Submitting a manuscript to PubMed Central: a step-by-step process

Summary

The National Institutes of Health Manuscript Submission (NIHMS) system allows Wellcome Trust-funded researchers to deposit manuscripts, for subsequent ingest and display in PubMed Central (PMC). PMC is the free-to-access, full-text, life sciences archive developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In brief, researchers log into the system and provide basic information about the manuscript and the grant(s) that funded it. Files are then uploaded, and an electronic receipt is issued that summarises the information entered into the system and merges the manuscript's files into one viewable document. Submitters confirm that the manuscript and any additional supporting documents have been successfully received by the system. If the submitter is not the principal investigator (PI), an email will be sent to the PI to approve the PDF and indicate the release date when the manuscript will be made publicly available on PMC.

Upon approval by the PI, the manuscript will be converted into XML (the standardised digital format used by PubMed Central). After the conversion process, a preview of the article as it will appear in PubMed Central will be made available, allowing the PI to correct any errors if necessary. After final approval, the article will be publicly accessible through PubMed Central after the time-delay specified by the PI.

For further questions or comments regarding the NIHMS system, please contact the Helpdesk. Please also refer to the Trust's statement in support of open and unrestricted access to published research.

Submitting a manuscript: a step-by-step guide

Step 1: Access the manuscript submission system
Point your web browser at the

NIH/Wellcome Manuscript Submission system.

Step 2: Select login route
On the 'Choose a login route' screen, select the option 'WT – for Wellcome Trust grantees'.

Step 3: Enter username and password
On the 'Log In' page enter the username and password you have been supplied with. If you have forgotten your login, use the 'Find my account' option to retrieve it.

If you have forgotten your password (but know your login and can answer the password question) you can use the 'Reset password' option.

If you experience problems with logging in, please email the Helpdesk.

Step 4: Submit a manuscript
At the 'Manuscript List' page, the system presents you with a status report that details:

• manuscripts in the submission process
• manuscripts awaiting release to PMC
• manuscripts already in PMC.

At the top of the page there is an option to 'Submit a new manuscript'.

On selecting this option, you are presented with a summary of the submission process. Once read, click 'Continue'.

Step 5: Enter manuscript-specific information
On the 'Manuscript's Summary Information' page you are required to:

• Enter the name of the journal that has agreed to publish the article you are now depositing with PMC. Note that as you start to enter the name of the journal, the system automatically suggests matching titles. Simply select the correct title.
• Enter the manuscript title.
• Indicate whether you are the corresponding principal investigator (PI) for this paper.
• Indicate whether you need to add another PI. If you do, this information is then added to this page.
  

Once done, click 'Next' to supply grant information data. You can click 'Save and Exit' at any point.

Step 6: Enter grant information

On the 'Grant/Project Information' page, simply identify which, of the grants listed, has funded this piece of research. If a grant/project is not listed then these can be added manually.

Once done, click 'Next' to upload the relevant manuscript files. You can click 'Save and Exit' at any point.

Step 7: Upload the digital files
On the 'Upload Files' page you need to:

• indicate the type of file (text, figure, supplementary data)
• assign a label to each file
• upload the files.

Click 'Browse' to navigate to the files on your local computer.

To add more files, select the 'Add another file' option.

The manuscript submission system supports a wide variety of file types (MS Word, Word Perfect, PDF, jpeg, Excel, etc.), and will accept the same manuscript and supplemental image files (e.g. figures, tables or supplementary information) that were submitted to the journal for publication.

Just as provided to print journals, you should submit high-resolution images to ensure that they can be viewed properly in PMC.

Click 'Upload Files' or 'Next' to send your files to the NIHMS system. As files are being sent, you will see a progress bar that shows the percentage of files received.

Step 8: Manuscript submission summary
Once the files have been uploaded the manuscript submission system will generate a receipt of the uploaded files. This receipt, in PDF format, summarises the information entered into the system and merges the manuscript's files into one viewable document.

If the wrong files have been loaded, use the 'Previous – Upload Files' option.

If the summary data is correct, click 'Next PDF Approval'.

Step 9: PDF approval
On the 'PDF Approval' page, open the PDF document and check that manuscript information and the data submitted has been acknowledged in this PDF receipt. If there are errors or omissions these must be fixed at this point. To do this, navigate back to the 'Upload Files' page and re-submit the data.

Once you are satisfied that the data has been transmitted accurately, you need to set a release date for when this paper can appear in PMC. The Wellcome Trust policy encourages you to make it available as soon as possible, and no later than six months after the date of publication.

Once done, click 'Approve'.

Step 10: Submission statement
Finally, you need to confirm that the final manuscript submissions to PMC are consistent with any other agreements, including copyright assignments that you may have made with publishers or other third parties.

Step 11: Manuscript accepted for NIHMS processing
At this point, the submission process is complete. NIHMS will now send the manuscript to be converted into its web (XML) version. The corresponding PI will be notified by email when the web proof is ready for review. Once this has been approved it will be loaded into PubMed Central, following the specified delay period (if any).