Evaluation of an experimental chemistry preprint server

A preprint is a research article made publicly available prior to formal publication. A preprint server is a freely available archive and distribution medium for preprints, allowing rapid dissemination and use of multimedia and supporting files. Electronic eprints have been widely adopted in certain fields (notably high energy physics), but, until recently, the preprint concept has not been received with enthusiasm by most chemists. Despite the fact that preprints have the advantage of rapid publication, chemists have been reluctant to produce them because they could be viewed as unallowable for research assessment or tenure exercises or for publication in certain prestigious journals. In theory, preprints, together with version control and online discussion, could be a useful compromise: rapid prepublication followed by open peer review, before publication in a traditional journal. This paper constitutes a preliminary evaluation of a Chemistry Preprint Server in its second year of operation and summarizes the lessons that can be learned from the experiment to date.