Frequently Asked Questions

NIH requires all manuscripts accepted for publication on or after April 7, 2008, which report research that is funded in whole or in part by the NIH, to be submitted into PubMed Central (PMC). Other funding bodies also mandate deposition into PMC. Authors publishing in The Journal of Immunology (The JI) may find answers to their questions below.

Authors may choose to pay an Author Choice fee, in addition to other Publication Charges, to make their article available freely to all at the time of publication.

If you have questions regarding publishing in The JI, please contact [email protected].

My research is funded by the NIH. Can I publish in The JI?
Yes. For NIH-funded authors whose manuscripts are accepted for publication in The JI, AAI will deposit the accepted manuscript to NIHMS for display in PMC.
See also Archiving in PMC/Europe PMC.

My research is funded by HHMI. Can I publish in The JI?
Yes. For authors funded by HHMI, AAI will deposit the accepted manuscript to NIHMS for display in PMC with access at 12 months.

I am funded by an agency other than NIH, HHMI, Wellcome Trust or RCUK that requires deposition to PMC. Can I publish in The JI?
Yes, you can publish in The JI. You must submit the accepted version of your manuscript yourself to PMC.

The JI is not listed on the NIH website as one of the journals that deposits into PMC. Can I still publish in The JI?
Yes, you can publish in The JI. The NIH Public Access Policy does not require deposition into PMC of the published (after copyediting and composition) version of articles. The NIH website only lists the journals that deposit the published version of articles.

The full text of articles published in The JI are under subscription control for 12 months after publication, and then are free to the public (abstracts are free to the public at all times). I have been told that, as an NIH-funded investigator, I can only publish in journals that are under subscription control for 6 months or less. Is that true?
No. A 12-month delay period satisfies the NIH policy. Refer to the Revised Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications Resulting from NIH-Funded Research page for more information.

What is the difference between PubMed and PubMed Central (PMC)?
PubMed is an online database of biomedical journal citations and abstracts that links citations to full-text articles in the journals in which the articles are published. PubMed is used every day by scientists for research and linking to journal articles. The JI submits all of its citation information to PubMed just prior to, or at the time of, publication.
PubMed Central is an electronic archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature. NIH requires authors who are funded in whole or in part by the NIH to deposit into PubMed Central a file of a manuscript accepted for publication.

For instructions on how to obtain an article's PMCID number to submit with NIH grant applications, visit the Include PMCID in Citations page.

What is the AAI policy for authors publishing in The JI?
On behalf of authors who are funded by NIH, HHMI, Wellcome Trust and RCUK, AAI will deposit all manuscripts that begin submission to The Journal of Immunology after 10AM (EDT) March 29, 2011 and are ultimately accepted for publication; the author must select this option on the online submission form in order for AAI to do so. AAI will deposit the version of the manuscript that has undergone peer review and has been accepted for publication, before copyediting and formatting.

Most funders mandate that articles be made available to the public in PMC at either 6 or 12 months after publication; manuscripts deposited by AAI will comply with these embargo periods. Authors will receive at least two email notifications from PMC about their manuscripts. Authors must respond to both emails, in order for the process to be completed.

Authors agrees not to deposit their accepted manuscript or article into any other repository (except a thesis repository if required), agency, or entity.*

* Corresponding authors publishing in The JI sign a copyright transfer agreement to The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. (AAI), which prohibits them and all coauthors from transferring versions of accepted manuscripts to a third party.