0110 Preprints

Preprints

You are not obliged to share your preprint openly. However, we do recommend that you do so. This is because it makes your research findings immediately available, can lead to additional peer or community feedback, and helps to raise your profile.

Sharing a preprint before publishing in a journal

Most journals accept submissions of articles that have already been shared as preprints. You can check the preprint policy of publishers in the Open Policy Finder. Select a journal and click on the conditions for sharing the ‘submitted version’. When you see ‘option with no embargo’, you are allowed to share your preprint at any moment in the publication process on a preprint server.

Where can I share my preprint?

Share your preprint open access on a preprint server. There are preprint servers particular to certain research areas as well as general-purpose preprint servers, such as Zenodo, Knowledge Commons or Figshare. Sometimes publishers offer their own preprint servers; however, we advise you to choose an independent preprint server.

Would you like your preprint to be visible in the overview on your profile page in the UU Research Portal and on the UU website? Then also upload your preprint in Pure. The preprint will later be automatically replaced by the published version.

Publishing according to the Publish, Review, Curate model

You can also opt for a publication model centred around preprints: Publish, Review, Curate (PCR). This involves publishing your preprint on a dedicated platform where it also undergoes open peer review. This allows you to engage with your audience from the very start and improve the preprint immediately based on feedback.

You may choose to submit the final version of your preprint to a journal once it has gone through review and revision (the ‘Curate’ step in PRC), but you are not obliged to do so. For Utrecht University, and for most funding bodies, a preprint on a PRC platform counts as a full publication.

Where can I find a PRC platform?

  • Peer Community In is a major PRC platform covering various disciplines, particularly in the natural sciences and social sciences.
  • Other PRC platforms include, for example, ASAPbio (biology), eLife (natural sciences and biomedicine), and MetaROR (metascience).
  • Open Research Europe is the official PRC platform for researchers with EU funding. By the end of 2026, this platform will be open to all researchers with a Dutch affiliation, even those without a research grant.