Preprints in Publication

[laderast]

Leave your comments about preprints in publication here.

[rchampieux]

Jeff's Points:

Posting preprints allows you to collect feedback on your papers sooner, establish precedence for your work, and generate early attention to your research contributions. Additionally, preprints (and the feedback / revision loop they drive), will help you improve and get your work published in a formal academic journal.

My own thoughts:

• Many research funders, including the NIH, are now encouraging investigators to publish and cite preprints and other "interim" research objects. The NIH notice describes preprints as a tool for improving the speed and rigor of scientific communication.

• I experienced many of the benefits Jeff describes when I and my co-authors recently published a preprint with PeerJ. We received feedback on our paper and data that improved our work (and identified errors we missed!), and were able to track the attention the preprint received (via views, downloads, and Twitter activity).

• Check out ASAbio, which is a scientist driven initiative to promote the use of preprints.

• All this said, I've found that many biomedical researchers are at best unfamiliar with the concept of preprints, and at worst strongly resistant. Those with the latter perspective often state that they don't trust content that hasn't been peer reviewed. I'm interested in learning about our attendees experiences with and attitudes towards preprints, and how we can effectively (and correctly) address misunderstandings that impact the uptake of this model of communication.