Explainer · Plain-language
What is a preprint?
A preprint is a complete scholarly manuscript that an author shares publicly on a preprint server before it has been through formal peer review. It lets findings circulate quickly and openly, ahead of — or alongside — submission to a journal.
The step most authors miss
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Why preprints exist
Traditional journal publishing can take months between submission and publication. Preprints let researchers share results immediately, claim priority for a discovery, and gather community feedback before formal review. This became especially visible during the COVID-19 pandemic, when preprints on medRxiv and bioRxiv carried much of the early science.
Preprint servers
arXiv (launched 1991) serves physics, mathematics, and computer science; bioRxiv (2013) and medRxiv (2019) serve the life and health sciences; SSRN covers the social sciences; and there are many discipline-specific servers. A preprint server screens for scope and obvious problems but does not conduct peer review.
Preprint vs version of record
A preprint and the eventual published article are usually the same work at different stages. The published article is the version of record — peer-reviewed, copy-edited, and certified by a journal. Where peer review prompts changes, the two can differ, so the published version is the one to cite as canonical when it exists.
Preprints and open access
Posting a manuscript as a preprint or accepted manuscript is the Green open-access route, and many funders — including under Plan S, subject to licensing and timing conditions — accept it as a compliant pathway. Preprints typically carry a DOI, so they are fully citable.
Key facts
At a glance
- Definition: manuscript shared before peer review
- Servers: arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv, SSRN, and more
- Peer-reviewed: no — that comes at the journal stage
- Citable: yes — usually carries a DOI
- OA route: counts as Green OA at many funders
- Version of record: the later peer-reviewed published article
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: A preprint has been peer-reviewed.
Actually: No — a preprint is posted before peer review. Servers screen for scope and obvious issues but do not certify the findings; that happens at the journal stage.
Often heard: Posting a preprint stops me publishing in a journal.
Actually: For most journals, no — the majority permit prior preprinting. A minority restrict it, so check the journal's preprint policy before submitting.
Going deeper
