NIH citation format: how to cite your publications in NIH applications
NIH doesn’t prescribe a citation style, but it does have rules: which identifiers a citation must carry, where links are allowed, and where citations can go at all under the new biosketch forms. Here is what applies, with an example you can copy.
Last reviewed September 18, 2026
Is there an official NIH citation style?
No. NIH’s application guide says it does not require a specific citation format, and any standard style is acceptable. If your institution has no house style, use the National Library of Medicine’s format (from Citing Medicine): it is what SciENcv uses for biosketches, so your citations will match across documents. What NIH does care about is below.
What a citation has to include
The PMCID, for papers covered by the Public Access Policy
When you cite a paper in an NIH application, proposal or progress report, and that paper falls under the Public Access Policy, was authored or co-authored by you, and arose from NIH support, the citation must include its PMCID — the PubMed Central reference number, such as PMC1234567. The PMID alone is not enough; the two are different identifiers.
If a paper has been deposited in PubMed Central but hasn’t received its PMCID yet, the NIH Manuscript Submission ID (NIHMSID) can be used temporarily in its place. Once the PMCID is assigned, use that instead.
Authors
NIH’s formatting guidance allows “et al.” rather than listing every author. Some institutions and reviewers still prefer the full list, so check your department’s practice — and make sure your own name is visible either way.
No hyperlinks, unless the funding opportunity allows them
Applications must be self-contained, so hyperlinks and URLs are only allowed where the funding opportunity specifically says so. Identifiers such as PMIDs, PMCIDs and DOIs are fine as plain text. Where a link is allowed, show the actual URL rather than hiding it behind other text.
An example
A journal article in NLM style, with its identifiers. (The paper and its numbers are made up.)
Smith JA, Lee K, Patel R. Title of the article. J Example Res. 2024;12(3):145-52. doi: 10.1000/example.2024.012. PubMed PMID: 38000000; PMCID: PMC1234567.
The parts, in order:
- Authors, surname then initials without full stops, separated by commas.
- Title of the article.
- Journal, abbreviated as in PubMed (the NLM abbreviation).
- Year;volume(issue):pages, with the page range abbreviated (145-52, not 145-152).
- Identifiers: DOI, PMID and — where the policy applies — the PMCID.
Where your citations go
- Biosketch: since January 2026 it is prepared in SciENcv, and only the Common Form’s section C, “Products”, takes citations — up to ten. SciENcv formats them for you from your My Bibliography or ORCID record; see how to add your publications to SciENcv. The Biographical Sketch Supplement takes no citations.
- Bibliography & References Cited: the references for your research strategy, in the style of your choice, with PMCIDs where the policy applies.
- Progress reports: publications arising from the award are reported through My NCBI, where their public access status is checked.
Common mistakes
- Giving the PMID where a PMCID is required. They are different numbers; a paper can have a PMID and no PMCID.
- Mixing styles across sections of one application, usually from pasting citations from different sources. Export them from one place.
- Links to the paper in an application whose funding opportunity doesn’t allow them.
- An outdated NIHMSID for a paper that has since received its PMCID.