Moving scientific research forward means leaning into innovation and collaboration. The often lengthy publication process is a barrier to quickly getting research out into the world. This is where preprints come in.
A preprint is not an official publication. Instead, it is a publicly available scholarly output uploaded to an online site or repository, with free online access. Preprints provide early access to research outputs that have not yet been peer reviewed by a journal. These papers can be cited by others, just as with published articles.
There is increased acceptance of preprints in academic publishing. Still, some may have questions about their validity. This blog will provide an overview of how preprints fit into and impact the broader context of academic research.
What is a preprint and how do they work?
A preprint is not a finished product but is a “work in progress.” By posting a preprint at this stage, others can offer a kind of unofficial external assessment while the article is under peer review.
Preprints are not officially vetted through the peer-review process. But, as published in The Lancet, studies have shown that “the discrepancy between preprints and peer-reviewed articles is small and the quality of reporting is within comparable range.” There is high reliability between the datasets used for the preprint and those in the final published version.
An author uploads their manuscript onto an online preprint server. After a brief screening process, it is then open to be read, downloaded, and shared. Those who engage with the work can also provide early comments. Authors may find it useful to incorporate some of these perspectives into their work at this stage.
Updated versions of many preprints will be peer reviewed and published within a few years. The time between a preprint upload and publication can be spent improving the material. Then, the published version can be linked to the preprint originally posted.
Of course, because preprints have not yet been finalized for publication, some errors may be present. But minor changes to a preprint can be made through online systems.
What is the impact of preprints?
Preprints offer important benefits, including increasing visibility and attention, receiving early feedback, and establishing priority of discoveries and ideas.
The publication process can be slow, sometimes painstakingly so. Preprints offer an alternative to get scholarly research out into the world before it is officially evaluated.
The impact of preprints on citation counts and audience engagement is clear. Articles with a preprint version often receive more citations and reach a broader audience. This is partly because they are open access and publicly available online.
In brief, the benefits and impact of preprints are significant, including the following:
- Establishes priority of discoveries and ideas;
- Quick dissemination of work;
- Increases visibility and citations of academic work;
- Opportunity to receive early feedback;
- Increases flow of scientific information.
Posting a preprint on an online platform provides the opportunity to receive feedback in real time from others in the field before publication. The increased flow of scientific information encourages collaboration and community-driven research. Preprints make research easier to access and share more readily, increasing its visibility and reach. And open access publishing has opened up even more opportunities for wide-ranging access to research.
Along with these benefits, there are some areas for caution, including the following:
- No peer review;
- Limited ethical oversight;
- Data and methods not yet fully vetted;
- Increases volume of information.
There is an understandable concern about sharing research before a full peer review. However, it is also important to note that most preprint platforms do perform basic checks for ethical requirements and bring in academic editors to consult.
This is really important in the context of scientific research because it directly impacts communities. For example, health research may be an area where the use of preprints can have negative impacts if data and conclusions are released prematurely.
How do you cite preprint?
As with any academic research, it is important to properly cite the academic work used. The main difference to citing preprints is to label them as such in the reference list.
Different publishers or organizations may have specific formatting guidelines for different kinds of non-peer-reviewed references, like personal communications and dissertations, as well as preprints. This information is usually available on their website.
Most publishers accept preprints for use in publications. It is a good idea to check if they need to be cited or formatted in a certain way. This will likely include the name of the preprint server and the date of the most recent version posted.
There are suggested citation formats for preprints in common citation styles. For more information, you can refer to the National Library of Medicine’s guidelines.
