Better preprint metadata through community participation - Crossref

"Preprints have become an important tool for rapidly communicating and iterating on research outputs. There is now a range of preprint servers, some subject-specific, some based on a particular geographical area, and others linked to publishers or individual journals in addition to generalist platforms. In 2016 the Crossref schema started to support preprints and since then the number of metadata records has grown to around 16,000 new preprint DOIs per month. Preprints aren’t the same as journal articles, books, or conference papers. They have unique features, and how they are viewed and integrated into the publishing process has evolved over the past six years. For this reason, we have been revisiting the preprint metadata schema and decided that the best approach would be to form an advisory group (AG) of preprint practitioners and experts to help us. The AG has identified a number of areas in which preprint metadata could be improved. Four of these were considered to have the highest priority: Withdrawal and removal of preprints. Preprints as an article type (not a subtype of posted content) in the schema. Relationships between preprints and other outputs. Versioning of preprints...."