Preprints are scientific manuscripts posted online before or in parallel with submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Although the term ‘preprint’ may sound like it is just a preliminary version of a document that will eventually be published in an academic journal, this is not always the case. Not all preprints are intended for formal peer review, and some remain at the preprint stage indefinitely by the authors’ choice. Effectively, preprints shift control from reviewers and editors to authors, who can then decide when their work is ready to be shared with the scientific community. This form of scientific communication has gained popularity in recent years, and several preprint servers have been launched. EGUsphere, for the Earth, Space, and Planetary Sciences, was introduced as a continuation of the EGU journal discussion forums, which had been around since 2001. These platforms encourage early feedback by fostering discussions with the broad scientific community. There are many reasons why researchers should consider posting preprints of their work. Below are three key benefits of preprinting:
1- Preprints speed up dissemination and collaboration
Peer review is the main quality control mechanism in scientific publishing. However, in journals that do not use public peer review, the publication process is often lengthy and can delay the communication of scientific results. Preprints, on the other hand, are made immediately available. Provided that readers understand the preliminary nature of the findings, preprints are particularly suitable when rapid dissemination is important, such as research during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this faster communication of scientific results benefits the research community as a whole, it is even more crucial for Early Career Scientists (ECS) or anyone undergoing promotion or evaluation in academia, to increase their visibility, build their profiles, secure funding, or fulfil degree requirements. In this context, the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the Coalition for the Advancement of Research Assessment (CoARA), signed by thousands of institutions, including the EGU, recognize preprints as valuable research contributions, in addition to peer-reviewed literature. Besides allowing scientists to demonstrate research output, preprint servers foster public discussions that give them the chance to showcase their expertise, build networks, and establish collaborations with other researchers in their field. By involving more than the usual two or three reviewers, these public discussions may lead to improved scientific quality in publications. Moreover, potential flaws can be identified and corrected at an early stage before the formal journal publication. Unlike on many other publishing platforms, on EGUsphere peer-review and public discussion occur simultaneously.
2- Preprints are citable open-access publications
Publishing open access promotes wider accessibility by removing paywall barriers, increasing both visibility and impact of research. However, excessively high Article Processing Charges (APCs) of some commercial publishers can be a major obstacle for ECS, who may lack access to dedicated funding or institutional support to cover publication fees. Since preprints skip several processes that add costs to traditional journal publication (e.g., copy editing and typesetting), they are free for both authors and readers. In other words, preprint servers offer the opportunity to publish research immediately, for free, and in an open access format! These manuscripts receive a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and are fully citable. This means that besides allowing for the early demonstration of new ideas and scientific creativity, preprints also establish ownership of your work. Moreover, final journal papers that have been previously posted as preprints often show higher citation rates and scientometric scores. Preprints may have different types which are not usually considered in traditional journals such as preliminary findings and replication studies, contributing to open science in a broad sense.
3- Preprints are integrated into the EGU publications
EGU has been a pioneer in public peer review and interactive community discussion of preprints for 25 years via its journal discussion forums. After a short overlap period, these forums have been fully replaced by EGUsphere, the EGU’s interactive community platform, which hosts preprints, conference presentations and abstracts in the Earth, Space and Planetary Sciences. Basically, any manuscript on EGUsphere is posted as a preprint. They can be submitted directly for peer review in EGU journals (“journal-related”) or as independent preprints without journal relation. Journal-related preprints are checked by the respective journal editors before being posted on EGUsphere, while independent preprints undergo a basic quality check performed by EGUsphere moderators. Since preprints and traditional journal publication are not mutually exclusive, if you opt for posting your manuscript as an independent preprint, you can still eventually submit it to a journal. Different from other preprint servers, EGUsphere integrates preprints into the journals workflows. This means that independent preprints can be updated by the authors in response to comments by the community and, once the manuscript is ready for journal submission, the transition is straightforward: just contact the Editorial Office at any time and request that the independent preprint is converted to a journal-related preprint.
The adoption of preprints increases bibliodiversity in academia, i.e., different forms of science communication. In this context, EGU encourages the scientific community to share their research as preprints and to engage in the open discussions on EGUsphere. Consider posting a preprint sharing your ideas and results to attract valuable feedback from the broader scientific community beyond your immediate network. If you have any questions about posting your manuscript as a preprint on EGUsphere, feel free to get in touch via egusphere@copernicus.org or editorial-manager@egu.eu.-
