Preprints enable scholars to rapidly communicate research via open access and get feedback from their colleagues earlier in the publishing process. Recently, the Public Library of Science (PLOS), the EarthArXiv preprint server, and the California Digital Library launched a new service enabling authors who submit articles to participating PLOS journals to submit those same manuscripts to EarthArXiv simultaneously. Authors have begun to avail themselves of this opportunity, opting to make their earth sciences research articles publicly available, citable, and open for feedback as EarthArXiv preprints before formal publication in PLOS. 

Integrated into the PLOS submission workflow, this connection with EarthArXiv signals to authors the complementary roles of preprints and published versions of record – and facilitates early sharing of research while journal submissions are under review. Submitting authors save time and effort in identifying a suitable preprint server for their research, and EarthArXiv’s moderators benefit from receipt of a well-formatted manuscript with complete metadata.

This publisher-to-preprint submission connection is a first for EarthArXiv and the California Digital Library and presents a model for other publishers keen to help authors make their manuscripts immediately available for community feedback in a preprint server they support. This workflow is also flexible and can be used by journals with distinct manuscript submission systems. Interested journals should reach out to the EarthArXiv team directly to learn more. 

Tags: EarthArXiv, eScholarship, Open Access, PLOS, preprints