Complying With the National Institutes of Health Public Access Policy to Facilitate Science Availability for All

Abstract

Social work researchers are making significant advances in science funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to improve the health of underserved and marginalized populations throughout the world. Unfortunately, research results are often only available to other scientists at academic institutions, limiting their impact. To facilitate the dissemination of science to the public who paid for it, NIH has implemented a mandatory Public Access Policy that requires articles supported by NIH funds to be deposited in the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central within 12 months of publication. Funding for investigators who do not adhere to this policy is being actively delayed and withheld until they are in compliance. This article describes how to comply with the new Public Access Policy for social work researchers funded by NIH, with an emphasis on articles accepted and published in Research on Social Work Practice.