Preprints as medium for communicating new ideas, hypotheses, data, analysis and beyond

Preprints emerged as a medium for exchanging ideas and new research data in the physics and mathematics community through the arXiv preprint server, and the phenomenon has since spread to biology and chemistry, with the promulgation of a variety of preprint servers such as PeerJ Preprints and bioRxiv. Partly as a response to the slow publication process where it could take months or even years to publish a manuscript, which leads to latency in the distribution of ideas and data useful to other researchers, preprints have also been conferred with the status of citability, and thus, a source of recognition for the work of the authors. Specifically, preprints could be used as an indication of the first publication of an idea. From my experience with publication of preprints on PeerJ Preprints and figshare, I see preprints as a publication format that liberates citizen scientists and afford an opportunity for common people with an interest in science to participate in the scientific dialogue. Beyond exchange of ideas and data, as well as laying an indication to the novelty of a work, preprints also allow the publication of hypotheses and research ideas of benefit to other researchers. For example, I share, using preprints, my research ideas on other areas of science which I lack the resources to partake. Additionally, commentary and perspective manuscripts could also be published, which democratizes the sharing of scientific ideas and enriches the scientific dialogue, as well as prevents the published literature from being monopolized by limited number of school of thoughts. Datasets could also be shared with others as preprints, and being citable, provides a platform for gaining credit, as well as a means for data comparison and reuse by others. In addition, presentations and posters, which are typically not published, could also be published as preprints; thereby, providing authors with a forum to communicate their preliminary findings expeditiously. Finally, with individual journals placing implicit restrictions on the style of communication and what should be described (for example, disallowing the publication of hypotheses papers), preprints afford authors' freedom to express their ideas in a format they think would best showcase their work in an understandable manner. Hence, preprint is an alternative scientific arena that works in complement to the published literature in enabling a wider and richer discussion of ideas, hypotheses, commentary and critique amongst scientists. With lower barriers to entry and the willingness to communicate as the only constraints, preprints may be identifiable as a revolution in scientific communication, aided by the low cost model of Web publication, which in adding to the diversity of ideas made known to scientists, non-scientists and policy makers, help anchor science firmly in any intellectual discussion of importance to society.