Making Your Research Public
Researchers have a responsibility to share their findings through scholarly journals. All research projects, from their inception, should move toward the eventual goal of publication as a means to drive further scientific advancement.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires that an author's final version of any peer-reviewed journal article resulting from NIH-funded activities be submitted to the PubMed Central (PMC) repository. PMC reference numbers (PMCIDs) are part of the mandatory Public Access Law and are required for citation in future NIH grant applications. Lack of compliance with this law may result in a delay of Notices of Award for future grants. Additionally, anyone submitting an application, proposal, or report to the NIH must include the PMCID when citing applicable papers. Complete information about this requirement can be found in the guidance NIH Public Access Policy.
Note: PMCID is not the same as the PubMed ID (PMID). PubMed Central is an index of full-text papers; PubMed is an index of abstracts. The PMCID links to papers in PubMed Central, while the PM ID links to abstracts in PubMED. Learn more from NIH.
Federal law requires applicable clinical trials to register with ClinicalTrials.gov. Clinical trials required to register per the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act, Section 801, or the NIH Policy on the Dissemination of NIH-Funded Clinical Trial Information must be submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov no later than 21 calendar days following the study start (initiation) date. Studies that may be subject to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Clinical Trial Registration Policy must be registered prior to informed consent of the first participant. Please contact CTgov@pitt.edu to initiate the clinical trial registration process or for further assistance.
The University of Pittsburgh Research Conduct and Compliance Office compiled a registration tip sheet to provide guidance.
Please note that the NIH definition of clinical trial has expanded in recent years. Further guidance in determining if your research meets the definition can be found here.
Published manuscripts from faculty in the schools of the health sciences are required to be sent to the Senior Vice Chancellor via the online Publication Notification Form at the time of submission for publication.
If you received services through the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) that contributed to the scientific knowledge disseminated in publications, please acknowledge CTSI with the following citation:
The project described was supported by the National Institutes of Health through Grant Number UL1TR001857.
Guidelines for the Responsible Conduct of Research
This document, from the Pitt Office of Research Integrity, provides a wealth of information regarding University of Pittsburgh research guidelines, including critical information about plagiarism and publication.
Use of University Name, Logos, Trademarks, Service Marks, and Oversight of the Quality of Goods or Services with which they are Associated
The document details the University of Pittsburgh’s policies on the use of University-owned services, materials, and images.
Guidelines on Academic Integrity - Student and Faculty Obligations
This document provides information on the University of Pittsburgh’s policies regarding plagiarism and other issues of academic integrity.
Use of UPMC Name, Logo, and Tagline
This document details UPMC policies related to the use of UPMC-owned language and images.
Intellectual Property
This site explains relevant UPMC policies related to the use of UPMC intellectual property.
iThenticate
iThenticate is used by federal government agencies such as the National Science Foundation to check for instances of plagiarism in submitted proposals. The Office of Research creates and maintains iThenticate accounts on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh research community. A registration form is located here.
University of Pittsburgh Writing Center
This is a free service offered by University of Pittsburgh providing writing assistance to students, faculty, and staff.
Authorship
Issues relating to authorship of scholarly articles are addressed in the Guidelines for Responsible Conduct of Research.
Office of Research, Health Sciences
For grant writing assistance faculty in the schools of the health sciences may contact Jeremy Somers at somersj@pitt.edu.
The Health Sciences Library System (HSLS)
HSLS offers information services, educational opportunities, and resources in print and electronic format to faculty, students, and researchers in the Schools of the Health Sciences. To find out more about HSLS services that can complement your publication efforts, please refer to the HSLS overview.