Helpful Tips for Academic & Scientific Writing & Editing

Should You Submit?

Understanding preprints in academic publishing Before You Hit “Upload”

Preprints are no longer fringe. They’ve shifted from niche drafts to central players in scholarly communication — and every early‑career researcher and seasoned academic must decide when (or if) to submit one.

We’ll break down what preprints are, how they differ from traditional publication, risks and rewards, and whether you should submit yours — straight, no nonsense, anchored in academic integrity and real publishing behavior.

What Are Preprints, Really?

A preprint is simply a version of a scholarly manuscript shared publicly before formal peer review. It’s not finalized, not vetted the way a journal article is, but it is visible, citable, and timestamped.

That’s critical. In a traditional peer reviewed publication cycle — where reviews, revisions, and edits can stretch months or years — preprints let you share findings sooner. Check out further about preprints in the article written by University of Edinburgh.

This isn’t bypassing scientific integrity; it’s leveraging open science norms to communicate responsibly.

Are Preprints Peer Reviewed? Know the Difference

Short answer: No — not in the traditional sense.

A preprint is shared before it goes through the journal review cycle. That means it hasn’t yet been vetted by independent referees for rigor, methodology, interpretation, or accuracy.

This doesn’t make them worthless — in fact, many academic communities treat them as early evidence of ongoing research — but it does mean:

• They can’t replace peer‑reviewed articles in most tenure and promotion evaluations.
• You still need to submit a peer‑reviewed version later if you want formal publication.
• Readability and ethical accuracy matter more than ever — a sloppy preprint can harm credibility.

The difference between a preprint and a peer‑reviewed paper is real in process, not just perception.

Why Preprints Are Trending — Not Fad, Movement

Metric	Statistic	Notes
Launch of major preprint servers	Since early 1990s	Preprint servers like arXiv started the trend of sharing preprints online. (Wikipedia)
Number of preprints on Preprints.org	>36,600	Demonstrates scale of multidisciplinary preprints. (Wikipedia)
Research Square preprints (2023)	>223,000	One of the largest open repositories. (Wikipedia)
Percentage of PubMed articles initially preprinted	~1–2%	Shows growing use in life sciences. (PMC)
Growth in number of preprint servers	40+ by early 2020s	Reflects adoption across fields and regions. (International Science Council)

1. Speed Meets Science

Preprints let you share results right after drafting, not months after submission. This matters in fast‑moving fields like epidemiology or climate science, where delay can cost relevance.

2. Visibility and Priority

Posting a preprint establishes public priority — it timestamps your claim to an idea before journal acceptance or publication. That matters for recognition, funding, and academic reputation.

3. Early Feedback and Improvement

Before formal peer review, your work can attract comments from a broader community. If integrated carefully, this feedback can strengthen the journal submission, not weaken it.

4. Democratizing Access

Preprints are open access. In numeric terms, servers like Research Square host hundreds of thousands of preprints across fields — all freely accessible.

These trends explain why major funders and institutions increasingly support preprint posting.

Internal Quality Checks: Don’t Skip the Basics

Publishing a preprint doesn’t mean cutting corners.

Before you upload your draft:

• Ensure your research meets ethical standards and reporting guidelines.
• Use tools and checks to avoid unintentional duplication or accuracy errors.
• Remember that even a preprint is a public scholarly document — your reputation rides on it.

This attention to detail ties directly into robust academic practices like manuscript editing and integrity, the kind you’d refine in steps like how to publish a research paper with clear structure and clarity. (See guidance on publication best practices).

Should You Submit a Preprint?

Short answer: Yes — if you know why you’re doing it and what it means.

Here’s how to decide:

 Submit If:

• Your field accepts and uses preprints as part of scholarly communication.
• You want early visibility for your research.
• You intend to refine and submit to a peer‑reviewed journal later (which is the norm).
• You want to establish priority and begin building citation momentum.

 Think Twice If:

• Your discipline forbids or heavily discourages preprints.
• You plan to use a preprint as a final record without submission to a peer‑reviewed outlet.
• Your paper includes sensitive data or implications that require careful vetting.

They do not. They precede peer review. Full peer review and publication are still benchmarks in academic careers and funding decisions.

“Preprint means untrustworthy.”

Not true. While they aren’t peer reviewed, they are publicly citable entities, and many are later published in high‑impact journals. (arXiv)

“Everyone reads preprints the same way.”

Reading behavior varies by field and audience. Researchers know they lack peer review; journalists and policymakers often do not. That’s why context matters.

Is ResearchGate Legitimate for Preprints or Citations?

ResearchGate is a popular profile and networking site for academics, but it’s not inherently a publishing platform the way preprint servers are. Its publications and metrics are not formal peer review or validation.

If you want visibility, platforms like ResearchGate help you share work and connect — but they should complement (not replace) formal preprint servers or peer‑reviewed publication plans.

Preprints and Academic Integrity

As with any academic artifact:

• Be precise with your data.
• Avoid hype or overstatement.
• Respect authorship and citation norms.

PaperEdit’s guidance on ethical writing and avoiding common manuscript errors applies directly here — preprints should reflect your best scholarly habits before formal submission.

A Practical Submission Strategy

• Complete your draft thoroughly before posting as a preprint.
• Double‑check citations and methods for accuracy and clarity.
• Post on reputable preprint servers (bioRxiv, arXiv, medRxiv, Research Square).
• Simultaneously prepare your manuscript for a peer‑reviewed journal submission.
• Use feedback from readers to refine your journal submission — not as a substitute for expert review.
• Ensure your final published version clearly links back to the preprint when possible.

This approach balances visibility and credibility — and keeps your scholarly reputation strong.

Final Verdict: Submit, But With Strategy

Preprints are not a gimmick — they are a strategic tool in modern academic publishing. Used well, they:

• Increase visibility,
• Speed knowledge dissemination,
• Help build academic profiles,
• And support robust publishing practices.

Used unwisely, they can confuse readers and harm credibility. The difference lies in intent and integrity — the same qualities that make good manuscripts publishable in the first place.

If you’re ready to expand your research’s impact strategically and responsibly, preprints are worth submitting.