NYSCILIB 2021 Meeting���The Future is in Preprints

Juan Denzer

Engineering & Computer Science Librarian

Syracuse University Libraries

jpdenzer@syr.edu

October 8, 2021

What are preprints

A preprint is an early version of an academic article that has been made available by the author for others to read for free online before it has been peer reviewed or published by an academic journal.

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Not to be confused with postprints, which are peer-reviewed final drafts accepted by journals before being formally formatted.

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Brief history of preprints

• Preprints have been around for decades and as far back as the 60’s. In 1961 National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a program called Information Exchange Groups (IEG). It was so researchers could circulate biological preprints. Six years later it was shutdown. But the practice of sharing physical copies went on well nto the 90’s.
• 1991, theoretical physicist Joanne Cohn began using TeX formatted files to share preprints with colleagues around the world via email.
• Cohn was managing a list of about 180 physicists from 20 countries which back then was a lot of work.
• Cohen met a fellow theoretical physicist Paul Ginsparg at string theory workshop. Where she talked to others about her struggle to manage the list.
• Paul offered to automate the list with his new idea for a server which would be the now popular arXiv (‘archive’)

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http://physicsbuzz.physicscentral.com/2020/07/arxiv-ing-history-of-preprints-in.html

Preprint servers are expanding

• Almost a dozen new preprint servers in 2020.
• New national and regional platforms by open science advocates
• AfricArxiv
• IndiaRxiv
• Society publishers' initiative to specific areas beyond well established areas of physics, math, and computer science.
• IEEE’s TechRxiv supports preprints in electrical engineering, computer science

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https://sr.ithaka.org/publications/preprints-in-the-spotlight/

Types of preprint submissions

Make to check the preprint server policies. In general, preprints should be a manuscript or research article.

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Example from bioRxiv

bioRxiv is for the distribution of preprints, which are complete but unpublished manuscripts. Research articles reporting new, confirmatory, or contradictory findings may be posted. Individual components of research articles such as figures, tables, and data sets are not appropriate for posting to bioRxiv. In the Scientific Communication and Education subject category, research articles on professional standards may be posted. bioRxiv does not permit the posting of news, product advertisements, announcements, teaching/instructive materials, meeting reports, white papers, policy statements, human or veterinary case reports, theses, dissertations, student projects, recipes and simple protocols.

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https://www.biorxiv.org/about/FAQ

List of some preprint repositories

• arXiv (https://arxiv.org)
• bioRxiv (http://biorxiv.org)
• Cogprints (http://cogprints.org/)
• Chemrxiv (https://chemrxiv.org/)

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• OSF preprints (https://osf.io/preprints/)
• PeerJ preprints (https://peerj.com/preprints-search/)
• Preprints.org (http://www.preprints.org)
• Zenodo (https://zenodo.org/)

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https://medium.com/@sukantkhurana/pre-print-servers-for-researchers-2c924de9a402

Concerns and questions students might ask

• Is my work a preprint?
• Scooping
• Preprint screening
• Value of preprints
• Preprint licensing
• Does it take longer to publish a preprint?
• Which preprint server should I submit my manuscript?
• How will researchers find my preprint if it is not published?
• What about negative comments or rejection?
• Does preprint make it easier to flood research community with low-quality manuscripts?

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Is my work a preprint?

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• Your research might not be considered a preprint for a specific server.
• Determine if your research can be submitted as a supplement for a future manuscript. Such as a lab protocol.
• Remember that your preprint will help you get your research out first
• Possible collaboration
• Get feedback from others
• Look for other digital repositories
• GitHub - https://github.com/
• protocols.io - https://www.protocols.io/

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Scooping

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• Scooping is when a researcher or researchers publish research or and idea before the originator has formally published it.
• Preprint servers will give preprints a digital date and time stamp. This helps to ensure that a researcher had the original research. It is not a guarantee.
• Most preprints will get a DOI. This also helps.
• Some publishers are even requiring manuscripts to be preprints first.
• Review Commons transfers Refereed Preprints on behalf of the authors to bioRxiv and 17 affiliate journals from EMBO Press, eLife, ASCB, The Company of Biologists, Rockefeller University Press and PLOS. https://www.reviewcommons.org/about/

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Preprint screening

• Are preprints screened or do they just let any submission?
• Preprints do not go through a peer-reviewed process.
• Students should not expect a screening that will provide feedback.
• Some preprint services are screened for plagiarism.
• Some preprints are screened in-house for relevant and valuable in the specific discipline.
• Some services have volunteer researchers that apply are a screener such as preprint.org�https://www.preprints.org/screen

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Preprint value

• Students may ask “what is the value?”
• Preprints help hiring and funding agencies discover your latest research.
• Preprints help you reach other researchers for feedback. It can be by discovery or direct linking. Think about how researchers have been doing this for decades.
• Speeds up the discovery of valuable information when time is a factor. Think about the COVID pandemic.
• Free access to your work.
• Potential opportunities for new collaboration with your research.

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Preprint licensing

• Students should be aware that journal publishers might have specific requirements.
• Students should check with the targeted publisher’s policy before submitting a preprint.
• Don’t just choose your favorite copyright license.
• Librarians can help them learn about different licenses. But it is up to students to decide.
• OSF licensing list guide�https://help.osf.io/hc/en-us/articles/360019739014-Licensing#h_01ES2EYBDZW7ZK51ZBECKB3EAT

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Does it take longer to publish?

• Yes, but in a way that may benefit you.
• The initial process is not like the peer-review process.
• You have to research and decide.
• Policies for preprint for a targeted journal
• Where to publish
• Licensing
• Creating an account

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• Valuable feedback from community will take time to update your manuscript.

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Which preprint server?

• Look for a server that is specific to you discipline. Such as BioRxiv for biology.
• Larger servers such as OSF.io allow you to select multiple repositories.
• OSF – The Open Science Framework developed by the Center for Open Science (COS).
• It is a platform that many preprint serves use. This might be a preferred choice when looking for a preprint server.

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How will reader find my work?

• Google Scholar indexes preprints for all disciplines and makes it searchable via Google and Google Scholar. https://scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/publishers.html
• Crossref allows DOI to be assigned to preprints. This makes it much easier to link to publishing history.
• ORCID has preprint as a work type that users can choose for their work.
• You can Authorize Crossref and/or DataCite to send an update your ORCID account as you publish.

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What about negative comments or rejection?

• With anything that is negative. Always take a step back. Give yourself time before reacting.
• Take negative comments as help that you normally would not get prior to publishing in a peer-review.
• Rejection does not always mean it is a rejection of your ideas. Think about your research and if it is a fit for the preprint server. Maybe it is a fit for another server or platform.

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What about low-quality preprints?

• Preprint have been around for decades, and researchers know that they are unpublished works.
• The science community has taken preprints and a rush to publish more seriously. COVID preprints have shown the danger of misinformation.
• Many preprints servers make it clear that works are unpublished and may be updated when published.
• It is important help educate the public on preprints.

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How to get the word out

• Create a library guide or link to an existing guide.
• Offer a workshop or instruction class.
• Suggest preprints when helping students with their research.
• Give a brief mention in your library instruction.

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Thank you

Juan P. Denzer�Engineering & Computer Science Librarian �Syracuse University Libraries

jpdenzer@syr.edu�ORCID: 0000-0002-8638-9023

Syracuse University

Shadow aka bro kitty and his editor babe