Preprints with The Lancet are here to stay

We started our collaboration with the freely accessible preprint platform SSRN in June, 2018.¹ From then on, we asked all authors of research papers across Lancet journals at submission stage whether they would like to post their paper as a preprint. We started this as a trial to learn more about uptake and the perceptions of the medical and health community, particularly as a latecomer to the preprint concept.

About 30% of all research paper authors who submitted to the Lancet Group journals have opted in at submission and we currently have more than 6000 preprints posted on the site. Of those who opted in, however, only two-thirds had all the required information (ethics approval if needed, declaration of interests, funding statement, and prospective registration for randomised controlled trials). Some authors wanted their preprint taken down once the paper had been rejected by a Lancet journal, either perhaps not understanding what they had opted in for or that posting as a preprint is entirely independent from the decision made by our journals, or were concerned that subsequent submissions to other journals are jeopardised by an existing preprint. We have taken these papers down when requested to do so and over the trial period have strengthened our information about preprints.

Preprints have been put under a spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic with both negative and positive consequences.² They allow quick sharing and scrutiny of research, which led to a number of preprints being taken down when concerns were raised.³ However, preprints also allowed other researchers to quickly build on early results, potentially speeding up research efforts in a public health emergency. Preprints have also been cited widely in the press to audiences that might not understand these are preliminary reports of research, which have not undergone editorial and peer-review scrutiny. To add appropriate caution when citing such research or including it in systematic reviews is particularly important in a public health crisis. In the near future, we will apply a more obvious watermark stating that these are preprints and not peer reviewed.

We believe with the appropriate checks and cautions there is a role for preprints in the wider context of open science and knowledge exchange; we have therefore decided to continue our collaboration with SSRN and make Preprints with The Lancet a permanent offering.