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PubMed/NCBI Personal Account Changes

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Please check back often!  This page will be updated as new information is released!
Current as of March 25, 2022

Changes Coming to PubMed/NCBI Accounts

The way you log in to your NCBI account (i.e. PubMed account) is changing.
  • When you create a personal account in PubMed, it is part of a larger system called an NCBI account
  • NCBI accounts now require users to login using a 3rd party. 
  • These are called "federated credentials" and include systems like OSU, eRA Commons, ORCiD, Google, and more.
  • NCBI will no longer manage accounts directly.  So if you have an NCBI-managed account (an account that you created directly within NCBI), you will need to switch to using one of the other 3rd party systems using the instructions below. 
    • NCBI has launched a Password Retirement Wizard to help you ensure your account is set up (link below).
    • As of January 2022, the Password Retirement Wizard is required.  You will not be able to access your NCBI account without going through the password retirement process.
    • All remaining NCBI accounts that have not been migrated to a 3rd party log in will be retired June 2022, and users will have to go through an account recovery process to access them.
  • These changes only affect the way you login to your personal PubMed/NCBI account and the username/password you use.  They do not affect how you access or use PubMed otherwise, or how you access full-text.

To learn more about these changes, check out the links below:

Link Your PubMed/NCBI Account to Another System

If you already have an NCBI account and you want to link it up to another 3rd party system, use the NCBI Password Retirement Wizard tool, or follow the instructions below.


To see or update what 3rd party credentials you have associated with your account:

  • After signing in to NCBI, click on your username in the top right-hand corner and select Account Settings.
  • Within the box "Linked Accounts", click on "Change".
  • Use the search box to find a 3rd party system to use.  The HSL recommends using OSU (search for Ohio) as the simplest option, however you can also use ORCiD, eRA Commons, Google, or others.
    • If you will be leaving OSU, you should make sure to update your account to include a non-OSU login option
  • Enter the appropriate credentials to login to this new system.
  • You should now see your new 3rd party system listed under Linked Accounts.