Best Practices for Encouraging Use of Preprints

Advice to Researchers on Preprints

Jay Bhatt
Jay Bhatt, Librarian for Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University. Bhatt is responsible for building library collections in his field, outreach initiatives, and teaching information and research skills to faculty, researchers and students.

Elsevier's Library Connect publication spotlights advice from Jay Bhatt of Drexel University:

Preprints: best practice tips librarians can share with researchers - In this article, Jay Bhatt touches on the potential implications for researchers and highlights some key dos and don’ts that librarians can share with authors. https://t.co/mLXpZxV3V6 #preprints

— Library Connect (@library_connect) December 29, 2021

Among some of his best practices are these:

  • DO connect your preprint to your ORCID ID – that ensures that your ORCID ID is included in the preprint server’s metadata and any preprint DOI metadata. The preprint is also included in your ORCID ID record. Jay explains: “Essentially, it ensures that the author is connected to their preprint.”
  • DO choose a recognized preprint server. According to Jay: “There are so many good, reputable servers out there. If you aren’t sure about a server, you can ask colleagues for advice, look at the server’s policies, at how many preprints it hosts, and whether there have been any ethics issues with preprints published on that server. If there has been a number of retractions, that should probably raise a red flag.”
  • DO cite your preprints, where relevant. Jay explains: “Many preprint servers track usage, e.g., downloads, so when you are thinking about where to post, it’s worth looking at the metrics that server provides... 

The full article appears in Elsevier's Library Connect publication, dated December 15, 2021.