Within academic publishing, preprints are a way of getting research out into the world as quickly as possible. This expedience is enabled by foregoing traditional peer review, a process which naturally raises doubts as to the legitimacy of preprints and authors who publish them.
While there are certain cons to preprints, publishing a preprint can have significant advantages for researchers.
What is a preprint?
A preprint is an early or “in-progress” version of an academic article, made freely available online prior to peer review and publication.
With preprints, authors are able to receive external, though unofficial, feedback on the current state of their work. This opens up the reviewing process, meaning that authors can receive constructive criticism and direction much earlier in the research process.
Preprints are also assigned a digital object identifier (DOI), meaning that they can be indexed in online databases for maximum visibility.
Now that we know some of the basics of preprints, let’s have a look at some of the pros and cons of publishing them.
Pros of publishing a preprint
Preprints have a myriad of benefits. From feedback to credibility, there are many ways in which preprints can have a positive impact on both authors and researchers, as well as the academic space in general.
Once they are uploaded, preprints undergo basic screening and are quickly made publicly available. They are usually given a unique identifier, such as a DOI (or a platform-specific ID). This public visibility means the preprint can be discovered and cited online. Researchers sometimes worry that this will trigger plagiarism detection during journal submission, potentially leading to rejection. However, with the growing acceptance of preprints, an increasing number of journals and publishers now recognize their value and have implemented clear policies to support their use.
Publication speed and research priority
Getting research out there as quickly as possible is a big priority for most researchers. As a researcher, becoming the first to publish on a specific topic or issue is important. Not only does it fill a gap in the knowledge, but it also establishes you as a credible source within your chosen research field. This research priority can help increase visibility and open up new opportunities for collaboration with other researchers.
Early feedback
As briefly touched upon, preprints open up the reviewing process by not being restricted to traditional peer review. While this may seem like a negative at first, foregoing the standard reviewing procedure has certain advantages.
The opportunity to receive early feedback is a big benefit of publishing a preprint. Since the preprint will be open access, the author is able to receive comments and reviews from readers around the world. Although the feedback may not be as extensive as that received during peer review, it still provides researchers with constructive criticism and highlights what is and isn’t working thus far in their research.
Screening and basic checks
There’s a common misconception that because preprints are not subject to peer review, this means that they aren’t screened at all.
However, preprints do undergo a screening phase with basic checks. This involves checks to make sure the preprint adheres to ethical requirements, as well as consultations by external academic editors.
Cons of publishing a preprint
While preprints have a lot of benefits, there are also unfortunately some downsides. Even though they are sometimes minor, it is important to understand the negative aspects of preprints.
No traditional peer review
The obvious con of publishing a preprint is the lack of peer review. This causes a lot of concern for authors, especially if they aren’t aware of the basic checks that preprints are still required to undergo.
Despite the lack of peer review, it’s still crucial that scientific research is checked before it enters the ecosystem. Scientific research directly impacts communities. It’s therefore necessary to ensure that nothing that could create ethical issues is given an open access platform.
Both screening and comments from readers both help to ensure that any errors can be addressed and the research improved.
Data and methods not yet vetted
Though preprints undergo basic checks, there’s no thorough and official vetting procedure. This means there is a risk of errors, incomplete data, or flawed analyses being present in a preprint. If left unnoticed, this could potentially lead to instances of misinformation circulating online.
Fortunately, because these preprints are easily accessible, such errors are often quickly spotted. Simply, when errors are found, they can be addressed by the authors and the preprint is updated to reflect this change.
Updated preprints have information about previous versions, so all updates are tracked.
Will Preprints Hinder Your Chances of Getting Published?
Many researchers worry that posting their work as a preprint might be considered duplicate publication. They might also worry that it will negatively affect later submissions to journals. The short answer is no. Different journals have different policies when it comes to accepting them. Preprints wont be considered prior to publication though, so keep that in mind.
Of course, the lack of peer review is a big concern for lots of researchers. However, foregoing traditional peer review doesn’t mean that you’re afraid of your research being criticized or proven wrong. At the end of the day, the fact is that publishing a preprint isn’t going to prevent you from getting published by a journal. In fact, there are many places where you can find lists of journals that are preprint friendly.
Going ahead and turning your research into a preprint, and doing so successfully, can highlight the confidence you have in your research integrity and authority. Publishing a preprint, so long as the research itself is strong, may benefit your future chances of publication success by generating engagement and excitement around your research.
Journals and policies for publishing a preprint
Not only that, but the early feedback gives you the chance to develop your argument before running into issues further down the line. A study of the top 100 clinical journals by impact factor found that 86% of these journals accept manuscripts that have already been posted as preprints. Another 13% evaluate these questions on a case-by-case basis. This particular research found that only one journal does not accept them at all.
A survey of 14 major academic publishers’ preprint policies found that the percentage with a formal preprint policy increased. It increased from 64% in 2017 to 93% by 2024. A major increase in less than ten years.
These publishers not only accept submissions that have been posted as preprints but often encourage them. Many also instruct their editors to exclude preprints from plagiarism checks during the peer review process. For example, Springer Nature explicitly supports preprint sharing, stating, “Posting a preprint is not considered prior publication and does not affect submission to Springer Nature journals.”
For more information on the positive impact of preprints, see our article on why preprints benefit research.
Learn more about Preprints.org
These trends reflect the growing recognition of preprints across the scholarly publishing landscape. Influential journals and publishers are leading the way, helping to shape broader academic norms.
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