A preprint is an early or “in-progress” version of an academic article, made freely available online prior to peer review and publication. The ongoing nature of a preprint makes it easier for authors to update their research. These updates may include additional information to report or feedback and comments from others. This updating of a preprint is what we call “versioning”.
Alongside preprints, which are made available before peer review, there are also the post-peer-review manuscript types: postprints and version of record. Here, we’ll delve into what distinguishes all these different types of manuscripts.
Versioning and how preprints use it
Preprints are markedly different from peer-reviewed articles. The content of a peer-reviewed article is unable to be changed post-publication. However, a preprint is free to be revised and updated.
Preprints are uploaded to online servers and are assigned a DOI upon submission, and these servers track each update and retain previous versions of preprints. As your work evolves, update the preprint to reflect new data or insights. Versioning ensures transparency in your research development, helps preserve a complete research record, and enables the community to stay current with your findings.
If an editorially significant change is made to a paper, you may need to issue a separate document (indicating a correction or retraction notice) that explains the change. This separate document will have a different DOI than that assigned when the preprint was uploaded, as well as different metadata to the original preprint.
Because there is a great deal of information available from the Preprints.org site, we encourage further reading if you have more questions about updates and versions.
Benefits of versioning
Versioning gives a clear indication of how your research develops over time. It may also provide a timestamp of research priority, helping prevent the potential “scooping” of ideas by other researchers.
Another key benefit that preprints and versioning grants authors is flexibility. Think of a preprint and its numerous versions as an opportunity to test and develop your ideas before committing to peer review. Because once you submit your paper for peer review, the changes you make will be in line with comments from external reviewers. While helpful, you’ll still largely be constricted to the framework of your thesis at the point of submission.
Versioning, then, ensures the academic paper remains open to adjustments. In a world where ideas and theories are constantly being challenged or developed due to the influx of important research, this openness allows the paper to easily accommodate up-to-date findings.
Additionally, these different versions invite early feedback from others. Given the open nature of preprints, anyone worldwide can access them via online servers and provide comments on platforms like Preprints.org. This external insight into your research can help steer your research in the right direction. In turn, this allows you to identify theoretical blind spots before it’s too late.
Postprints
Postprints refer to the final version authors send to publishers or journals after peer review but before official publication. They are also known as the author manuscript, author version, author accepted version, final author version, or author accepted manuscript (AAM).
Postprints are openly accessible papers that have been accepted for publication but have yet to undergo the process. In the meantime, postprints are usually made available beforehand via institutional repositories (usually those affiliated with the author(s)) or online indexes.
The main purpose of postprints is to ensure that the research community has access to pioneering research in advance. The publication process can be long, sometimes taking up to a year. It’s important that research, after its validation via external reviewers, is made available as soon as possible. This helps keep the research ecosystem running smoothly and beneficially.
Version of record
The version of record is what is more commonly known as the final version or published version. This finalized document will have undergone typesetting and formatting in addition to peer review.
The version of record may also be referred to as the publisher’s PDF. The publisher usually owns a significant part of the copyright to the final material. Before going ahead with the publication, authors should be aware of the rights they are handing over to the publisher.
By agreeing to the official publication of your research, you release your work to the academic world. This means that you’re certain that it does justice to your theories in its final form.
When released, the version of record functions to organize all the preceding versions. It demonstrates the many stages of your research on the road to publication.
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