Ten Simple Rules for Post-Pandemic Preprinting

• DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/vwtc4
• Publication Date: 2022-07-29T13:57:13Z
• Authors: Michele Avissar-W...; Ramy Karam Aziz; Soham Bandyopadhyay; Julie Blommaert; Munyaradzi Dimairo; Carole Lunny; Leslie McIntosh; Ali Mobasheri; Shaun Treweek; Karin Verspoor

Preprints are research articles shared in the public domain before formal publication in an academic journal. They are housed in online repositories known as preprint servers, the largest and most well-established of which include arXiv (physical sciences), bioRxiv (biological sciences), SSRN (social sciences), and Research Square (multidisciplinary). In early 2020, preprint servers had to adjust to huge volumes of pandemic-related research submissions. Many preprint services adjusted their approach to screening and imposed new restrictions on the type of content they would agree to post. Some preprints became the focus of intense public scrutiny and were rapidly withdrawn. Some were misunderstood and exploited in the service of disinformation campaigns. The following is a list of ten simple rules for preparing a preprint submission, incorporating our learnings from more than 20 months of navigating rapid research dissemination in a global pandemic.