32891 A cross-sectional study of dermatology articles in preprint servers

Abstract

Background: Preprint servers allow researchers to post manuscripts before publication in peer-reviewed journals. An analysis of dermatology manuscripts in preprint servers has not been performed. Objectives: To analyze characteristics of dermatology preprints and assess preprint publication policies in top dermatology journals. Methods: Biology/health sciences preprint servers were searched (3/3/21-3/24/21) with keywords “dermatology,” “skin,” and “cutaneous.” Preprint server, preprint post date, location, metrics, journal, impact factor (IF), and journal publication date were recorded. Preprint policies of the top 20 dermatology journals were reviewed (https://www.scimagojr.com/). Results: A total of 1420 articles were posted to 11 preprint servers 6/20/07-2/15/21, and 377 (27%) were published in peer-reviewed journals, with 350 (93%) published within one year of preprint post. Preprints were published in 203 journals with mean IF 6.2. Growth in preprint posts by year (2007-2020) was exponential (R2 = 0.78). On average, preprints were viewed 496 times, with published vs. unpublished preprints viewed more often (596 vs. 362 views) (P < .001). Only 23/777 (3%) preprints with comments enabled had feedback. Among the top 20 dermatology journals, 18 (90%) allowed, 1 (5%) evaluated case-by-case, and 1 (5%) prohibited preprints. Conclusions: Our study showed exponential growth in dermatology preprints, a significant proportion published in peer-reviewed journals with high IF, and substantial number of page views for both published and unpublished preprints. Dermatologists should be aware of this trend both for disseminating their own scholarly work and for potentially obtaining the most current information relevant to their practice, while being aware that the data have not been peer-reviewed.