There are few phrases more familiar—or feared—by those of us in higher education than publish or perish. Our professional success is often built on a sustained track record of high-impact, peer-reviewed, published scholarship (in addition to excellent teaching of course). And as nurse scientists, our scholarship is rooted in service—to our patients, our communities and our broader mission to improve the health of all. That’s why the NIH’s updated Public Access Policy, NOT-OD-25-047, matters more than ever. Starting July 1, 2025, NIH-funded Author Accepted Manuscripts accepted for publication on or after that date must be freely available to the public upon publication. No delays. No embargoes. No excuses.
What’s New?
The NIH now requires that your Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM)—the version of your article that’s been peer-reviewed and accepted—be deposited in PubMed Central (PMC) upon acceptance and made accessible to the public without embargo upon the official date of publication. This ensures that the knowledge we generate through our research reaches the people who need it most: nurses, healthcare providers, patients, caregivers, advocates and community health leaders.
What’s an AAM?
It’s the version of your manuscript that includes all revisions, figures and supplemental materials, but not the publisher’s final formatted PDF. In some cases, publishers may instead make the final published article available through an open-access arrangement.
What Costs Are Allowed?
NIH permits reasonable publication costs, including Article Processing Charges (APCs) for open access publishing, when they comply with applicable NIH cost principles and result in a publicly available product. However, fees for peer review services when there is no resulting publicly available product or fees charged solely for depositing your AAM in PMC, which is free, are not allowable. For details, review the NIH’s explanation in NOT-OD-25-048.
If a publisher tries to charge you a “NIH compliance fee,” all investigators can confidently say, “That’s unallowable under 2 CFR 200.403(c).”
What Do Publishers and Institutions Say?
- Lippincott (LWW) provides guidance and may offer APC discounts through institutional agreements. Review Lippincott’s NIH open access policy.
- University of California provides NIH public access compliance guidance and support.
- University of Florida provides a searchable list of journal policies.
- University of Virginia offers a practical guide to NIH public access compliance.
- University of Washington has an NIH Public Access Policy guide and information about UW support for some Article Processing Charges.
Tips for University of Washington School of Nursing Investigators
- Use My NCBI to track your publications and ensure compliance.
- Include your PMCID or NIHMSID in biosketches and progress reports.
- Use and regularly update your SciENcv profile.
- Protect your rights with a copyright addendum when signing publisher agreements.
- Partner with our UW Libraries colleagues—they’re great allies in navigating open access and compliance.
Why This Matters for Nursing
Nursing research often addresses real-world health challenges that center our most vulnerable citizens—chronic disease management, health equity, symptom science and patient-centered interventions. Making our findings immediately accessible means frontline nurses, community health workers and patients themselves can more quickly benefit from the evidence we work so hard to generate. This new policy is not just about compliance—it’s about real-life impact.
Final Thoughts
This policy shift is a call to action and it will help to make our science open, accessible and actionable. By embracing public access, we’re not just meeting NIH requirements—we’re advancing the health of the communities we serve. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Office for Nursing Research & Innovation as we navigate these new opportunities together.
Disclosure: Allison Webel also serves as editor in chief of the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, which had no part in developing this article.