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The Journal of Neuroscience, February 18, 2009, 29(7):1947
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Prepublication of Manuscripts
Science thrives on the open exchange of ideas. The presentation of unpublished data at meetings and the publication of abstracts facilitate the spread of ideas and can provide investigators with feedback that leads to stronger and more general results.
Journals have long accepted reports that describe findings that have been vetted in abstract form, but many, including The Journal of Neuroscience, have shunned manuscripts that authors have posted on the Internet. Such posting, whether at an online repository for unpublished work, the author's institution, or other sites, constitutes prepublication, which is widely forbidden by journals.
Nevertheless, the posting of unpublished manuscripts is in many ways similar to the presentation of unpublished work at meetings, except that it allows a much more detailed commentary from a much wider audience. Thus, a policy of disallowing prepublished manuscripts can inhibit an open exchange and slow the progress of science.
Moreover, prepublication does not appreciably undermine the role of peer-reviewed journals. Because only journals provide the imprimatur of rigorous peer review, prepublished manuscripts remain preliminary (much like abstracts), and authors and readers will continue to rely on journals for authoritative citations. This view is supported by current practices in other fields, such as physics, chemistry and quantitative biology, where preliminary manuscripts are often prepublished, providing investigators with richer and more detailed input from a broad range of colleagues.
Recognizing that open exchange and discussion of ideas is important for the advancement of the field, The Journal of Neuroscience will now consider manuscripts that have been prepublished on the Internet, whether in prepublication repositories or elsewhere. Authors considering prepublication should realize that it is essential that they retain the copyright for all prepublished material. Additionally, authors should be aware that because many other neuroscience journals will not consider prepublished manuscripts, prepublication would restrict their selection of journals when The Journal of Neuroscience does not accept a manuscript for publication. Further details can be found in the Journal's Instructions for Authors (http://www.jneurosci.org/misc/itoa.shtml).
John Maunsell, Editor-in-Chief
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