Definition

Preprint

A manuscript shared publicly (arXiv, bioRxiv, SSRN, OSF) before — or while — undergoing journal peer review.

Preprints decouple dissemination from certification: the work is readable and citable (with a DOI) months or years before the journal version. Norms are field-specific — universal in physics and machine learning, mainstream in biology, growing elsewhere.

Most journals now welcome preprinted submissions (check the venue policy), and funders increasingly accept preprints in applications. Readers apply the obvious calibration: a preprint has not yet passed review, so extraordinary claims deserve extra scrutiny.