Preprint vs Journal Submission: What You Need to Know
Preprints make your research immediately visible. Journal submission provides peer-reviewed validation. Here is how to decide when to do each, and how to do both.
Guide
Preprints and journal submission are increasingly complementary rather than competing. Posting a preprint before formal peer review makes your findings immediately accessible, establishes priority, and can generate community feedback. Journal submission provides peer review validation and permanent citable record in a recognized venue. Most major journals now accept preprints, and many funders encourage or require them.
What is a preprint?
A preprint is a version of a research paper that is posted publicly on a preprint server before (or during) peer review. It is not yet peer-reviewed, but it is citable, discoverable, and immediately available. Major preprint servers include arXiv (physics, math, CS, quantitative biology, economics), bioRxiv and medRxiv (life sciences and medicine), SSRN (social sciences, economics, law), ChemRxiv (chemistry), and EarthArXiv (geosciences).
Benefits of posting a preprint
Preprints offer several advantages over waiting for peer review:
Immediate dissemination: your findings are public within 24-48 hours of submission to the server
Priority establishment: a preprint with a timestamp establishes your research priority
Community feedback: researchers can read and comment on your work before formal review
Open access: preprints are always free to access, satisfying open access mandates
Funder compliance: some funders require or encourage preprint posting
Risks and considerations
Preprints also carry risks that researchers should weigh:
No peer review: errors, methodological weaknesses, and incorrect conclusions may be made public
Media coverage: high-profile findings may be reported before peer review vetting
Journal policy: a small number of journals do not accept previously posted preprints (always check)
Competitor awareness: your methods and findings are visible to competitors before publication
How to post a preprint and submit to a journal
The typical workflow for researchers using both preprints and journal submission is: (1) complete the manuscript and run a pre-submission check with CheckMyManuscript to ensure format compliance; (2) post to the relevant preprint server; (3) note the preprint DOI; (4) submit to your target journal, disclosing the preprint in the cover letter or submission system as required; (5) update the preprint with the final published version link after acceptance.
Journal policies on preprints
Most major journals now explicitly accept papers posted as preprints. Notable policies: Nature family journals encourage preposting; PLOS journals encourage preprints; most Elsevier and Springer journals allow prior preprints. The SHERPA/RoMEO database lists preprint policies for most journals. A small number of journals (some medical journals) have restrictions; always verify before posting.
Ready to check your manuscript?
Upload your paper and get a submission readiness report in under 2 minutes.
Check my manuscript, it's freeNo account · PDF, Word, LaTeX · Results in <2 min
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Most journals allow simultaneous preprint posting and journal submission. Disclose the preprint in your cover letter or in the submission system.
No evidence suggests preprint posting reduces acceptance probability. Some evidence suggests it increases engagement and citations. Journal editors do not penalize prior preprint posting.
Preprints are cited like other works using the preprint server name, DOI, and year. Once the paper is published in a journal, update your preprint with a link to the published version and cite the journal version in future work.
Yes. Preprint servers allow version updates. All previous versions remain accessible. This is useful for incorporating reviewer feedback or correcting errors after initial posting.
Use the server most common in your field: arXiv for physics, math, and CS; bioRxiv for biology; medRxiv for medicine; SSRN for social sciences and economics; ChemRxiv for chemistry.