prepublication

Prepublication refers to materials or information that are made available before formal publication in a peer‑reviewed journal, book, or other official outlet. It encompasses preprints posted to online servers, such as arXiv, bioRxiv, and medRxiv; working papers and conference papers; technical reports; and the public sharing of data or code prior to final publication. The practice occurs across disciplines, though its prevalence and norms vary by field.

Platforms and processes vary, but common features include authors retaining some rights to the material, the assignment of a persistent identifier or DOI by the hosting server, and versioning as updates are released. Preprints are typically not peer‑reviewed at posting, though many servers allow comments from the community. Licensing is often open, with licenses such as CC‑BY or CC0 enabling reuse, provided attribution is maintained.

Benefits of prepublication include rapid dissemination of findings, increased visibility and collaboration, and the ability to receive early feedback and establish priority. It can enhance transparency and reproducibility by sharing data and code alongside the manuscript.

Risks and considerations include the absence of formal peer review at the time of posting, which can lead to misinterpretation or dissemination of findings that are later revised or refuted. Researchers should consider journal policies on prior publication, licensing implications, and ethical or privacy concerns, especially in clinical or sensitive areas. After peer review and publication, a version of record or accepted manuscript may exist alongside the prepublication record, depending on licensing and journal policies.