Preprints
Preprints
“A preprint is a scholarly manuscript posted by the author(s) in an openly accessible platform, usually before or in parallel with the peer review process”.
Quote from: COPE discussion document on preprints
Although this goes against the commonly accepted paradigm of only making research results publicly available after they have been peer-reviewed, the use of preprints has some advantages compared to the traditional publication pathway. Already common practice in fields as physics and mathematics, the preprint practice is now also accepted in a variety of other fields, in part facilitated by a reduced resistance by traditional publishers, the availability of discipline-specific preprint platforms and the increased support of funders.
Advantages of preprints
Preprints provide researchers with the opportunity to share their findings in a much faster way, allowing to inform peers and colleagues of the work and the results, thereby avoiding being dependent on the review process which can harper timely dissemination.
Moreover, given the open access character of the publication, authors that publish preprints have the possibility to receive broader feedback on the work as this will not be limited to the typical 2-3 reviewers that are assigned to review a paper in traditional peer review. This community-driven feedback can be used to revise the work before submitting the work to a traditional journal. Getting the work out in the open, might also facilitate getting in touch with other researchers working on the topic, potentially leading to collaborations and further improvement of the paper.
In addition, as most preprints are assigned a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), the research can be cited and credit for the work can be claimed. The work thus becomes part of the scholarly record, meaning authors do not have to fear that their work will be scooped as the preprint can be shown to demonstrate who was first.
Finally, preprints may provide a dissemination route for research that encounters problems to be published in a traditional way. Examples are publications with negative data or research that is deemed of low priority because not innovative enough (e.g. replication studies). Just because journals are not interested this does not mean that the results are not relevant to the research community. Here preprints may provide a way out, preventing the money and time spent on the research to go to waste.
One of the most often heard concerns arguing against preprints is that the format accepts work that does not meet the same quality criteria compared to traditional publishing, thereby giving a forum for the propagation of low-quality research and questionable research practices. When such publications become available to and are taken up by the research community and/or society, the research might have a negative impact, for example on public health.
It is therefore of utmost importance that researchers are aware of the potential impact of their publication and take the necessary measures to deliver a high-quality product. Publishing as a preprint should not be an excuse to cut corners. Again, the same quality standards as for regular publishing apply.
Can I still submit to a traditional journal?
Just because it is available as a preprint in many cases does not prevent the work subsequently to be submitted to, reviewed by and finally published in a traditional journal. However, when doing this authors should be aware of potential copyright restrictions and are advised to acknowledge the existence of the first version upon submission of the work for peer review. In addition, upon acceptance and publication of the work in a traditional journal, a clear link should be made between the preprint and the journal version of the work, this to illustrate the evolution of the research and to direct readers towards the final, peer-reviewed version of the work which will receive a different DOI than the preprint.
Where to publish preprints?
Some examples of well know disciplinary preprint servers are:
- SocArXiv (social sciences)
- PsyArXiv (psychology)
- medRxiv (health sciences)
- ChemRxiv (chemistry)
- arXiv (focus on, but not limited to physics and mathematics)
- bioRxiv (biological sciences)
OSF Preprints is designed for any researchers in any field to share their work.