NBME is committed to open access as a fundamental principle for maximizing the global impact and accessibility of scholarly research.

Open Access Policy: All articles published in NBME journals are immediately and permanently available through unrestricted online access. No subscription fees, registration requirements, or access barriers restrict reader access to published content. This commitment extends to all supplementary materials, data sets, and multimedia content associated with articles.

Licensing Framework: All open access articles are published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY) licenses, which permit:

• Unrestricted sharing and redistribution in any medium or format
• Adaptation, transformation, and building upon the material for any purpose
• Commercial use without additional permission requirements
• Attribution as the sole requirement for use

Author Rights: Authors retain copyright ownership of their published work while granting NBME non-exclusive rights for publication and distribution. Authors may:

• Deposit articles in institutional or disciplinary repositories
• Share articles through academic social networks and personal websites
• Use articles for teaching, conference presentations, and grant applications
• Create derivative works including translations and adaptations
• Exercise all rights consistent with CC BY licensing terms

Technical Infrastructure: Open access delivery is supported by robust technical infrastructure including:

• Globally distributed content delivery networks ensuring rapid access worldwide
• Mobile-optimized platforms supporting access across all device types
• Integration with major academic search engines and discovery services
• Comprehensive metadata distribution to bibliographic databases
• DOI registration ensuring permanent linking and citation capability

Preservation Commitment: NBME guarantees long-term preservation and access through multiple preservation strategies including partnerships with LOCKSS networks, institutional repository agreements, and professional archiving services. In the event of business discontinuation, arrangements ensure content migration to appropriate repositories maintaining perpetual access.