Peer-reviewed preprints and the Publish-Review-Curate model | Plan S

The traditional scientific publication model, characterized by gate-keeping editorial decisions, has come under increasing criticism. Opponents argue that it is too slow, opaque, unfair, lacking in qualifications, dominated by a small group of individuals, inefficient, and even obsolete. In response to these critiques, two alternatives have gained traction: peer-reviewed preprints and the Publish-Review-Curate (PRC) model (Stern & O’Shea, 2019 and Liverpool, 2023). Both models share two common steps:

 

Step 1: Authors decide when to make their articles publicly available by depositing them as preprints on preprint servers or institutional open archives. Step 2: These preprints are then formally reviewed by specialized services (such as Review Commons, PREreview, Peer Community In (PCI), etc.), and the reviews are made publicly accessible.