Releasing a preprint is associated with more attention and citations

Fu, D. Y.; Hughey, J. J.

doi:10.1101/699652

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/699652

Releasing a preprint is associated with more attention and citations

Fu, D. Y.·Hughey, J. J.

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Abstract

Preprints in biology are gaining popularity, but release of a preprint still precedes only a fraction of peer-reviewed publications. We examined whether having a preprint on bioRxiv was associated with metrics of the corresponding peer-reviewed article. We assembled a dataset of 74,239 articles, 5,405 of which had a preprint, published in 39 journals. Based on log-linear regression and random-effects meta-analysis, articles with a preprint had a 51% higher Altmetric Attention Score and 37% more citations compared to articles without one. These associations were independent of several other article- and author-level variables (e.g., scientific subfield and last author publication age) and unrelated to journal-level variables such as access model and Impact Factor. This observational study can help researchers and publishers make informed decisions about how to incorporate preprints into their work.

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Fu, D. Y., Hughey, J. J.. 2019-07-13. Releasing a preprint is associated with more attention and citations. https://doi.org/10.1101/699652

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