How long does it take to get a PMCID?
Answer
According to communications from NIHMS, it takes 6-8 weeks for a paper to move from the initial submission and PDF approval to the point of PMCID assignment. However, it has been the library's experience that this process can take up to 8-12 weeks, with reduced NIH staffing, government shut-downs, and slow or missing author approvals leading to additional delays. It is critical that the reviewing author closely monitor their email for notifications from NIHMS to ensure these are completed in a timely manner.
Note that the updated NIH Public Access Policy now requires NIH-funded papers accepted July 1, 2025 and later to be made publicly available in PubMed Central immediately upon publication. Waiting until (or after) publication to submit to PubMed Central will mean your paper will not be compliant. To comply, you should be submitting your accepted author manuscript immediately upon acceptance in order to allow time for PMCID assignment to be completed by the time the paper is officially published.