Moving away from the review process again, this week we are looking at pre-prints. Whilst not directly part of the formal review process, it is certainly linked to it as we are considering putting our research study into the public arena before going through a formal process.
What is a preprint?
A preprint is a full draft of a research paper that is shared publicly. It has been shared before it has been peer reviewed for a journal submission. As such, the preprint allows for feedback from other academics, it allows sharing of important insights more quickly than the publication process might allow, and also creates increased visibility for your work.
Do we allow preprints?
The journal generally supports the early dissemination of research (the pre-peer review version of the paper, also referenced as a “working paper”) through non-commercial preprint platforms and scholarly collaboration networks such as Sage Publications’ preprint server Advance (primarily for Humanities and Social Sciences), SocRxiV, bioRxiV, preprints.org, ResearchGate and Academia.edu.
What is necessary for acknowledging preprints?
You should include a description of any prior distribution of any part of your paper when submitting to the journal and also make such a declaration at the end of the submitted paper, prior to the references. The declaration in the submitted paper will allow reviewers to know that a preprint exists and avoid claims of plagiarism. Please include the DOI for the preprint in your communications.
Authors should not post an updated version of their paper on the preprint server while it is being peer reviewed for possible publication in the journal. If your paper is accepted, you must include a link on your preprint to the final version.
Please note:
-
- Our journal uses a double-blind peer review process and by posting your paper on a preprint server or on a scholarly collaboration network such as ResearchGate, your article and its author list may be discovered by reviewers. You need to be comfortable with this and also be aware that some reviewers may recuse themselves from reviewing if they know you, thus shrinking the pool of available reviewers.
- Favourable comments from readers of a preprint in no way reflects the likelihood of acceptance. All papers will undergo the usual rigorous peer review process.
The use of preprints has many advantages, but you also need to take note of the pitfalls.
A quick reminder that submissions for Studies in Education close at 9.00am Japan time on Friday September 4: we do not accept late submissions. Meanwhile, all stay well and we continue to look forward to your papers,
Yvonne
Dr Yvonne Masters
Editor-in-Chief
IAFOR Journal of Education
Read previous posts on the review process –
JoE is an internationally reviewed and editorially independent interdisciplinary journal associated with IAFOR’s international conferences on education. Like all IAFOR publications, it is freely available to read online, and is free of publication fees for authors. The first issue was published in May 2013, and the journal will publish four issues in 2020.
Indexed in: Scopus, DOAJ, ERIC, EBSCO Discovery Service, MIAR, TROVE, Scilit, SHERPA/RoMEO, WorldCat, Google Scholar, and Ulrich's™. DOIs are assigned to each published issue and article via Crossref.
