What is a preprint
A preprint is a version of a scientific article that has been published before going through the formal peer review process.
Preprints are used to share research results with the community quickly and allow authors to get feedback from other scientists.
Publication is required by some funders.
This format is particularly used in fields such as biology, physics and medicine where there is a need to respond quickly to discoveries and trends.
Read more: https://openscience.lib.cas.cz/en/open-access/preprints/
Preprint servers
They are usually available on specialised platforms – preprint servers that support open access.
BioRxiv: an open repository of preprints for life sciences
ASAPbio: for biological and environmental sciences.
ChemRxiv: open access preprint repository for chemical science
arXiv: repository of preprints in physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, statistics, electrical engineering and systems science.
Overview of preprint servers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_preprint_repositories
https://doapr.coar-repositories.org/repositories/
Preprints in ASEP
ASEP also has a new document type – Preprint, Form X.
It is used to store preprints and assigns a handle identifier to these records. It is indicated that the record is a preprint: a non-peer-reviewed paper.
After a paper is published, the preprint record can be linked to the published paper, a data record with attached scientific data stored in ASEP or with scientific data stored in another repository.
Important: It is essential to ensure that papers are deposited as preprints that are of sufficient quality to be submitted for formal peer review and that only papers that do not conflict with the publication policy of the individual institute are deposited.
Instructions for submitting preprints here.
Preprints and publishers
Policies by publishers:
All open-access journals accept preprint submissions. Over the last decade, most subscriber journals have joined, but publishers‘ policies are often vague or ill-defined.
In general, most publishers who allow preprints require that:
- authors indicate the existence of a preprint when submitting articles for review (e.g., in a cover letter)
- Once the article is published, the preprint should link to the published version (usually via a DOI)
- The preprint should not be formally peer-reviewed
Publishers may impose additional restrictions (e.g. specifying non-commercial servers or preferred licenses). Most publishers have a consistent policy across all their journals, but some journals make exceptions.
More details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_academic_publishers_by_preprint_policy
Publishers‘ policies on self-archiving (including preprints) are also listed by SHERPA/RoMEO.
