• en
  • de
Contact

Preprints

Preprints: An introduction to publishing research prior to peer review

The image shows a close-up of a printer and serves as a symbolic image for the topic of preprints

The way in which scientists communicate their research results has changed considerably in recent decades. One of these changes is the increasing use of preprints. In this article, we will provide an overview of the concept of preprints, including their definition, characteristics, where to find them, the history of preprints and their relationship to open access and open science. Overlay journals will also be addressed as a publishing option.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Overview:

Preprints: Introduction to the topic

Preprints are versions of research papers that are published before peer review. They can be in various formats, including manuscripts, articles and technical reports. Preprints are published by researchers on preprint servers or in special repositories to make their work accessible to other researchers.

Importance of preprints for science

Preprints have become increasingly important in recent years as they allow researchers to disseminate their work more quickly and receive feedback from colleagues before submitting it to a peer review process. Preprints also enable free access to scientific information and thus promote the exchange of knowledge and collaboration between researchers. In some cases, they have become the standard for publication, for example in the life sciences, where the final versions of the articles sometimes differ considerably from the first version, not least because of the publication of preprints and the subsequent suggestions – also because errors and inconsistencies are often easier to check and correct here. In the humanities, but also in law, where the distinction between ‘true’ and ‘false’ is often more difficult, the texts often develop less dynamically – and therefore preprints are also less common here.

What are preprints? Definition of preprints

Preprints are drafts of research papers that are published before peer review. The term ‘preprint’ means ‘before going to press’ and refers to the fact that preprints have not yet been formally published. Preprints can be in various formats, including manuscripts of articles or entire books, but also technical reports and descriptions of experiments.

Difference between preprints and publications after peer review

The main difference between preprints and publications after peer review is that preprints have not (yet) gone through the peer review process. This means that they have not been reviewed and validated by other scientists in a formalised process. Publications after peer review, on the other hand, have usually been checked by other scientists (and often revised as a result of the review) and therefore have a higher degree of validity and reliability.

Preprints have both advantages and disadvantages, which are explained in more detail below

Advantages of preprints

• Faster dissemination of research results: Since preprints can be published before peer review, research results can be published much faster and thus made available to the scientific community. This is particularly important if the research findings are relevant and urgent, for example to tackle a public health crisis.
• Improved visibility: Preprints offer authors the opportunity to make their work accessible to a wider audience. Since preprints are freely available on many preprint servers that are largely accessible, they can be discovered and discussed by other researchers and the wider public, which can lead to higher visibility and potentially more citations.
• Improved collaboration: Preprints can help improve collaboration between researchers as they can encourage discussion and feedback on research findings. This allows researchers to collaborate more quickly and easily by sharing and discussing their research results and findings – even across disciplinary boundaries if necessary.
• Cost savings: Preprints can be a cost-effective alternative to traditional publication in scientific journals for authors. Since preprints are freely accessible on preprint servers, authors do not have to pay publishing fees in order to publish their work and disseminate their results.
• This makes the review process more transparent and ‘democratic’ because it is not always the same people who determine what is “good” and ‘right’. At best, by opening up the review, early input is possible, which can give new impetus to research.

Disadvantages of preprints

• Lack of peer review: The most obvious disadvantage of preprints is that they have not yet gone through the peer review process, which ensures that scientific work is of high quality and scientific integrity. There is therefore a risk that incorrect or incomplete research results will be published.
• Lack of verification: Preprints cannot always be considered verified scientific findings prior to peer review by experts in the respective field, as they have not been reviewed by experts in the field. Therefore, readers must critically evaluate preprints and carefully scrutinise their results before incorporating them into their own research.
• Risk of ‘scoop’: When researchers publish their work as a preprint, there is a risk that other researchers will steal or pick up their ideas and publish them more quickly, which can lead to a ‘scoop’. It is therefore important that researchers carefully consider the risks and benefits of preprints before publishing their work as a preprint.
• Risk of spreading false information: Preprints can lead to false information or misinformation being circulated before it can be checked and corrected. This can be a particular problem when preprints are published on controversial topics that receive widespread public attention.
• Potentially more difficult findability and accessibility: Researchers who publish their findings in the form of preprints often forego the services associated with the preparation of the content and its enrichment with so-called metadata (e.g. keywords, classifications and abstracts), which make this content easier to find. The same purpose is also served by integration into certain specialist journals, publication series or databases, through which the findings can be made more easily (permanently) accessible if necessary.

PreprintServer

In recent years, numerous preprint servers have emerged on which researchers can publish their research results prior to peer review. Most preprint servers offer free publication of preprints, which are then made publicly available. Here are some examples of preprint servers:

  • http://arXiv.org: This server was founded in 1991 and is one of the oldest and best-known preprint servers. It focuses mainly on the fields of mathematics, physics, computer science and biology. Originally based at Cornell University in the USA, the effort for arXiv.org is now borne by a large number of public and private supporters and sponsors.
  • http://bioRxiv.org : This server was founded in 2013 and focuses on biology and biomedicine.
  • http://medRxiv.org: This server was founded in 2019 and focuses on research in the field of medicine.
  • psyArXiv.org: This server was founded in 2016 and focuses on the fields of psychology and cognitive neuroscience.

There are also other preprint servers that focus on specific research areas. Some preprint servers also have additional functions such as the option to comment on or rate preprints.

The various preprint servers differ in terms of the type of published research results, acceptance criteria and quality assurance. Some preprint servers only allow the publication of preprints submitted by scientists working at an institution, while other preprint servers are accessible to everyone.

What all preprint servers have in common is that they are not really ‘free’, even if authors and users do not have to pay any fees. However, the effort required to set up the servers and ‘maintain’ the content must be financed – which would not be possible without the (financial) support of academic institutions such as individual universities or research funders.
This is also confirmed by projects such as Zenodo: this is an open access repository that offers an alternative way of publishing preprints. Zenodo is operated by the European nuclear research centre CERN and is free and open to everyone. It provides a platform where researchers can share and publish their scientific results, including preprints.
Zenodo enables researchers to easily publish their work and make it accessible to others without having to adhere to the strict requirements of scientific journals. It also offers the possibility to share research data and code.

History of preprints

The idea of preprints emerged in the 1960s when photocopiers became widely available. Researchers began reproducing their research findings and sending them to colleagues before submitting them for publication in a journal. In the 1990s, as the internet became more widespread, the first preprint servers emerged, such as http://arXiv.org.

Since then, preprint servers have become an important component of scientific publishing. They offer researchers a way to publish their work quickly and cost-effectively and allow others to access the latest research results before they are published in a journal.

Preprints and Open Science

The Open Science movement strives to open up science to everyone and to improve the quality and efficiency of scientific research. Preprints are an important part of this movement, as they enable the rapid and free dissemination of research results.

In Open Science, researchers are endeavouring to expand and improve the boundaries of traditional scientific communication. Preprints offer a way to share results and findings quickly. By publishing preprints, researchers can reach a wider audience and make scientific findings transparent and accessible.

Overlay Journals

Overlay journals are a newer type of scientific journal that use preprints as the starting point for the peer review process. These journals are usually available online and are a supplement to the existing traditional scientific journals.
An overlay journal collects preprints on a specific topic and initiates a peer-review process to select those high-quality papers that are then published as part of the journal. The advantage of overlay journals is that they combine the speed of preprint servers with the review and validation by a peer review process, providing an alternative way to publish preprints that have been reviewed and validated by the peer review process.
Thus, overlay journals are also an important step towards open science. They facilitate the publication of research results and make the peer review process more transparent.
An example of an overlay journal is the ‘Journal of Brief Ideas’, which collects preprints of short articles and subjects them to a rapid peer review process before they are published as part of the journal.

Concluding remarks

Preprints are an important development in science communication as they provide a quick and efficient way to share and discuss research results. They have a long history and have played an important role in the scientific community over the years.

The future of preprints looks promising as they make an important contribution to the Open Science movement by making scientific knowledge transparent and accessible. With the growing number of preprint servers and the emergence of new overlay journals, preprints are expected to become even more embedded in the scientific community and fundamentally change the way we share and discuss research results.