- May I submit many post submission items, or only one?
- Why is there a 30-day cutoff for notification that a paper has been accepted?
- Will NIH accept articles that have been accepted for publication?
- Why aren’t late-breaking research findings allowed as post-submission material?
- May I submit newly-received patent approvals relevant to my application as post-submission materials?
- Must the letter of acceptance and/or the full article accepted be submitted as post-submission material?
May I submit many post submission items, or only one?
An investigator may submit any number of such items, but must follow the page limits specified in the policy. That is, for post-submission materials that are not required on a form page, and are not covered by one of the exceptions such as an RFA or institutional training mechanism, each explanation or letter is limited to one page. Therefore, if a research team lost a member after the application was submitted, and the PD/PI wanted to replace that individual with two substitute personnel, he could submit a one-page explanation and biographical sketch for each new person, plus a revised budget page(s).
Allowable Post-Submission Materials are listed in the NIH Policy NOT-OD-23-106. Post-submission materials must be received by the NIH Scientific Review Officer (SRO) no later than 30 calendar days prior to the peer review meeting, unless specified otherwise in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
Why is there a 30-day cutoff for notification that a paper has been accepted?
The purpose of the policy is to provide an even playing field across the agency, types of applications, and study sections in terms of when the reviewers have access to information and in terms of the types of information they receive. The thirty-day window before a review meeting is time when reviewers are concentrating on the applications and their critiques, and SROs are making preparations for the meetings. In most cases, reviewers are asked to submit their preliminary critiques, criterion scores, and impact scores a week before the meeting.
Will NIH accept articles that have been accepted for publication?
NIH will accept news of all articles that were accepted for publication after the application was submitted and are relevant to the proposed project. News of an article accepted for publication since submission of the application must include only: a list of the authors and their institutional affiliations, the title of the article, and the journal or citation (if available).
Copies of articles, links to articles, or any other materials related to an article accepted for publication will not be accepted as post-submission materials, unless specified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for which the application was submitted or a special Guide Notice.
Why aren’t late-breaking research findings allowed as post-submission material?
In most cases, the time from submission to the review meeting date is two-three months, and reviewers gain access to the applications five-six weeks before the review meeting date. Therefore, only a few weeks are left in that window in which new data could be gathered, analyzed, and submitted.
May I submit newly-received patent approvals relevant to my application as post-submission materials?
Yes. The AOR and PI may submit citations of issued patents as post-submission materials, but copies of patent applications or patents, or any other materials related to a patent application or granted patent will not be accepted as post-submission materials, unless specific in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for which the application was submitted or in a special Guide Notice. See: NOT-OD-19-083 for the recommended citation format.
Must the letter of acceptance and/or the full article accepted be submitted as post-submission material?
No. News of an article accepted for publication since submission of the application, which must include only:
- List of authors and institutional affiliations
- Title of the article
- Journal or citation (if available)
Copies of articles, links to articles, or any other materials related to an article accepted for publication will not be accepted as post-submission materials, unless specified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for which the application was submitted or a special Guide Notice.
