Table 2. Characteristics of journalists who participated in interviews (n = 19) about use of preprints.
| Journalist | Primary outlet | Primary outlet description | Employment status (staff or freelance) | Years in journalism |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J1 | IFLScience (“I fucking love science” IFLS) | UK-based science blog | On staff | 6 |
| J2 | Popular Science | US-based science news and feature publication | Freelance | 7 |
| J3 | Popular Science | US-based science news and feature publication | Freelance | 2 |
| J4 | Popular Science | US-based science news and feature publication | Freelance | 6 |
| J5 | Wired | US-based science, technology and culture publication | Freelance | 33 |
| J6 | Medpage Today | US-based medical news service provider | On staff | 1 |
| J7 | Medpage Today | US-based medical news service provider | Freelance | 25 |
| J8 | Popular Science | US-based science news and feature publication | Freelance | 1–2 |
| J9 | Wired | US-based science, technology and culture publication | On staff | 4 |
| J10 | IFLScience | UK-based science blog | On staff | 8 |
| J11 | Popular Science | US-based science news and feature publication | On staff | 25 |
| J12 | Medpage Today | US-based medical news service provider | On staff | 6 |
| J13 | The Guardian | UK-based news and media publication | Freelance | 10 |
| J14 | The Guardian | UK-based news and media publication | On staff | 14 |
| J15 | Wired / Ars Technica | US-based science, technology and culture publication / US-based technology, science and political news publication | Freelance | 8 |
| J16 | Wired | US-based science, technology and culture publication | On staff | 28 |
| J17 | Popular Science | US-based science news and feature publication | On staff | 7 |
| J18 | New York Times | US-based daily news publication | Freelance | 9 |
| J19 | The Guardian | UK-based news and media publication | On staff | 3 |
NB. To protect journalist identities, education information is reported in aggregate only. All 19 participants had received at least one educational certificate or degree, with all but 2 reporting that they had a bachelor’s degree or higher in a social sciences and humanities (SSH) field (n = 17). Many journalists also had training in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) field (n = 6), with 3 journalists stating that they had attained a graduate degree in this area. Finally, 8 participants reported having received professional journalism education through a certificate, bachelor’s, or master’s program.