When you choose to publish with PLOS, your research makes an impact. Make your work accessible to all, without restrictions, and accelerate scientific discovery with options like preprints and published peer review that make your work more Open.
A preprint is a version of a scientific manuscript posted on a public server prior to formal peer review. As soon as it’s posted, your preprint becomes a permanent part of the scientific record, citable with its own unique DOI.
We make it easy to take control of your scientific communications and share your research when you’re ready.
Use preprints to establish priority, broadcast results, and seek community feedback. Increase readership. Bolster grant, job or tenure applications.
Direct Transfer from bioRxiv and medRxiv
Have you already posted to bioRxiv and medRxiv? You can choose to have your preprint forwarded for consideration at the PLOS journal of your choice via Direct Transfer.
Post on bioRxiv or medRxiv during PLOS submission process
Want to post a preprint to either bioRxiv or medRxiv? We’ll take care of it for you! During initial submission, just opt-in to have your manuscript posted on your behalf. It will appear on the site in less than 5 days.
Post directly to the preprint server most relevant for your field
Is there a more appropriate or more specialized server for your research? Post to the relevant preprint server and share the DOI with us when you submit.
Whether you’re applying for grants or tenure, working on time-sensitive research, or simply eager to share your latest work, preprints are a free, easy option for communicating your research on your own timeline without compromising potential future publication.
The sooner your research becomes available, the sooner it can begin to attract attention. Share sooner with preprints and ensure that your research achieves its full potential—for readership, for citations, and for change.
Post a preprint to establish priority in a competitive field, or showcase your work for grant, hiring, or tenure committees. A link to a publicly posted preprint is more illustrative and compelling than a title on a CV with the annotation “in development” or “under review.”
Preliminary feedback helps authors improve manuscripts. Collegial discussion can lead to new ideas, follow-up studies, or collaborations with other research groups. Plus, you can cite your preprint in your letters of inquiry.
Preprints free all researchers to participate in the scientific discourse. Any author can share their latest advances on their own terms, and any interested researcher can read and provide feedback without waiting for an invitation from a journal.
From the moment a preprint appears online to the day that the article is published in a peer reviewed journal, you can make as many updates as you want or need. Each version is numbered and incorporated into the preprint record.
All PLOS journals welcome submission of papers that have been shared as preprints. PLOS was amongst the first publishers to adopt this policy, as we recognise the value in early sharing of community-curated research, a value borne out in the COVID pandemic.
NISO recently hosted a two day seminar in Washington DC entitled “Open Access: the Role and Impact of Preprint Servers,” representing stakeholders across #scholcomm discussing the perceived value, purpose, and implementation of preprint servers.
Preprints are here!!! Starting today authors submitting their manuscript to most PLOS journals* can also choose to post their article on bioRxiv, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s preprint server for the life sciences.
For the purposes of these rules, a preprint is defined as a complete written description of a body of scientific work that has yet to be published in a journal.
PLOS (Public Library of Science) and CSHL(Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) have partnered to help researchers in the medical and life sciences share preprints with ease and freedom.
Explore your options for facilitated posting at the PLOS journals.
| Journal | Direct transfer
from bioRxiv |
Facilitated posting
to bioRxiv |
Direct transfer
from medRxiv |
Facilitated posting
to medRxiv |
| PLOS Biology | x | x | ||
| PLOS Medicine | x | x | x | |
| PLOS Computational Biology | x | x | ||
| PLOS Genetics | x | x | ||
| PLOS Pathogens | x | x | ||
| PLOS NTDs | x | x | x | x |
| PLOS Climate | x | x | ||
| PLOS Water | x | x | ||
| PLOS Global Public Health | x | x | ||
| PLOS Sustainability and Transformation | x | x | ||
| PLOS Digital Health | x | x | ||
| PLOS ONE | x | x | x | x |
Learn more about the benefits of Open Science. Open Science