1:35 p.m., April 3, 2008--The Research and Graduate Studies Office reminds the University community that effective April 7, 2008, all manuscripts resulting from research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) must be submitted to NIH's PubMed Central digital archive within 12 months of publication.

Additionally, beginning May 25, 2008, citations of the author's own publications resulting from NIH funding on progress reports, applications and proposals must include the PubMed Central reference number. Researchers may access the PubMed Central submission system at [www.nihms.nih.gov].

It is important to recognize that in order to comply with this NIH mandate, authors must manage their copyright in submitting manuscripts for publication. The policies of publishers vary widely on allowing posting to PubMed Central; some do not permit posting at all, some have embargoes of 6-18 months, and others charge fees ($2,000 and up for each paper accepted for publication) to allow open access within the 12-month period. Please read carefully the copyright agreement before signing and communicate with the Research and Graduate Studies Office if an issue appears to exist.

Visit the links above for the memo from Carolyn Thoroughgood, vice provost for research and graduate studies; the University of Delaware cover letter which should be used for submitting manuscripts emanating from NIH-funded research to inform journals of the need for public access; and the suggested addendum for use when signing the copyright transfer agreement.

The Research and Graduate Studies Office is happy to assist members of the University community with questions concerning this new regulation. Please contact Elizabeth Peloso [epeloso@udel.edu], compliance manager, with any questions.