Biomedical Research Resources: Preprints & ePrints

Preprints are defined as an author’s version of a research manuscript prior to formal peer review at a journal, which is deposited on a public server.

•  Some platforms provide a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for each manuscript, which makes it citable even before formal publication and facilitates links between the preprint and its final version when it is published in a journal. 
• DOI can be included in grant applications, and some progressive granting agenties even recommend including it (e.g. NIH).
• Preprints are Open Access by their nature, meaning that they are easy for other researchers to find and cite. 
• The nature of preprints also means that authors’ findings are made available more rapidly than traditional publication routes. 
• Preprints can supplement traditional peer review by allowing a wide circle of peers to discover the work and contact the author with suggestions for improvements that might be made.
• Preprints are not generally considered as publications. Most journals will accept articles that have been shared as preprints; however, some journals will not. We recommend you check the journal’s policies on this matter prior to submitting an article that you have previously shared as a preprint. You can find information about most journal policies at SHERPA/RoMEO and Traspose database.

In academic publishing, an eprint or e-print is a digital version of a journal article which has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication, but not yet published. it is labeled AM. Embargoes apply if you are posting the AM to an institutional or subject repository, or to a scholarly collaboration network such as Mendeley, if the journal it is not open access,  (You can find embargo and other information by looking at the license you signed with the publisher.

Please Note: A eprint it is not the same as the published article, often called the Version of Record (VOR) or  the final, definitive, citable version of your paper, which has been copyedited, typeset, and has  metadata.