What is a preprint?
A preprint is a non–peer-reviewed version of a scholarly paper that is posted to an open access platform. A preprint is usually posted before, or at the same time, it is submitted to a journal to be peer reviewed. Preprints are considered a part of the scientific literature, as it is ascribed a Digit Object Identifier (DOI) and time stamp upon posting so authors can properly cite these works.
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Why do authors post preprints?
In some disciplines, like physics and mathematics, preprints have been a well-established part of the research process. However, preprints are becoming increasingly popular across academia and there has been a recent proliferation of preprint services in a number of disciplines from biomedicine to law. The benefit of preprints is primarily speed. Because preprints are not peer reviewed, they can be made available online very rapidly. This helps authors establish primacy with their research and also makes their research available to the community quickly. Furthermore, authors can sometimes receive feedback on their preprints prior to submitting to a journal, which allows them to improve their papers before submission.
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Does Lippincott® Preprints have an Impact Factor?
Lippincott® Preprints is not a peer-reviewed journal and therefore does not have an Impact Factor.
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Can I submit my preprint to a journal?
While most journals allow this, some journals do not allow submissions from papers that are already available on a preprint server. It is critically important to check the submission guidelines of the journal you plan to submit to so you can ensure the journal doesn't have a policy against this. Lippincott® Preprints will not remove a posted preprint for this reason. Read more about Lippincott® Preprints Terms of Use.
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Can I post my preprint on multiple preprint servers?
We recommend that authors do not post the same preprint on multiple preprint servers. Published preprints are assigned a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI), so posting the same preprint across preprint servers will result in multiple records of the same content. This can be confusing for others trying to cite your work and not all citations will be captured if spread among several DOIs.
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Can I cite a preprint?
It is up to the individual journal whether they will accept citations to preprints or not. For transparency, as preprints are not peer reviewed, it is important to always indicate in the citation that the reference is to a preprint.
On Lippincott® Preprints, you can click the "cite" button on any preprint page to view the citation information for that preprint.
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Where can I find my preprint’s DOI?
To find your DOI, click on the red "cite" button under the preview of your paper.
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How are Lippincott® Preprints preprints moderated?
All preprints posted on Lippincott® Preprints undergo a moderation process to ensure that the paper is of a scholarly nature, is based in medicine, nursing or allied health, is written in English, and does not contain any inappropriate, confidential, harmful, or copyrighted materials used without permission. The Lippincott® Preprints moderation team aims to process your request within 5–6 business days after submission.
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How do I submit my paper to Lippincott® Preprints?
Check out the Lippincott® Preprints Submission Guidelines and review our requirements for submission and instructions for how to submit. Before submitting, please ensure that your paper meets all of our criteria, including our requirements around ethics approval and informed consent statements. If you are planning to submit to a peer reviewed journal, please check their preprint policy prior to submitting to Lippincott® Preprints.
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Can I revise my preprint?
Yes, you can revise your preprint at any time by going to "My Submissions" and from there select the preprint you'd like to edit. It will pop open the submission page and from there you can edit your information or upload new files. Note that your paper may need to go through another moderation check after revision. If the revision passes moderation, it will appear as a new version of the preprint on the same Lippincott® Preprints page; the initial version will still be accessible.
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How do I edit a preprint that is already in moderation?
To edit a preprint that has already been submitted for moderation, login to your Lippincott® Preprints profile and click "my submissions". From there, find the submission you would like to edit. Once the submission form populates, click the "x" on the top right-hand side of the form and delete your original submission—this will only delete the paper, not the information within the form. You can then go ahead and upload the edited version of your paper. Click the "Publish" button and then "Save Changes" on the bottom of the page and exit using the “x” at the top right of your screen. Your new version will then be available for the moderators.
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How can my preprint be linked to the peer reviewed version of the paper?
Wolters Kluwer and Figshare work with Crossref to link up preprints with their Version of Record. If your journal's publisher has a mechanism to deposit your published article DOI with Crossref, then a link to the published version should appear on the preprint page on Lippincott® Preprints a few days after your article is formally published in the journal. It will display on the right-hand side of the page under the heading "Read the peer-reviewed publication".
If you wish, you can also add a link manually by going to My Submissions, clicking the edit icon on your preprint, and adding the DOI link for your published article in the "References" section. Please note that this will create a new version of your preprint which will go back to review.
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Can I withdraw my preprint after it has been posted publicly?
No. Because your preprint will be assigned a digital object identifier (DOI), it makes it a permanent part of the scholarly literature and cannot be removed. Only in rare cases, and as
determined by Wolters Kluwer, will a preprint be removed. This will typically be limited to serious legal or ethical concerns, such as violating copyright, privacy rights, or Lippincott® Preprints’ Terms of Use. In the event a preprint is withdrawn, it will be replaced with a public notice to provide a record of the removal.
We strongly encourage you to read the preprint policies of peer reviewed journals you are interested in submitting to prior to posting on Lippincott® Preprints.
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Does my paper require ethical approval?
Papers reporting human studies must include a statement that specifies whether approval was obtained from an ethical or institutional review board (IRB). This statement should include the name of the ethics committee or IRB and the approval number if available. If the study was exempt from ethical review, state that your paper was exempt and include the name of the review committee and the reason for exemption. If ethics approval was not sought, please specify why it was not required and cite the relevant guidelines or legislation where applicable, for the benefit of an international readership.
For more information, please see the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals for additional guidance.
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Do I need informed consent if I use human participants in my research?
Papers reporting human studies must include a statement that specifies whether informed consent was obtained from study participants. The informed consent statement should specify whether informed consent was obtained, and whether it was written or verbal (and if the latter why that was the case, in addition to how the consent was recorded), or if the need for consent was waived by ethics committee/IRB or another authorized body (including the reason for the waiver). If informed consent was not sought, please specify why it was not required and cite the relevant guidelines or legislation where applicable, for the benefit of an international readership.
For more information, please see the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals for additional guidance.
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What do I do if I suspect a preprint of publication ethics misconduct, including plagiarism?
Please contact the Lippincott® Preprints staff at [email protected] with details of your concerns.
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How do I contact Lippincott® Preprints?
You can contact us by email at [email protected]
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