What Is a PMCID?
Looking for the full method? Read the detailed guide: PubMed vs PubMed Central vs MEDLINE.
A PMCID is the identifier given to an article that is available in PubMed Central (PMC), the free full-text archive of biomedical and life-sciences articles run by the National Library of Medicine. It begins with "PMC" followed by digits.
Example
Illustrative format only: PMC1234567. If an article has a PMCID, you can open its free full text in PMC. Some funders ask authors to cite a PMCID for articles resulting from their funding, depending on their policies.
Common misunderstanding
A PMCID is different from a PMID. The PMID identifies the PubMed citation record; the PMCID identifies the full-text version in PMC. A paper can have a PMID without a PMCID.
Learn more
See PubMed vs PubMed Central vs MEDLINE for how the three resources relate.
References and further reading
Related reading
This page is general educational information about research methods. It is not medical, legal or regulatory advice; follow your institution's ethics board and your target journal's instructions.