The Emergence of Preprints: Comparing Publishing Behaviour in the Global South and the Global North

TL;DR

This study compares attitudes and behaviors regarding preprint posting between researchers in the Global South and North, revealing differences in perceptions, motivations, and the potential impact on open access publishing.

Contribution

It provides novel insights into regional differences in preprint adoption and attitudes, an area previously underexplored due to the recent emergence of preprints.

Findings

Global South researchers more likely to support policies and mandates for preprints.

Preprint posting perceived as positively impacting research visibility.

Both regions value peer-reviewed research for career advancement.

Abstract

Purpose: The recent proliferation of preprints could be a way for researchers worldwide to increase the availability and visibility of their research findings. Against the background of rising publication costs caused by the increasing prevalence of article processing fees, the search for other ways to publish research results besides traditional journal publication may increase. This could be especially true for lower-income countries. Design/methodology/approach: Therefore, we are interested in the experiences and attitudes towards posting and using preprints in the Global South as opposed to the Global North. To explore whether motivations and concerns about posting preprints differ, we adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining a quantitative survey of researchers with focus group interviews. Findings: We found that respondents from the Global South were more likely to agree to adhere to policies and to emphasise that mandates could change publishing behaviour towards open access. They were also more likely to agree posting preprints has a positive impact. Respondents from the Global South and the Global North emphasised the importance of peer-reviewed research for career advancement. Originality: The study has identified a wide range of experiences with and attitudes towards posting preprints among researchers in the Global South and the Global North. To our knowledge, this has hardly been studied before, which is also because preprints only have emerged lately in many disciplines and countries.