The what, why, and how of preprints and peer review

"Preprints: what they are how they can help improve your research skills. Preprint servers have been around for almost three decades [1], so if you’re a researcher, chances are you’ve heard of these by now. Preprint servers were created to speed up scholarly publishing and allow authors to receive peer feedback on their preprint manuscripts before they submit it to a journal [2]. Some journals don't allow for this: they don't want any version of a manuscript to have been printed elsewhere even as a preprint. Other journals, however, don't mind or even welcome it [3]. We're a big fan of preprints at Publons. We see these servers as a great way to advance research, boost discoverability, and to improve the professional development of researchers and reviewers. With that in mind, this blog post will demonstrate how you can use preprints to get ahead in job and funding applications, and to enhance your writing, research, and reviewing skills...."