The promise of community-driven preprints in ecology and evolution.

Noble, DWA; Xirocostas, ZA; Wu, NC; Martinig, AR; Almeida, RA; Bairos-Novak, KR; Balti, H; Bertram, MG; Bliard, L; Brand, JA; Byrne, I; Chan, Y-C; Clink, DJ; Corbel, Q; Correia, RA; Crawford-Ash, J; Culina, A; D'Bastiani, E; Deme, GG; de Souza Leite, M; Dhellemmes, F; Dimri, S; Drobniak, SM; Elsy, AD; Everingham, SE; Gascoigne, SJL; Grainger, MJ; Hossack, GC; Hovstad, KA; Ivimey-Cook, ER; Jones, ML; Kačergytė, I; Küstner, G; Leibold, DC; Mair, MM; Martin, J; Mizuno, A; Moodie, IR; Moreau, D; O'Dea, RE; Orr, JA; Paquet, M; Parajuli, R; Pick, JL; Pottier, P; Purgar, M; Recio, P; Roche, DG; Royauté, R; Shafiei Sabet, S; Segovia, JMG; Silva, I; Sánchez-Tójar, A; Soares, BE; Szabo, B; Takola, E; Thoré, ESJ; Timilsina, B; van Dis, NE; Verberk, WCEP; Vriend, SJG; Wild, KH; Williams, C; Yang, Y; Nakagawa, S; Lagisz, M

The promise of community-driven preprints in ecology and evolution.

Noble, DWA Xirocostas, ZA Wu, NC Martinig, AR Almeida, RA Bairos-Novak, KR Balti, H Bertram, MG Bliard, L Brand, JA Byrne, I Chan, Y-C Clink, DJ Corbel, Q Correia, RA Crawford-Ash, J Culina, A D'Bastiani, E Deme, GG de Souza Leite, M Dhellemmes, F Dimri, S Drobniak, SM Elsy, AD Everingham, SE Gascoigne, SJL Grainger, MJ Hossack, GC Hovstad, KA Ivimey-Cook, ER Jones, ML Kačergytė, I Küstner, G Leibold, DC Mair, MM Martin, J Mizuno, A Moodie, IR Moreau, D O'Dea, RE Orr, JA Paquet, M Parajuli, R Pick, JL Pottier, P Purgar, M Recio, P Roche, DG Royauté, R Shafiei Sabet, S Segovia, JMG Silva, I Sánchez-Tójar, A Soares, BE Szabo, B Takola, E Thoré, ESJ Timilsina, B van Dis, NE Verberk, WCEP Vriend, SJG Wild, KH Williams, C Yang, Y Nakagawa, S Lagisz, M

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Publisher:: ROYAL SOC
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Proc Biol Sci, 2025, 292, (2039), pp. 20241487
Issue Date:: 2025-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Noble, DWA
dc.contributor.author	Xirocostas, ZA
dc.contributor.author	Wu, NC
dc.contributor.author	Martinig, AR
dc.contributor.author	Almeida, RA
dc.contributor.author	Bairos-Novak, KR
dc.contributor.author	Balti, H
dc.contributor.author	Bertram, MG
dc.contributor.author	Bliard, L
dc.contributor.author	Brand, JA
dc.contributor.author	Byrne, I
dc.contributor.author	Chan, Y-C
dc.contributor.author	Clink, DJ
dc.contributor.author	Corbel, Q
dc.contributor.author	Correia, RA
dc.contributor.author	Crawford-Ash, J
dc.contributor.author	Culina, A
dc.contributor.author	D'Bastiani, E
dc.contributor.author	Deme, GG
dc.contributor.author	de Souza Leite, M
dc.contributor.author	Dhellemmes, F
dc.contributor.author	Dimri, S
dc.contributor.author	Drobniak, SM
dc.contributor.author	Elsy, AD
dc.contributor.author	Everingham, SE
dc.contributor.author	Gascoigne, SJL
dc.contributor.author	Grainger, MJ
dc.contributor.author	Hossack, GC
dc.contributor.author	Hovstad, KA
dc.contributor.author	Ivimey-Cook, ER
dc.contributor.author	Jones, ML
dc.contributor.author	Kačergytė, I
dc.contributor.author	Küstner, G
dc.contributor.author	Leibold, DC
dc.contributor.author	Mair, MM
dc.contributor.author	Martin, J
dc.contributor.author	Mizuno, A
dc.contributor.author	Moodie, IR
dc.contributor.author	Moreau, D
dc.contributor.author	O'Dea, RE
dc.contributor.author	Orr, JA
dc.contributor.author	Paquet, M
dc.contributor.author	Parajuli, R
dc.contributor.author	Pick, JL
dc.contributor.author	Pottier, P
dc.contributor.author	Purgar, M
dc.contributor.author	Recio, P
dc.contributor.author	Roche, DG
dc.contributor.author	Royauté, R
dc.contributor.author	Shafiei Sabet, S
dc.contributor.author	Segovia, JMG
dc.contributor.author	Silva, I
dc.contributor.author	Sánchez-Tójar, A
dc.contributor.author	Soares, BE
dc.contributor.author	Szabo, B
dc.contributor.author	Takola, E
dc.contributor.author	Thoré, ESJ
dc.contributor.author	Timilsina, B
dc.contributor.author	van Dis, NE
dc.contributor.author	Verberk, WCEP
dc.contributor.author	Vriend, SJG
dc.contributor.author	Wild, KH
dc.contributor.author	Williams, C
dc.contributor.author	Yang, Y
dc.contributor.author	Nakagawa, S
dc.contributor.author	Lagisz, M
dc.date.accessioned	2026-02-02T00:50:15Z
dc.date.available	2026-02-02T00:50:15Z
dc.date.issued	2025-01
dc.identifier.citation	Proc Biol Sci, 2025, 292, (2039), pp. 20241487
dc.identifier.issn	0962-8452
dc.identifier.issn	1471-2954
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/192664
dc.description.abstract	Publishing preprints is quickly becoming commonplace in ecology and evolutionary biology. Preprints can facilitate the rapid sharing of scientific knowledge establishing precedence and enabling feedback from the research community before peer review. Yet, significant barriers to preprint use exist, including language barriers, a lack of understanding about the benefits of preprints and a lack of diversity in the types of research outputs accepted (e.g. reports). Community-driven preprint initiatives can allow a research community to come together to break down these barriers to improve equity and coverage of global knowledge. Here, we explore the first preprints uploaded to EcoEvoRxiv (n = 1216), a community-driven preprint server for ecologists and evolutionary biologists, to characterize preprint use in ecology, evolution and conservation. Our perspective piece highlights some of the unique initiatives that EcoEvoRxiv has taken to break down barriers to scientific publishing by exploring the composition of articles, how gender and career stage influence preprint use, whether preprints are associated with greater open science practices (e.g. code and data sharing) and tracking preprint publication outcomes. Our analysis identifies areas that we still need to improve upon but highlights how community-driven initiatives, such as EcoEvoRxiv, can play a crucial role in shaping publishing practices in biology.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	ROYAL SOC
dc.relation.ispartof	Proc Biol Sci
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1098/rspb.2024.1487
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	06 Biological Sciences, 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, 11 Medical and Health Sciences
dc.subject.classification	30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
dc.subject.classification	31 Biological sciences
dc.subject.classification	41 Environmental sciences
dc.subject.mesh	Ecology
dc.subject.mesh	Biological Evolution
dc.subject.mesh	Publishing
dc.subject.mesh	Preprints as Topic
dc.subject.mesh	Information Dissemination
dc.subject.mesh	Information Dissemination
dc.subject.mesh	Ecology
dc.subject.mesh	Publishing
dc.subject.mesh	Biological Evolution
dc.subject.mesh	Preprints as Topic
dc.subject.mesh	Ecology
dc.subject.mesh	Biological Evolution
dc.subject.mesh	Publishing
dc.subject.mesh	Preprints as Topic
dc.subject.mesh	Information Dissemination
dc.title	The promise of community-driven preprints in ecology and evolution.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	292
utslib.location.activity	England
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences
utslib.for	07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
utslib.for	11 Medical and Health Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Chancellor's Research Fellows
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-02-02T00:50:13Z
pubs.issue	2039
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	292
utslib.citation.issue	2039

Abstract:

Publishing preprints is quickly becoming commonplace in ecology and evolutionary biology. Preprints can facilitate the rapid sharing of scientific knowledge establishing precedence and enabling feedback from the research community before peer review. Yet, significant barriers to preprint use exist, including language barriers, a lack of understanding about the benefits of preprints and a lack of diversity in the types of research outputs accepted (e.g. reports). Community-driven preprint initiatives can allow a research community to come together to break down these barriers to improve equity and coverage of global knowledge. Here, we explore the first preprints uploaded to EcoEvoRxiv (n = 1216), a community-driven preprint server for ecologists and evolutionary biologists, to characterize preprint use in ecology, evolution and conservation. Our perspective piece highlights some of the unique initiatives that EcoEvoRxiv has taken to break down barriers to scientific publishing by exploring the composition of articles, how gender and career stage influence preprint use, whether preprints are associated with greater open science practices (e.g. code and data sharing) and tracking preprint publication outcomes. Our analysis identifies areas that we still need to improve upon but highlights how community-driven initiatives, such as EcoEvoRxiv, can play a crucial role in shaping publishing practices in biology.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/192664