PLOS Offers New Option for Posting medRxiv Preprints

NISO Member News

As of March 7, 2022, PLOS Global Public Health and PLOS Digital Health, will join the other PLOS journals publishing medical research in giving submitting authors the option to have their manuscript forwarded to medRxiv to be considered for posting as a preprint. In offering this free service, we aim to make preprint posting simple and easy, giving researchers more flexibility in how they choose to communicate their science. Researchers, of course, also remain free to post to medRxiv or another preprint server prior to submitting.

The initial integration between PLOS and medRxiv, implemented earlier this year, has already received an enthusiastic response from our community. In less than two months, the authors of over 250 manuscripts submitted to PLOS Medicine, PLOS NTDs and PLOS ONE have elected to have their submissions sent on to medRxiv. 

It’s easy to see why. Preprints bring both individual and community benefits. Authors can use preprints as a tool to establish priority, broadcast results, seek feedback, increase readership, and bolster grant, job or tenure applications. More broadly, preprints support efficient and inclusive scientific communications. Publicly sharing a research manuscript before peer review surfaces results sooner, opening opportunities for collaboration and facilitating peer review.

The immediacy and accessibility of preprints, combined with expert checks that help to ensure responsible preprint posting, make medRxiv a particularly strong partner for journals like PLOS Global Public Health and PLOS Digital Health, that prioritize openness and inclusion, technological innovation, and scientific rigor.

Additional information is provided in the PLOS blog post found here.