Ten Simple Rules for Post-Pandemic Preprinting

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the practice of preprinting from a niche activity in the life sciences to a mainstream one, encouraged by large funders and publishers alike. In early 2020, preprint servers had to adjust to the huge volumes of pandemic-related research being produced and submitted and to the new challenges these outputs introduced. Like all servers, Research Square was inundated with submissions during the early months of the pandemic and had to become more vigilant in its approach to screening them. From this experience, we have learned a lot about how preprints can shape public discourse and the care that must be taken by both the producers and distributors of the content. In this poster, we reflect on our learnings from more than 20 months navigating rapid research dissemination in a global pandemic and present a list of 10 best practices for authors preparing a preprint submission.