authors need not do anything and compliance is complete.
2. If not, determine if the publisher will deposit the final published article in PMC by the author's request (method B).  There is typically a fee for this, but if arranged, the author need not do anything else and compliance is complete.
3. If not desired or possible, determine if the publisher will deposit the final peer-reviewed manuscript for the author (method D).  In this case, the author must still utilize the NIH Manuscrupt Submission System (NIHMS) to approve the submission.
4. For all other articles (method C), in order to discern what version of the article may be deposited into PMC as well any embargo restrictions, review the journal or publisher's instructions to authors for complying with funding body agreements and policies by searching either:
• the journal/publisher's website
• Instructions to Authors in the Health Sciences
• SHERPA RoMEO database

Log into NIHMS and follow the NIH Tutorial on how to submit your paper to PMC.

The following materials are required for NIH manuscript submission:

• PI name and email
• Title of the journal
• Title of the manuscript
• Final peer-reviewed version of the manuscript (or final published version if journal allows)
• Supplemental materials or graphics associated with the manuscript
• Grant number/s (full alpha numeric number)
• All information as necessary for following the stipulations set forth by some journal publishers, including the embargo period

1. With the exception of the cases noted above, authors must authorize NIH to process the manuscript in NIHMS, as well as designate the number of months after publication when the manuscript may be made publicly available in PMC.
2. NIHMS will then convert the deposited files into a standard PMC format, and email the author to review and approve the files via the NIHMS System. Corrections to the manuscript, if necessary, may be requested at this time.
3. If the initial author contacted for approval fails to take action, a request can be sent to NIH to re-assign the approval to another author.