Tipsheets and FAQs

What is a PMCID?

A PubMed Central ID is a unique number assigned to journal articles in PubMed Central. The NIH Open Access Policy requires NIH-funded researchers to include the PMCID in citations for deposited articles when referencing them in NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports.

The PMCID can be found in PubMed Central in the search result list, and in PubMed in the AbstractPlus view:

Notice that the PMCID starts with the letters "PMC", and is not the same number as the PMID.

To use a PMCID with the UT HSC Link tool, simply copy and paste the PMCID (including the letters PMC) into the generator at http://link.uthscsa.edu. You can also generate your own link by adding the PMCID on to the end of http://link.uthscsa.edu/ -- for example: http://link.uthscsa.edu/PMC225897