What I learned from preprints: How we can challenge inequities in scholarly communication
MONICA GRANADOS
Rochester Institute of Technology
MY
STORY
BEGINS
Inside these walls, down a corridor is the lab common room where we are about to discuss a paper.
HERE
FEEDBACK
BEFORE
VOR
Preprint
Version of the manuscript that has not finished the peer review process
Version of Record
Formatted version of manuscript published on journal website
What if we used preprints as the document that is reviewed in journal clubs? Authors could integrate feedback and improve their manuscript and outcomes.
“Figure 1 was unclear and the discussion did not address the third experiment”
Making science and scholarship more equitable, transparent and collaborative
IF THIS LOW STAKES PRACTICE LEAVES SOMETHING TO BE DESIRED, WHAT ELSE IS BROKEN?
PEER
REVIEW IS
INEQUITABLE
And unsustainable. The reviewer pool is small, homogenous and most have not received formal training on peer review.
Male, Mid-career
Male, Mid-career
“Dear Dr. Granados, you have a PhD (congrats) now you can review this manuscript…”
JOURNAL CLUBS ARE CONFINED TO INSTITUTIONAL WALLS , WHAT IF WE BROKE THOSE DOWN?
This is how much it costs to access my own paper
RESEARCH
IS
INACCESSIBLE
Knowledge producers are incentivized to publish in subscription journals behind paywalls rendering that knowledge inaccessible to the majority of the world.
WHAT IF WE LEVERAGED PREPRINTS TO BUILD A MORE EQUITABLE AND OPEN
SYSTEM?
USE
PREPRINTS
TO:
DIVERSIFY
REVIEWER POOL
Allow ANYONE to review
Anyone with a ORCID ID can review, challenging who can contribute to improving science.
Insert DOI here
prereview.org
prereview.org
Human centered review
prereview.org
WHAT IF
WE
MADE
PEER
REVIEW
SAFER?
Give options to reviewers to be anonymous recognizing power dynamics but enforce a code of conduct.
USE
PREPRINTS
TO:
TRAIN
REVIEWERS
Formal training that centers equity and constructive feedback while surfacing biases in review.
prereview.org/resources
USE
PREPRINTS
TO:
BREAK
DOWN
WALLS
Reviews done collaboratively over a 90 minute zoom call with researchers and professional joining from all over the world
prereview.org/live-reviews
USE
PREPRINTS
TO:
OPEN
RESEARCH
Preprints contain almost identical content to the version of record and are free to upload and read. The potential of preprints is realized when they are licensed CC-BY.
BY: Attribution
https://reimaginereview.asapbio.org/
REVIEW
LAYER
CURATE
LAYER
ACCESS
LAYER
What else could preprints enable with CC-BY?
Corker et al., 2024 MetaArxiv
THE POWER IS YOURS
- Captain Planet, 1990
CONTACT
monica@creativecommons.org
creativecommons.org
ICONS LICENSED UNDER CC-BY:
From The Noun Project
Paper by Hollmann Graphic Design
Paper by Lakshisha
Arrow by iconfield
Document by Lil’ Seal
Circle by Evan Bond
X by Sean Maldjian
“Through the Broken Wall” by James Adams licensed CC-BY-NC-SA
IMAGES CC LICENSED:
From OpenVerse
“Halle (Saale) University Library Building” by Michael Hanke licensed CC-BY
“Kia Panggabean” by Bayu Aditya licensed CC-BY-SA
“52” by RB Photo licensed CC-BY
“Earth” by NASA licensed CC-BY