Open science fundamentals in 2 minutes, part 4
Prior to the publication of a research article in a journal, you can make it accessible for everyone to read. You can do this on your personal website, but you also have the option to use a preprint server like psyarxiv.com, where fellow researchers share their preprints, which is endorsed by the OSF and will be available for the foreseeable future, making it easy to discover other research.
Preprint servers have been utilized for many years in physics, but are increasingly becoming popular in various academic fields. Preprints facilitate quick distribution of your research, which is particularly vital for early career researchers. Preprints can be cited, and indexing services like Google Scholar will link your preprint citations to the record of your subsequent journal publication.
Preprints also allow for the review of work (and identification of mistakes) before final publication.
What occurs when my paper is published?
Your research remains available in preprint format, meaning there is a free version that will lead to more readership and citations. If you post a version of the manuscript after it has been accepted for publication, this is referred to as a post-print.
What about copyright issues?
Typically, journals possess the formatted, typeset version of your published manuscript. This is why you are often prohibited from uploading the PDF of this version to your own website or a preprint server, but there is nothing preventing you from uploading a version with the same content (with differing formatting, but identical information).
Will journals reject my paper if it has already been “published” as a preprint?
Most journals permit, or even promote, preprints. A diminishing number do not. If you are curious, you can look up specific journal policies here.
Will I be at risk of being scooped?
Preprints allow you to timestamp your research prior to publication, which helps establish priority on findings and serves as a safeguard against being scooped. Of course, if you are working on a project where you prefer to keep it under wraps until published, preprints may not be the best choice.
When is the right time to upload a preprint?
Upload a preprint when you submit to a journal, and for each subsequent submission and upon acceptance (creating a postprint).
What prevents people from posting low-quality work to a preprint server?
There is nothing to restrict this, but given that your reputation for producing quality work is a key asset for a scholar, I advise against it.
Useful references:
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