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bioRxiv2025

Discovery Stack Pilot: Feasibility and Outcomes of a Scientist-Designed Peer Review Model Separating Quality and Impact

Peer review serves as the cornerstone of scientific quality control. Yet, the current journal-centric system is hindered by long timelines, high publication costs, inconsistent review quality, systemic biases, and editorial gatekeeping. Notably, the system relies on misaligned measures of impact that are tethered to journal branding and conflate scientific rigor (Quality) with perceived significance (Impact). Here, we report findings from the Discovery Stack Pilot Study, which tested a scientist-designed, journal-independent peer review model. The Discovery Stack model integrates in-line reviewer comments to promote constructive feedback and separately evaluates scientific Quality and Impact using defined criteria. To examine feasibility and effectiveness, manuscripts were reviewed in parallel with traditional journal review. A total of 162 reviews were completed, and survey data from 86 participants were analyzed. The results showed that reviewers effectively evaluated Quality and Impact as separate dimensions, with Quality scores being more consistent across reviewers than Impact scores. Participants strongly supported the core elements of the Discovery Stack model and expressed enthusiasm for its broader adoption to enhance transparency, efficiency, and value in peer review. Future studies will explore integrating this model into a digital platform for reviewing and curating scientific discoveries to improve the production and dissemination of high-quality research.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2019

bioRxiv: the preprint server for biology

The traditional publication process delays dissemination of new research, often by months, sometimes by years. Preprint servers decouple dissemination of research papers from their evaluation and certification by journals, allowing researchers to share work immediately, receive feedback from a much larger audience, and provide evidence of productivity long before formal publication. Launched in 2013 as a non-profit community service, the bioRxiv server brought preprinting to the life sciences and recently posted its 310,000th manuscript. The server now receives around ten million views per month and hosts papers spanning all areas of biology. Initially dominated by evolutionary biology, genetics/genomics and computational biology, bioRxiv has been increasingly populated by papers in neuroscience, cell and developmental biology, and many other fields. bioRxiv and its sister server, medRxiv, also played a critical role during the pandemic, rapidly disseminating new discoveries in immunology, virology and epidemiology related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its effects. Changes in journal and funder policies that encourage preprint posting helped drive adoption, as did the development of bioRxiv technologies that allow authors to transfer papers easily between bioRxiv and journals. A recent user survey found that 30% of authors post their preprints weeks to months before submitting to a journal whereas 55% post around the time of journal submission. Authors are motivated by a desire to share work early; they value the feedback they receive and very rarely experience any negative consequences of preprint posting. Rapid dissemination via bioRxiv is also encouraging new initiatives that experiment with the peer review process and the development of novel approaches to literature filtering and assessment.

scientific communication and education↗