What do I do if the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) has not been assigned yet?
If a manuscript was submitted through the NIH Manuscript Submission System (NIHMS) and a PubMed Central reference number is not yet available, include the NIH Manuscript Submission System reference number (NIHMS ID) instead Example, before PMCID is available: Cerrato A, Parisi M, Santa Anna S, Missirlis F, Guru S, Agarwal S, Sturgill D, Talbot T, Spiegel A, Collins F, Chandrasekharappa S, Marx S, Oliver B. Genetic interactions between Drosophila melanogaster menin and Jun/Fos. Dev Biol. 2006 Oct 1; 298(1): 59-70. NIHMSID: NIHMS44135 The same paper, once the PMCID is available: Cerrato A, Parisi M, Santa Anna S, Missirlis F, Guru S, Agarwal S, Sturgill D, Talbot T, Spiegel A, Collins F, Chandrasekharappa S, Marx S, Oliver B. Genetic interactions between Drosophila melanogaster menin and Jun/Fos. Dev Biol. 2006 Oct 1; 298(1): 59-70. PMCID: PMC2291284 If you publish in a journal that deposits all NIH-funded final published articles in PubMed Central (PMC) without author involvement, or if
• When using Submission Method A or B, indicate “PMC Journal – In Process” or the PMCID at the end of the full citation. • When using Submission Method C or D, provide a valid NIH Manuscript Submission System reference number (NIHMSID) or PMCID at the end of the full citation. The PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) is the only way to demonstrate compliance three months after a paper is published. Awardees using Methods C and D must complete the submission process on the NIHMS to obtain a PMCID. Awardees using Methods A and B should let their publisher and PublicAccess@nih.gov know that a PMCID has not been issued 3 months after publication. For more information and examples on how to use PMCIDs and other identifiers, see http://publicaccess.nih.gov/citation_methods.htm.
