PMC plus

Do I have to submit my manuscript to Europe PubMed Central? How do I do this?

The Funding Group’s Access Policy requests that researchers funded by group members submit their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts, which have been accepted for publication, to Europe PubMed Central. To facilitate the submission process, we have developed Europe PMC plus. Europe PMC plus allows users to deposit and manage manuscripts. Manuscripts in a wide range of electronic word-processing formats can be submitted. Any additional files that contain figures, tables, or supplementary information should also be included with the manuscript. No further formatting of the manuscript is necessary beyond that required by the journal that has accepted the article.

How does Europe PMC plus work?

Please refer to the user guide.

What version do I submit?

An electronic version of the final manuscript should be submitted to Europe PMC plus. The final manuscript is defined as the version accepted for publication that includes all the modifications made in response to the peer review process.

What kinds of papers/publications do I submit?

Please submit peer-reviewed, original (primary) research publications that have been supported, in whole or in part, with direct costs from the funding group. The policy applies to all research grant and career development award mechanisms, cooperative agreements and contracts.

The policy does not apply to editorials, reviews, or conference proceedings.

If I submit my manuscript to a journal that is already participating in PubMed Central, do I still need to separately submit the manuscript to the Europe PMC plus system?

A separate submission to the Europe PMC plus system is not necessary if a manuscript has been accepted by a PubMed Central journal that permits free access in 6 months or less.

Can I still submit my paper to Europe PubMed Central if it is not in PubMed?

Europe PMC can accept material from any life sciences journal that meets submission requirements. Manuscripts without PubMed records may be entered via Europe PMC plus in the normal way.

In what format must I submit my manuscript?

Users should submit the complete text of their manuscript(s) along with any corresponding image files, table files, and/or supplementary materials. Europe PMC plus supports a wide variety of file types (MS Word, Word Perfect, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.). Just as required by journals, high-resolution images should be submitted to ensure the best reproduction quality in Europe PubMed Central. With the exception of supplementary materials, Europe PubMed Central will convert the submitted images into standard file types.
For more information see the File Types user guide

May I submit the final published PDF version of my manuscript?

If the author wishes to submit a PDF created by the publisher to Europe PMC plus, then permission for this particular use must have been granted to the author by the publisher.

Is this system only for primary manuscripts? What about supplemental material?

Supplemental material that has been submitted to the accepting journal in support of the manuscript will be accepted. The Europe PMC plus system has been developed to allow users to indicate supplemental files and upload them in conjunction with other manuscript files.

Will I have to submit my final manuscript separately to the journal and to Europe PubMed Central?

Authors must submit manuscripts to the journal separately and independently of Europe PubMed Central and the Europe PMC plus system.

Am I required to submit manuscripts to a particular set of journals?

No. Authors are free to publish their findings in any journal they choose. Authors can find out the publisher’s policy on open access and self-archiving for the chosen journal by using the SHERPA/RoMEO service. This site provides summaries of permissions that are normally given as part of each publisher's copyright transfer agreement. In addition, the funders of a research grant may offer guidance for authors on open access publishing (e.g. Wellcome, MRC).