PubMed Central

Definition

PubMed Central (PMC) is a free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature, operated by the National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM). It serves as an alternative form of copyright by providing open access to peer-reviewed research articles and manuscripts.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. PubMed Central provides free and unrestricted access to biomedical and life sciences literature, making research more accessible to the public.
2. The content in PubMed Central includes peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and other research materials submitted by participating publishers and authors.
3. Participation in PubMed Central is voluntary for publishers, but the NIH Public Access Policy mandates that research funded by the NIH must be deposited in PMC within 12 months of publication.
4. PubMed Central serves as an alternative to traditional copyright by allowing authors to retain certain rights over their work, such as the ability to share and reuse the content.
5. The PubMed Central platform is managed by the National Library of Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health, and is considered a reliable and authoritative source of biomedical information.

Review Questions

• Explain how PubMed Central serves as an alternative form of copyright.
  • PubMed Central provides an alternative to traditional copyright by allowing authors to retain certain rights over their work, such as the ability to share and reuse the content. This open access model makes research more accessible to the public, as PubMed Central offers free and unrestricted access to peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and other biomedical and life sciences literature. The voluntary participation of publishers, combined with the NIH Public Access Policy, which requires NIH-funded research to be deposited in PMC, contributes to the alternative copyright framework established by this digital archive.
• Describe the role of peer-review in the content featured on PubMed Central.
  • The content in PubMed Central includes peer-reviewed journal articles, which means the research has been evaluated by other experts in the same field to ensure the quality, validity, and relevance of the work before it is published. This peer-review process is a crucial component of the scholarly publication process and helps to maintain the integrity and reliability of the information available on PubMed Central. The inclusion of peer-reviewed materials in this open access repository enhances the credibility and trustworthiness of the resources provided to the public, making PubMed Central a valuable source of authoritative biomedical and life sciences information.
• Analyze the significance of the NIH Public Access Policy in relation to the content and purpose of PubMed Central.
  • The NIH Public Access Policy plays a pivotal role in the content and purpose of PubMed Central. By mandating that research funded by the NIH must be deposited in PMC within 12 months of publication, the policy ensures that a significant portion of the biomedical and life sciences literature is made freely available to the public through this open access repository. This policy helps to align the goals of PubMed Central, which is to provide unrestricted access to peer-reviewed research, with the broader objectives of the National Institutes of Health to advance scientific knowledge and improve public health. The combination of voluntary publisher participation and the NIH Public Access Policy contributes to the alternative copyright framework established by PubMed Central, making it a crucial resource for accessing and disseminating cutting-edge biomedical research.

Related terms

Open Access:

Open access refers to the practice of providing unrestricted online access to scholarly publications, allowing anyone to read, download, and distribute the content without financial, legal, or technical barriers.

Peer-Review: Peer-review is the evaluation of scholarly work by other experts in the same field to ensure the quality, validity, and relevance of the research before it is published.

NIH Public Access Policy: The NIH Public Access Policy requires scientists to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to the digital archive PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication.