Reviewed as of 27 September 2026.
A preprint is a research manuscript made public before its formal publication in a journal, or outside that process. It has not necessarily been peer reviewed. For postgraduate students and independent researchers, it makes it possible to date the work and make it citable, link it from a CV and help it circulate. This guide explains the workflow I use. Not all platforms or journals apply the same rules.
Before publishing
Check the journal's policy
If you plan to submit the work to a journal, check its current policy on preprints, which version it allows you to deposit, the repositories it accepts and any obligation to disclose the preprint on submission. Many journals accept them, but not all. Policies may also vary between titles from the same publisher.
Sherpa Romeo helps you find journal and publisher policies, but it does not replace the journal's own instructions or a written reply from its editorial team. Keep a copy of the policy and the date you checked it.
Publish a defensible version
A preprint can be corrected, but it remains public, dated and linked to your name. Check beforehand:
- argument, abstract and conclusions;
- citations, references, permissions and image captions;
- personal data, confidential information and embargo commitments;
- authorship, affiliation, funding and conflicts of interest;
- spelling, layout, numbering and metadata.
State clearly that it is a preprint and, where applicable, that it has not been peer reviewed.
Choose a licence knowingly
The licence determines what reuse you allow. CC BY allows the work to be shared and adapted, even commercially, with attribution. Other licences add restrictions. Check that you can also license the images, tables and third-party materials. A licence on the manuscript does not make reusable any third-party content you have included under a more limited permission.
Start with a stable repository
Publishing first in a repository that assigns a persistent identifier makes it easier for the other entries to point to one main reference. That does not mean you must use the same identifier for every purpose.
1. Zenodo
Zenodo is an open digital archive built by CERN and OpenAIRE. It accepts research outputs from all disciplines and allows files to be deposited when the uploader holds the necessary rights.
Create an account, upload the PDF and fill in the title, authorship, ORCID, date, abstract, keywords, language, resource type, version, licence and funding where relevant. You can reserve a DOI before publishing so that you can include it in the PDF itself.
When you publish the first version, Zenodo registers two DOIs:
- a version DOI, which identifies the deposited files exactly;
- a concept DOI, which groups all versions and leads to the most recent one.
Do not claim that the concept DOI should always be cited. For reproducibility and academic precision, Zenodo generally recommends citing the DOI of the specific version. The concept DOI is useful when you want to point to the evolving work and its latest version. Decide which to use according to the context and keep the other visible in the metadata.
If you change the files, create a new version with New version. If you are only correcting metadata, you do not need another version. Zenodo also has mechanisms for requesting minor changes to files, which should be used with care so as not to silently alter an object that has already been cited.
2. SSRN
SSRN is a distribution platform used mainly in the social sciences, law and economics, with areas that are also useful for work in the humanities. Before uploading the manuscript, check its terms, the rights you declare and the subject classifications.
If an entry already exists, update the work through the revision procedure for the existing submission instead of creating a duplicate. Include the DOI of the main repository in the abstract or metadata when the form allows it.
3. PhilArchive and PhilPapers
For philosophy, aesthetics and theory, PhilArchive lets you archive work and PhilPapers acts as a specialised bibliographic index. First check whether the work already has an entry. Add the relevant version, the persistent link and categories that fit the content. Over-classifying does not necessarily increase visibility and can reduce the accuracy of the record.
4. ORCID
ORCID identifies the researcher; it does not certify the quality of the work. Add the preprint to your record by importing it by DOI or entering its details. Check the work type, date, identifiers and visibility. If several records of the same work appear, group them where appropriate instead of leaving confusing duplicates.
Keep a master record
For each platform, keep:
- URL and identifier;
- version and date;
- deposited file and checksum, if you use one;
- licence;
- review or publication status;
- date of the last update.
Share the work once there is a stable page and check that all your profiles point to the version you want to show.
Update without losing traceability
Metadata. Correct the title, abstract or authorship by editing the record when the platform allows it, and document significant changes.
File. If the intellectual content changes or you replace the PDF, create a new version. Explain the changes in a brief note.
Later publication. When a journal publishes the article, add the reference and the DOI of the published version if the policies allow it. Do not replace the preprint with the publisher's PDF without checking the rights.
Withdrawal. Do not delete cited versions just because there is a newer one. Repositories usually preserve the metadata and allow withdrawals for justified reasons. If there is a serious error, use the official procedure and explain why.
Common mistakes
- Assuming that every journal accepts preprints.
- Depositing the publisher's PDF without permission.
- Always citing the concept DOI when discussing a specific version.
- Creating a new entry for every correction and scattering citations and metrics.
- Leaving inconsistent versions without saying which is the latest.
- Choosing a licence you cannot grant for all the materials included.
- Presenting the preprint as if it had been peer reviewed.
On the open conversation
This guide summarises the workflow I follow to publish work in open access. Menus, policies and features change. Always check the current documentation of each service and the journal's specific policy.