Is preprint the future of science? A thirty year journey of online preprint services

Kuansan Wang

32 citations0/0 files storedarXiv (Cornell University)

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Academic Publishing and Open Access Publishing and Scholarly Communication scientometrics and bibliometrics research

Abstract

Preprint is a version of a scientific paper that is publicly distributed preceding formal peer review. Since the launch of arXiv in 1991, preprints have been increasingly distributed over the Internet as opposed to paper copies. It allows open online access to disseminate the original research within a few days, often at a very low operating cost. This work overviews how preprint has been evolving and impacting the research community over the past thirty years alongside the growth of the Web. In this work, we first report that the number of preprints has exponentially increased 63 times in 30 years, although it only accounts for 4% of research articles. Second, we quantify the benefits that preprints bring to authors: preprints reach an audience 14 months earlier on average and associate with five times more citations compared with a non-preprint counterpart. Last, to address the quality concern of preprints, we discover that 41% of preprints are ultimately published at a peer-reviewed destination, and the published venues are as influential as papers without a preprint version. Additionally, we discuss the unprecedented role of preprints in communicating the latest research data during recent public health emergencies. In conclusion, we provide quantitative evidence to unveil the positive impact of preprints on individual researchers and the community. Preprints make scholarly communication more efficient by disseminating scientific discoveries more rapidly and widely with the aid of Web technologies. The measurements we present in this study can help researchers and policymakers make informed decisions about how to effectively use and responsibly embrace a preprint culture.

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References

2018Science of science 2006Peer review: a flawed process at the heart of science and journals 2016Reproducibility: A tragedy of errors 2019Releasing a preprint is associated with more attention and citations for the peer-reviewed article 2019On the value of preprints: An early career researcher perspective 2020How swamped preprint servers are blocking bad coronavirus research 2017Ten simple rules to consider regarding preprint submission 2020Characteristics of academic publications, preprints, and registered clinical trials on the COVID-19 pandemic

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2024Public understanding of preprints: How audiences make sense of unreviewed research in the news 2023To Preprint or Not to Preprint: A Global Researcher Survey 2024How the readability of manuscript before journal submission advantages peer review process: Evidence from biomedical scientific publications 2022The normalization of preprints 2023Open Science in Italy: Lessons Learned En Route to Opening Scholarship

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