Sharing research manuscripts as ‘preprints’ that have not been formally peer reviewed is increasingly common in the biomedical sciences. Authors can upload their manuscripts to preprint servers such as bioRxiv (pronounced “bio-archive”) and medRxiv (pronounced “med-archive”), and these are posted online for anyone to read within two to three days after screening for appropriateness (the servers do not perform peer review but typically check that papers are actually science and do not contain dangerous or inappropriate material). Manuscripts posted as preprints are usually then submitted to journals for traditional peer review and publication, but this is not required. bioRxiv, launched in 2013, focuses on basic science. medRxiv, launched in 2019, focuses on clinical research. To date the two servers have posted approximately 220 000 preprints, and they became critical tools for rapid dissemination of COVID-19 research during the pandemic.

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