Information for ACS Authors about the NIH Public Access Policy Mandate
Dear ACS Authors:
Effective April 7, 2008, authors whose studies are supported in
whole or in part by NIH grant or contract funding are required by
law to submit electronic copies of their peer-reviewed manuscripts
to the NIH’s PubMed Central for public access 12
months after journal publication.
Two Options for NIH-Funded Authors
To enable ACS authors to comply with this mandatory NIH Public
Access Policy, the ACS Publications Division, after consultation
with the Society’s governance, is instituting the use of a special
NIH Policy Addendum [PDF]
to the ACS Copyright Status Form
for use by NIH-funded authors. Copies also may be obtained on
request via our Help Desk, Copyright and Permissions office, and
Columbus Journal Production Operations. The
NIH Policy Addendum [PDF]
ensures full compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy and covers
all authors receiving NIH funding regardless of their place of work.
Please be advised that alternate addenda or modifications to the
ACS Copyright Status
Form will not be accepted in lieu of this
NIH Policy Addendum [PDF]
for use by NIH-funded ACS authors.
In consulting the
NIH Policy Addendum [PDF],
you will see that effective April 7, 2008, ACS now offers NIH-funded authors
two options by which to fulfill the NIH
Public Access policy requirement of manuscript deposit:
- Option A: The ACS deposits the final, published
article on the author's behalf, for immediate open availability via
the ACS AuthorChoice
fee-based option.
ACS AuthorChoice
provides the opportunity for authors to comply
readily with the deposit and public access requirements of the NIH.
Moreover, by requesting that the ACS deliver the final published
article to the NIH under the
ACS AuthorChoice
license to the author, authors need not provide copies of peer-reviewed
manuscript files and supplemental information to the NIH's
manuscript submission system, and can avoid the necessity of
performing subsequent proofreading tasks to check the fidelity of
NIH's file conversion process (as is required by NIH for authors
submitting unedited manuscripts per the agency's policy
implementation guidelines). In addition to providing readers the
benefit of immediate open access, the author's pursuit of the
ACS AuthorChoice
option ensures that the article included
in PubMed Central corresponds to the final published
article of record as made available by the ACS. Stated NIH policy
allows authors who elect this option to use grant or contract funds
in payment of open access publishing fees levied in connection with
ACS AuthorChoice.
Details about the
ACS Author Choice option are available at http://pubs.acs.org/4authors/authorchoice/.
- Option B: The author deposits the final,
peer-reviewed manuscript with NIH, for open availability 12 months
after publication. For those authors who do not wish to
avail themselves of the
ACS AuthorChoice
benefits, this option provides a no-fee mechanism by which authors may comply fully
with the requirements of the NIH Policy mandate. In particular,
Division G, Title II, Section 218 of PL 110-161 (Consolidated
Appropriations Acts, 2008) mandates the submission by authors of
“…an electronic version of their final,
peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be
made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official
date of publication: Provided, That the NIH shall implement the
public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright
law." Accordingly, by pursuing this option, ACS authors
can themselves submit final peer-reviewed manuscripts to NIH in
order to comply with the NIH Public Access mandate, thus retaining
control for making their deposits to the NIH submission system, and
assuming the responsibility of proofreading of converted files as
required by NIH's own manuscript processing procedures for such
submissions. ACS authors will be notified upon publication of their
articles on the ACS Web site.
To avoid any misperception that editorial acceptance of manuscripts
might be affected by the author’s exercise of the fee-based
ACS AuthorChoice
option, NIH-funded authors will be asked to sign the
Addendum [PDF]
and indicate their choice of Option A or Option B only
after their peer-reviewed manuscripts are
received from journal editorial offices by our Columbus-based Production staff.
As a scholarly society deeply concerned with the integrity of the
scientific record, ACS will continue to work directly with the NIH
to clarify the placement of appropriate notices and disclaimers,
Internet links, and other terms of use of ACS copyrighted content as
deposited with PubMed Central. In particular, we will
strive to put in place arrangements whereby any manuscript or
article versions deposited with PubMed Central is linked by
NIH to the definitive published article as displayed from the ACS'
own Web site. It is our understanding that the NIH shall implement
the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law.
Regardless of which of the above options an NIH funded author
selects, the ACS reserves its rights under copyright to the content
of the peer-reviewed journal article. We trust that you appreciate
that it is part of our responsibility in upholding the integrity of
the peer-reviewed scientific literature and maintaining the role of
the journal as the source of the authoritative version of the
article.
The Scientific Record and Benefits for ACS Authors
As a scholarly society deeply concerned with the integrity of the
scientific record, the ACS appreciates this opportunity to
reiterate that the Society fully supports the broad and sustainable
dissemination of the authoritative record of science found in our
journals.
- Researchers, faculty, and students at institutions worldwide
enjoy access to articles published in ACS journals through institutional
subscriptions at pricing specifically tailored for the different
sizes, types, and geographical locations of their institutions. ACS
members may exercise the privilege of subscribing to print and
electronic journals at substantial
discounts.
- Any non-subscriber may purchase an individual article of
interest for a nominal fee via our ACS Articles on Command
service, or obtain an article free of charge on request via
interlibrary loan.
- Through the ACS Articles on
Request program, any ACS author can e-mail or post a link
on personal or institutional Web sites to direct readers to the
published version of the final article on the ACS Web site, with no
fee entailed. Readers who do not have subscription access privileges
enjoy seamless access readily via these author-directed links, with
unlimited article downloads provided 12 months after article
publication.
- ACS authors may choose to participate in the ACS
AuthorChoice fee-based open access licensing option, which
provides unrestricted Web access to their published ACS article at
the time of publication, and permits the posting of copies of final
published articles on authors’ personal Web site and
institutional repositories for non-commercial scholarly purposes.
ACS AuthorChoice
fees compare very favorably with fees for
equivalent services offered by non-ACS journals, and are heavily
discounted for authors at subscribing institutions and/or those who
are ACS members.
- Authors worldwide appreciate the benefit of publishing in
the Society’s preeminent journals without the need to pay any
manuscript submission or processing fees, page charges, or color
reproduction costs.
Please do not hesitate to contact the ACS Copyright office or the
ACS Publications Help Desk with any questions about the use of the
Addendum [PDF].
We thank you for your participation in our Society’s
peer-reviewed journal publishing program and for joining with us in
the ACS Cycle of Excellence that reinforces the
high-quality, high-impact reputation of our publications.
Sincerely,
Susan King, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President
Journals Publishing Program
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