2025 was a special year for Preprints.org. It was a year shaped by many shared moments with our authors, readers, and the wider research community.
After launching the new version of Preprints.org at the end of 2024, 2025 felt like the beginning of a new chapter. Every improvement we made aimed to support researchers in sharing their work openly more easily, discovering new ideas, and engaging in transparent scientific discussion. By fostering feedback and collaboration, we continue to advocate for open science and help research move forward together.
With that in mind, here is a look back at what 2025 looked like for Preprints.org and our community.
2025 at a Glance in Numbers
100,000 Preprints Shared
In June 2025, the 100,000th preprint was posted on Preprints.org. This milestone belongs to our authors, readers, Advisory Board members, and screeners, whose time and trust make open sharing possible every day.
9+ Million Downloads and 5+ Million Views
In 2025, preprints on Preprints.org received over 9 million downloads and 5 million views, our highest annual numbers since launching in 2016. It is encouraging to see so many researchers turning to the platform to read, share, and engage with the latest work.
27 New Members and 300+ Advisors
Our Advisory Board continued to grow in 2025, with 27 new members joining during the year. Now, 300+ Advisory Board members support the screening process across disciplines and help maintain research quality on Preprints.org.
If you are interested in advocating for preprints in your field and open research, you are welcome to apply and join our Advisory Board.
Connecting Through Events and Beyond Posting Preprints
Posting preprints is just the beginning. We care deeply about what happens after a paper goes live: how it is read, discussed, and shared. In 2025, we created more spaces for connection beyond only posting preprints, bringing researchers together through events, conversations, and new ways to explore knowledge.
World Book Day 2025: Discovering Research Together
On World Book Day 2025, we introduced our new Reading List feature alongside a community event. The event highlighted how curated reading lists can support research discovery and spark knowledge exchange, and it reminded us why shared knowledge sits at the core of research progress. You can explore the popular reading lists chosen by our community here.
Open Access Week 2025: Who Has a Voice in Open Science?
This year, Preprints.org joined International Open Access Week by hosting our first webinar on October 13, titled “Who Has a Voice in Open Science?”, which was joined by open access advocates from PREreview, Rippling Ideas, ASAPbio, and the African Reproducibility Network. Together we explored how knowledge sharing can be more inclusive, equitable, and impactful.
If you missed the session, you can watch the recording anytime on YouTube.
Researcher Voices: The People Behind the Preprints
In 2025, we launched the Researcher Voices interview series to highlight the people behind the preprints. We spoke with researchers from different disciplines, regions, and career stages about how they use preprints and what open science means to them.
This year, we featured five inspiring voices from the research community:
- Advancing Open Science: An Interview with Prof. Youhe Gao
- A Conversation with Prof. Dr. Giustino Varrassi
- From Tradition to Preprints: An Interview with Dr. Jonathan H. Westover
- A Conversation with Prof. Abhinandan R. Patil
- Prof. Fahmi Decodes the Value of Preprints
Staying Connected Across Social Media
We also expanded our presence on social media and stayed active across LinkedIn, Facebook, Bluesky, X, WeChat, Sciencenet, and Zhihu. These platforms allow us to share popular research, discuss preprints in scholarly publishing, and, most importantly, listen to your thoughts and feedback.
Helping Researchers Request Community Feedback
We continued to focus on making Preprints.org easier and more enjoyable to use, whether you are submitting a manuscript or exploring the latest research.
In April, we integrated the Request PREreview feature into the user dashboard, making it simpler for researchers to request community feedback directly on their preprints. You can learn more about how it works here.
A Clearer, More Comfortable Reading Experience
We also refreshed the article page layout, improving readability and navigation so readers can focus on the research itself.
Keeping an Eye on Policy Changes
Beyond our own community, we also pay close attention to what is happening across the wider preprint landscape. In 2025, preprints continued to gain recognition from funders and research organizations around the world.
For researchers, this matters. Policies signal the same message: sharing research early is not only accepted, it is encouraged. To help you stay informed and confident when posting preprints, we have highlighted three policy updates from 2025 below.
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Foundation expanded its open access policy to require funded research shared as preprints before peer review, effective from January 1, 2025. This reinforces preprints as a standard step in research dissemination.
- Preprint Policy Framework (ASAPbio & Creative Commons)
On July 16, ASAPbio and Creative Commons, working with major research funders including the Gates Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, introduced a shared framework for how preprints should be disseminated. This framework represents a growing alignment around best practices for responsible and preprint sharing.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
HHMI announced its Immediate Access to Research policy in September 2025. The policy requires preprints with no reuse restrictions to be shared as the initial research output, with full enforcement beginning January 1, 2026.
We will continue to follow these policy updates closely and share timely updates on our blog so you can stay up to date with the evolving publishing landscape.
Goodbye 2025, Hello 2026
As 2025 comes to an end, Preprints.org is stepping into its 10th year. Nearly a decade of sharing open access research would not be possible without the researchers, readers, Advisory Board members, screeners, and our partners who make this community what it is.
Thank you for being part of the journey in 2025. We are excited to keep building, learning, and sharing open knowledge with you in the years ahead.
