Article Preprint: “bioRxiv: the Preprint Server”

The following preprint was recently posted on bioRxiv.

Title

bioRxiv: the Preprint Server

Authors

Richard Sever
Ted Roeder
Samantha Hindle
Linda Sussman
Kevin John Black
Janet Argentine
Wayne Manos
John R. Inglis

Affiliation of All Authors: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Source

via bioRxiv
DOU: 10.1101/833400

Abstract

The traditional publication process delays dissemination of new research, often by months, sometimes by years. Preprint servers decouple dissemination of research papers from their evaluation and certification by journals, allowing researchers to share work immediately, receive feedback from a much larger audience, and provide evidence of productivity long before formal publication. Launched in 2013 as a non-profit community service, the bioRxiv server has brought preprint practice to the life sciences and recently posted its 64,000th manuscript.

The server now receives more than four million views per month and hosts papers spanning all areas of biology. Initially dominated by evolutionary biology, genetics/genomics and computational biology, bioRxiv has been increasingly populated by papers in neuroscience, cell and developmental biology, and many other fields.

Changes in journal and funder policies that encourage preprint posting have helped drive adoption, as has the development of bioRxiv technologies that allow authors to transfer papers easily between the server and journals.

A bioRxiv user survey found that 42% of authors post their preprints prior to journal submission whereas 37% post concurrently with journal submission. Authors are motivated by a desire to share work early; they value the feedback they receive, and very rarely experience any negative consequences of preprint posting. Rapid dissemination via bioRxiv is also encouraging new initiatives that experiment with the peer review process and the development of novel approaches to literature filtering and assessment.

Direct to Full Text Article (Preprint)

Filed under: Journal Articles, News, Productivity, Reports