Broadening Our Horizons: JBMR and JBMR Plus Embrace Preprints

Background/context A preprint is a scholarly manuscript posted by the author(s) in an openly accessible platform, usually before or in parallel with the peer review process. While the sharing of manuscripts via preprint platforms has been common in some disciplines (such as physics and mathematics) for many years, uptake in other disciplines traditionally had been low, possibly influenced by differences in research culture and strong opposition by some journal publishers [1]. The landscape has evolved rapidly in other fields in recent years, however, thanks to the launch of additional, discipline-specific preprint platforms and increased support by funders and initiatives such as ASAPBio [2, 3]. Why use preprints? Preprint servers provide researchers with a platform to disseminate their work quickly and broadly, in a shorter timeframe than that needed at a peer-reviewed journal. Researchers can establish precedence and may be able to obtain feedback before (or, sometimes, in parallel with) peer review at a journal and from a wider audience than the two or three reviewers traditionally involved in reviewing manuscripts. The availability of preprints can also facilitate interactions between researchers working on similar areas or projects, and may help foster collaboration between groups. Some funders allow inclusion of preprints in grant applications [4] and thus, posting work as a preprint can help authors to provide evidence of research productivity. Preprint platforms do not currently incur submission fees and, thus, provide a free service to both authors and readers. The long-term sustainability of this business model is an open question, although some feel that the operational costs can be offset via grants and partnerships with other parties [5]. Some preprint platforms provide features where readers can publicly log comments, critiques and suggestions. Even if commenting features are not available, readers can contact the researchers directly. Authors may then use the feedback from the preprint posting to revise their manuscript before submission to a journal, or in addition to the reviewer comments from traditional peer review. From an editor's perspective, preprint platforms can also provide opportunities to scout upcoming work and invite the submission of suitable manuscripts to their journal. Preprint servers and journals may also enter partnerships to facilitate easy submission of preprint papers to a participating journal; bioRxiv is a recent example of a preprint server entering such a scheme with some journals to facilitate the direct transfer of papers posted as a preprint on their server.

show abstract

“…Others have presented the counterarguments [ 23 ]. The perceived disadvantages include the following.…”

Section: Preprints: the Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

In praise of preprints

Fry

Marshall

Mellins-Cohen

2019

Access Microbiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several concerns are raised by authors or readers of preprints. ( 9 ) First is the concern of being “scooped” by other researchers after posting of a preprint but during its peer review. We make several points in response to this concern: (i) the community establishes priority—this is up to us; (ii) many journals provide “scoop protection” tied to preprint date (eg, EMBO Journal ); and (iii) release of data to the community via a preprint is in many ways similar to presentation of the same data at a conference, such as the annual ASBMR meeting.…”

Section: Preprints Are Changing the Publication Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

“…JBMR and JBMR Plus do not require their authors to deposit their work to a preprint server before submission, but you may wish to consider doing so for several reasons. ( 9 ) Posting manuscripts to freely available preprint servers provides a benefit to the community through increased transparency, enhanced rigor, and expansion of the diversity of voices available to provide feedback and discussion before publication. The date‐stamping of prior versions on the server (“versioning”) of preprints allows readers to see the evolution of a paper through the peer‐review process.…”

Section: Preprints Are Changing the Publication Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

Editorial Peer Reviewers as Shepherds, Rather Than Gatekeepers

Boerckel

Plotkin

Sims

2020

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The journals of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research [JBMR] and its sister journal JBMR Plus) recognize peer review, whether pre-or post-publication, as an essential guard of scientific integrity and rigor that shapes academic discourse in our field. In this Perspective, we present a vision and philosophy of peer review in a rapidly changing publishing landscape. We emphasize the importance of journal peer reviewers as active players in shaping collegial behavior in the musculoskeletal research community and provide information about benefits and resources available for reviewers and reviewers-intraining. Publishing is becoming increasingly transparent, bringing benefits to authors, to reviewers, and to the scientific community at large. We discuss new initiatives such as transparent peer review and preprint servers, the ways they are changing scientific publishing, and how JBMR is responding to broaden the impact of musculoskeletal research. We emphasize the need to change any perception of peer reviewers as gatekeepers to viewing them as shepherds, who partner with authors and editors in the publishing endeavor. Promoting access, transparency, and collegiality in the way we assess science in our community will elevate its quality, clarify its communication, and increase its societal impact.

show abstract

“…Others have presented the counter-arguments [23]. The perceived disadvantages include the following.…”

Section: Preprints: the Debatementioning

confidence: 99%