List of academic journals by preprint policy

This is a list of academic journals by their submission policies regarding the use of preprints prior to publication, such as the arXiv, viXra and bioRxiv. Journals focusing on physics and mathematics are excluded because they routinely accept manuscripts that have been posted to preprint servers.

Academic presses with unified policies

Press Policy type Policy text Source
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Incompatible Submission page does not explicitly mention preprints, but numerous communications with the journal have confirmed that they do not consider papers for which a preprint has been submitted.

, and

American Institute of Physics (AIP) Compatible "Author-prepared files only may be used; files prepared and/or formatted by AIP Publishing or its vendors (e.g., the PDF, PostScript, or HTML article files published in the online journals and proceedings) may not be used for this purpose."

American Physical Society Compatible From the submission FAQ: "E-print number, e.g., 0804.1718, assigned by the arXiv e-print servers. This can be used at submission to automatically download files from the e-print server."

American Phytopathological Society Compatible From the guidelines to the authors: "Authors are allowed to present and discuss their findings ahead of publication at scientific conferences, on preprint servers (such as arXiv, bioRxiv, or PeerJ preprints among others), in public databases, and other informal communication channels. When submitting a manuscript for review, authors need to disclose preprints, databases, proceedings, or other preliminary communications or depositories. However, abstracts, conferences, or personal communications need not be disclosed. This prior disclosure does not constitute prior publication."

American Society for Microbiology Compatible From the submission FAQ: "ASM journals will consider for publication manuscripts that have been posted in a recognized not-for-profit preprint archive, providing that upon acceptance of the manuscript for publication the author is still able to grant ASM copyright or agree to the terms of an Open Access license and pay the associated fee."

Nature Publishing Group Compatible The policy states "Neither conference presentations nor posting on recognized preprint servers constitute prior publication," and an editorial explains: "Nature never wishes to stand in the way of communication between researchers.[...] Communication between researchers includes not only conferences but also preprint servers. The ArXiv preprint server is the medium of choice for (mainly) physicists and astronomers who wish to share drafts of their papers with their colleagues, and with anyone else with sufficient time and knowledge to navigate it. [...] If scientists wish to display drafts of their research papers on an established preprint server before or during submission to Nature or any Nature journal, that's fine by us." and
IOP Publishing CompatibleYou may post your Author’s Original on arXiv.org at any time prior to acceptance by IOP. Before acceptance of the article by an IOP journal you may not attribute it to any IOP journal. After acceptance you should add citation information, IOP’s copyright information and, when appropriate, a link to the online abstract of the Version of Record, along with the following wording: “This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in [insert name of journal]. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at [insert DOI].”. If you do post your Author’s Original on arXiv.org and wish to submit it to IOP for peer review you will be able to use the arXiv article ID number in our online submission form instead of uploading the files. We will automatically pick up the files from arXiv.org. Once you have submitted it to IOP, you may not post the Author’s Original on any other institutional or subject repository prior to acceptance, withdrawal or rejection of your article.
Oxford JournalsCompatible "Prior to acceptance for publication in the journal, authors retain the right to make their original version of the article available on their own personal website and/or that of their employer and/or in free public servers of original version articles in their subject area, provided that, upon acceptance, they acknowledge that the article has been accepted for publication as follows: This article has been accepted for publication in [Journal Title] Published by Oxford University Press."
ElsevierCompatible Elsevier is generally permissive with respect to authors and electronic preprints. "(i) Authors can share their preprint anywhere at any time. (ii) [They] encourage authors to link from the preprint to their formal publication via its Digital Object Identifier (DOI). (iii) Authors can update their preprints on arXiv or RePEc with their accepted manuscript." [However, please note that Cell Press, The Lancet and some society-owned journals have their own preprint policies available in the Information to Authors.]
Springer, incl. SpringerOpen Journals and BioMed Central (BMC)CompatiblePosting a manuscript on a pre-print server such as ArXiv is not considered to be duplicate publication. SpringerOpen/Biomed Central will also consider peer reviewing manuscripts that have been posted on an author's personal or institutional website.
Wiley-BlackwellProbably compatible [Wiley Self-Archiving Policy:] Authors of articles published in Wiley journals are permitted to self-archive the submitted (preprint) version of the article at any time, and may self-archive the accepted (peer-reviewed) version after an embargo period. There is no obligation upon authors to remove preprints posted to not for profit preprint servers prior to submission. Individual journals may have different policies, but pre-print policy seems to be universal, please check for individual journals
PLOSCompatible[all PLOS Journals feature this language:] Authors may present and discuss their findings ahead of publication: at medical or scientific conferences, on preprint servers, in public databases, and in blogs, wikis, tweets, and other informal communication channels.e.g.
PeerJCompatible PeerJ accepts submissions which have previously appeared on preprint servers (including PeerJ PrePrints and arXiv); have previously been presented at conferences; or have previously appeared in other ‘non journal’ venues (for example: blogs or posters).
Royal Society PublishingCompatible8. Media embargo. The main findings of articles should not have been reported in the mass media. Like many journals, we employ a strict embargo policy where the reporting of a scientific article by the media is embargoed until a specific time. The Editor has final authority in all matters relating to publication. Posting of preprints on arXiv, PeerJ PrePrints and bioRxiv is permitted under this policy.
American Chemical SocietyMost not compatible "Each ACS journal has a specific policy on prior publication that is determined by the ACS Editor in accordance with their final responsibility for editorial decisions relative to their publications. Details of the respective prior publication policies of each ACS journal is available at ". In practice, most journals do not explicitly allow preprints.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Compatible Cold Spring Harbor journals only accept papers presenting original research that has not been published previously. Conference presentations or posting unrefereed manuscripts on not-for-profit community preprint servers will not be considered prior publication. Authors are responsible for updating the archived preprint with the journal reference (including DOI), and a link to the published article on the appropriate journal website upon publication.For example:
University of Chicago Press Likely compatible We place no conditions on posting a paper intended for submission (but not yet submitted) to one of our journals, except to note that posting a paper online may, in some cases, constitute prior publication – for example, posting to a commercial venue and/or to a venue with a formal review and approval process. Please consult the journal’s editor if you have questions about whether or not a particular use constitutes prior publication.
Canadian Science Publishing (NRC Research Press) Compatible Authors retain the right to "post a copy of their submitted manuscript (pre-print) on their own Web site, an institutional repository, a preprint server, or their funding body's designated archive (no embargo period)..." and "... post a copy of their accepted manuscript (post-print) on their own Web site, an institutional repository, a preprint server, or their funding body's designated archive (no embargo period). Authors who archive or self-archive accepted articles are asked to provide a hyperlink from the manuscript to the Journal's Web site."
iMedPub Compatible Authors retain the right to "post a copy of their submitted manuscript (pre-print) on their own Web site, an institutional repository, a preprint server, or their funding body's designated archive (no embargo period)..." and "... post a copy of their accepted manuscript (post-print) on their own Web site, an institutional repository, a preprint server, or their funding body's designated archive (no embargo period). Authors who archive or self-archive accepted articles are asked to provide a hyperlink from the manuscript to the Journal's Web site."
Cambridge University PressCompatibleAuthor retains (among other rights): The right to deposit Author's Original and Submitted Manuscript Under Review at any time as well as Accepted Manuscript six months after publishing to Non-commercial Subject Repository.

Individual journals

Journal Publisher Policy type Policy text Source
Science AAAS CompatibleScience will not consider any paper or component of a paper that has been published or is under consideration for publication elsewhere. Distribution on the Internet may be considered prior publication and may compromise the originality of the paper as a submission to Science, although we do allow posting of research papers on not-for-profit preprint servers such as arxiv.org. Please contact the editors with questions regarding allowable postings.
PNAS CompatiblePreprints have a long and notable history in science, and it has been PNAS policy that they do not constitute prior publication. This is true whether an author hands copies of a manuscript to a few trusted colleagues or puts it on a publicly accessible web site for everyone to read, as is common now in parts of the physics community
Current Biology Cell Compatible in many casesIf you have questions about whether posting a manuscript or data that you plan to submit to this journal on an openly available preprint server or poster repository would affect consideration, we encourage you to contact an editor so that we may provide more specific guidance. In many cases, posting will be possible.
Current Plant Biology Elsevier CompatibleAll manuscripts submitted are peer-reviewed before being accepted for publication to Current Plant Biology. By submitting a manuscript to CPB authors state that the manuscript has not being submitted elsewhere, and that it contains unpublished data. Current Plant Biology does not accept work that has already been published elsewhere in the peer-reviewed literature. Activities such as publication of a short abstract; presentation of data to a scientific meeting; posting of the manuscript to any of the author’s personal website, in an online institutional repository or on a freely accessible preprint server such as arXiv or bioRxiv, are not considered prior publication and do not exclude consideration of manuscript by CPB. Publication of a paper in the proceedings of a scientific meeting generally constitutes prior publication
Journal of Neuroscience CompatibleThe Journal of Neuroscience generally does not accept manuscripts that have been previously published. An exception is made for manuscripts that have been posted on the Internet for the purpose of receiving commentary from the community. Such posting is typically done at a pre-publication repository that has been designed for the purpose, but posting on an institutional web site or other Internet location is acceptable
Journal of Theoretical Biology CompatibleIn general, Elsevier is permissive with respect to authors and electronic preprints. If an electronic preprint of an article is placed on a public server prior to its submission to an Elsevier journal or where a paper was originally authored as a thesis or dissertation, this is not generally viewed by Elsevier as “prior publication”
Cell Cell Compatible in many casesIf you have questions about whether posting a manuscript or data that you plan to submit to this journal on an openly available preprint server or poster repository would affect consideration, we encourage you to contact an editor so that we may provide more specific guidance. In many cases, posting will be possible.
Neuron Cell Compatible in many casesIf you have questions about whether posting a manuscript or data that you plan to submit to this journal on an openly available preprint server or poster repository would affect consideration, we encourage you to contact an editor so that we may provide more specific guidance. In many cases, posting will be possible.
Developmental Cell Cell Compatible in many casesIf you have questions about whether posting a manuscript or data that you plan to submit to this journal on an openly available preprint server or poster repository would affect consideration, we encourage you to contact an editor so that we may provide more specific guidance. In many cases, posting will be possible.
Molecular Cell Cell Compatible in many casesIf you have questions about whether posting a manuscript or data that you plan to submit to this journal on an openly available preprint server or poster repository would affect consideration, we encourage you to contact an editor so that we may provide more specific guidance. In many cases, posting will be possible.
Molecular Biology and Evolution Oxford Journals Compatible Author can archive a pre-print version. Author cannot archive a post-print version
Genes & DevelopmentCold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press CompatibleThe journal only accepts papers that present original research that has not been published previously. Conference presentations or posting unrefereed manuscripts on preprint servers will not be considered prior publication. Authors are responsible for updating the archived preprint with the journal reference (including DOI), and a link to the published article on the Genes & Development website upon publication.
Genome ResearchCold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press CompatibleThe journal only accepts papers that present original research that has not been published previously. Conference presentations or posting unrefereed manuscripts on preprint servers will not be considered prior publication. Authors are responsible for updating the archived preprint with the journal reference (including DOI), and a link to the published article on the Genome Research website upon publication.
Learning & MemoryCold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press CompatibleThe journal only accepts papers that present original research that has not been published previously. Conference presentations or posting unrefereed manuscripts on preprint servers will not be considered prior publication. Authors are responsible for updating the archived preprint with the journal reference (including DOI), and a link to the published article on the Learning & Memory website upon publication.
RNACold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press CompatibleThe journal only accepts papers that present original research that has not been published previously. Conference presentations or posting unrefereed manuscripts on preprint servers will not be considered prior publication. Authors are responsible for updating the archived preprint with the journal reference (including DOI), and a link to the published article on the RNA website upon publication.
eLife CompatibleConference presentations, blog discussions, and deposition to open, online repositories will not affect consideration of a manuscript by eLife. We want to encourage high-quality, informed, and widespread discussion of new research before and after publication, depending on interest in the material and the authors' preferences. So, yes, works posted to arXiv are eligible for submission to eLife.
F1000Research F1000 CompatibleArticles must not have been published, nor be currently under consideration or review elsewhere, except on a preprint server such as F1000Posters, ArXiv or PeerJ PrePrints.
Frontiers in Journals CompatibleThis shall not prevent the author from issuing abstracts to conferences or depositing the draft article in a non-commercial, non peer-reviewed preprint archive such as arXiv.org or similar depositaries in accordance with usual academic practice.
Biophysical Journal Cell Compatible in many casesSome authors prefer to post their manuscripts to preprint servers (such as ArXiv) before submitting them to regular journals. Before submitting a manuscript to BJ that has been posted on such sites, please contact the Editorial Office as cases are considered individually. BJ will consider for publication manuscripts that have been posted informally on a private web site. BJ will not accept manuscripts that have been posted on "virtual journal" web sites following review. Questions related to this policy should be directed to the editor.
Journal of Bacteriology American Society for Microbiology CompatibleASM journals will consider for publication manuscripts that have been posted in a recognized not-for-profit preprint archive.
Journal of Biology of the Cell Likely Incompatible / UnclearUnclear. When submitting a manuscript to BoC it is understood that the data have been neither published nor also submitted for publication elsewhere in any language (excluding abstracts for conferences of less than one page and without illustrations)
EMBO Journal EMBO Press CompatibleManuscripts may be posted prior to submission on recognised pre-publication platforms dedicated to discussion among peers, such as preprint servers (e.g. arXiv or bioRxiv). The details of the preprint server concerned and any accession numbers must be included in the cover letter accompanying submission of the manuscript.
Journal of Neurophysiology CompatibleAuthors submitting to the Journal of Neurophysiology (JN) may submit papers that have been previously posted to preprint servers and other non-peer-reviewed websites.
Molecular & Cellular Proteomics ASBMB Compatible The following do not constitute prior or duplicate publication and will not preclude a manuscript from consideration: [...] a manuscript posted in a recognized not-for-profit preprint archive provided that upon acceptance of the manuscript for publication, the author is still able to grant ASBMB copyright or agree to the terms of an Open Access license and pay the associated fee
Proteomics WileyCompatible There is no obligation upon authors to remove preprints posted to not for profit preprint servers prior to submission.
Journal of Proteome Research ACS IncompatibleThe Journal of Proteome Research considers for publication only original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. When submitting a manuscript, an author should inform the editor of any prior dissemination of the content in print or electronic format. This includes electronic posting of conference esentations, posters, and preprints on institutional epositories and other Web sites. Any content that has been made publicly available, either in print or electronic format, and that contains a significant amount of new information, if made part of a submitted manuscript, may jeopardize the originality of the submission and may preclude consideration for publication.
American Journal of Human Genetics Cell Compatible Per AJHG, the following text applies to engagement with media only: Work intended for submission to AJHG, currently under consideration at AJHG, or in press at AJHG may not be discussed with the media before publication. Providing preprints, granting interviews, discussing data with members of the media, or participating in press conferences in advance of publication without prior approval from the AJHG editorial office may be grounds for rejection.
Genetics Compatible Genetics allows authors to deposit manuscripts (currently under review or those for intended submission to GENETICS) in non-commercial, pre-print servers such as ArXiv.
DevelopmentThe Company of Biologists Compatible Deposition of manuscripts prior to submission on community pre-print servers, or of conference presentations online, will not be considered prior publication and will not compromise potential publication in Development. Versions of a manuscript that have altered as a result of the peer review process may not be deposited. Authors should provide details of the deposition in the cover letter accompanying manuscript submission.
The Journal of Experimental BiologyThe Company of Biologists IncompatibleBy submitting a research article to JEB, the authors undertake that it has not been published previously (this generally includes posting the article on a preprint server) and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Disease Models & MechanismsThe Company of Biologists Compatible Deposition of manuscripts prior to submission on community pre-print servers, or of conference presentations online, will not be considered prior publication and will not compromise potential publication in Biology Open. Versions of a manuscript that have altered as a result of the peer review process may not be deposited. Authors should provide details of the deposition in the cover letter accompanying manuscript submission.
Biology Open (BiO)The Company of Biologists CompatibleDeposition of manuscripts prior to submission on community pre-print servers, or of conference presentations online, will not be considered prior publication and will not compromise potential publication in Biology Open. Versions of a manuscript that have altered as a result of the peer review process may not be deposited. Authors should provide details of the deposition in the cover letter accompanying manuscript submission.
Evolution Compatible Evolution allows authors to deposit manuscripts (currently under review or those for intended submission to Evolution) in non-commercial, pre-print servers such as ArXiv. The deposited version must be the author version (before peer-review). 12 months after publication in Evolution one can deposit the final version.
The Plant CellASPB Compatible The Plant Cell will review manuscripts that include data that are posted on an author's web site. If the data are posted in the form of a preprint, it should be clearly stated beneath the title of the web preprint that is under review (or accepted for publication) by The Plant Cell.
Plant PhysiologyASPB Compatible PLANT PHYSIOLOGY will review manuscripts that include data that are posted on an author's web site. If the data are posted in the form of a preprint, it should be clearly stated beneath the title of the web preprint that is under review (or accepted for publication) by PLANT PHYSIOLOGY.
BioessaysWiley Likely incompatible Based on personal communication with editorial staff, deposition on preprint servers is considered prior publication.
Molecular Biology of the CellAmerican Society for Cell Biology Compatible The following activities prior to submission of a manuscript to MBoC do not constitute prior publication and do not preclude consideration of the manuscript by MBoC: publication of a short abstract; presentation of data at a scientific meeting or in a Webcast of such a meeting; or posting of a manuscript on an author's personal website, in an online institutional repository, or on a freely accessible preprint server such as arXiv or bioRxiv.
MPMI APS CompatibleAuthors are allowed to present their findings ahead of publication on preprint servers. When submitting a manuscript for review, authors need to disclose preprints, databases, proceedings, or other preliminary communications or depositories. This prior disclosure does not constitute prior publication.
Phytopathology APS CompatibleAuthors are allowed to present their findings ahead of publication on preprint servers. When submitting a manuscript for review, authors need to disclose preprints, databases, proceedings, or other preliminary communications or depositories. This prior disclosure does not constitute prior publication.
Plant Disease APS CompatibleAuthors are allowed to present their findings ahead of publication on preprint servers. When submitting a manuscript for review, authors need to disclose preprints, databases, proceedings, or other preliminary communications or depositories. This prior disclosure does not constitute prior publication.
JCI ASCI IncompatibleThe JCI considers the following to be prior publication and therefore unacceptable:
  • any printed or online material describing the findings, methods, or results of a submitted/in-press manuscript in excess of 400 words;
  • any published tables or illustrations that in any way duplicate the content of another manuscript;
  • any posters shown other than at a professional meeting and leaflets distributed other than to a professional audience (...)
Journal of Statistical Software ASA CompatibleBased on a personal e-mail communication with the Editor/Publisher on 2015/08/07. Relevant quote from the communication: "Drafts may appear prior to publication on pre-print servers such as arXiv or bioRxiv."

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, February 09, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.