Guide
What is a peer-reviewed preprint?
A peer-reviewed preprint is a preprint that independent experts have reviewed, that the author has revised in response, and that is published with its reviews. It keeps what makes a preprint useful (the author decides when it is public, and it is out in weeks, not months) and adds what a preprint lacks: an expert check that readers can see.
A preprint, before review
A preprint is a complete research manuscript that its authors post on a public server before peer review. Servers run a brief quality check that the work is scientific, then post it, usually within a day or so. Nobody has checked whether the methods hold up or whether the conclusions follow from the data.
That speed is why preprints spread: findings are public as soon as they are written up. It is also their limit. A reader cannot tell a sound preprint from a flawed one without reading it as closely as a reviewer would.
What review adds
A peer-reviewed preprint has been read by researchers who work on the same questions, before it is published as reviewed. Their reports point at what is weak or missing, the author revises, and the reviews are published with the paper. A reader sees the paper, what the experts asked for, and how the author answered.
What it does not have is a journal's acceptance. Nobody issues an accept or reject verdict on the paper: the reviews and the revision are the signal.
| Criterion | Preprint | Peer-reviewed preprint | Journal article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviewed by experts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Reviews visible to readers | No | Yes, published alongside | Rarely |
| Who decides it is published | The author | The author, after review | The editor |
| Time to publish | Days | Weeks | Months to years |
Who reviews preprints
Peer review of preprints is no longer marginal. eLife has reviewed only papers already posted as preprints since 2021. Since 2023 it publishes every reviewed paper as a Reviewed Preprint with public reviews and an eLife assessment, and no longer makes accept or reject decisions after review. Review Commons, run by ASAPbio and EMBO, reviews life-science preprints independently of any journal and turns them into Refereed Preprints that authors can send on to affiliate journals.
These services differ on who chooses the reviewers, whether the reviews are public, and what the author pays. Preprint review services compared sets them side by side.
How it works on Unjournal
- You upload the paper (PDF or Word). It is read for the specific questions that need an expert, and nothing is sent to anyone yet.
- Researchers whose own work is closest to those questions are found in the global publication record. You approve the anonymized shortlist.
- They review it double-blind, commenting on the passages that matter.
- You revise, and the same reviewers check the revision against their own comments.
- Once at least two endorse it, and none says “not yet”, you can publish it on the Unjournal preprint journal, with its reviews. You keep the copyright.
When a peer-reviewed preprint makes sense
When you want your work read and checked now, not in a year: a result others are building on, a job or grant application that needs reviewed work, a paper that keeps being rejected for fit rather than for quality. The review is also useful on its own: an expert reading of the paper before you send it anywhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Is a peer-reviewed preprint the same as a published paper?
It is published and it is peer-reviewed, but it is not a journal article: no editor accepted it. Readers judge it on the paper and the published reviews instead of on the journal's name.
Who decides when a peer-reviewed preprint is published?
The author. On Unjournal the Publish button appears once at least two reviewers endorse the revision and none says “not yet”; the author then decides if and when.
Are the reviews of a peer-reviewed preprint public?
Yes, that is the point of the format: the reviews are published with the paper, so readers see what was checked. On Unjournal the reviewers stay anonymous.
Can I post my paper on a preprint server too?
Yes. A preprint server and a peer-reviewed preprint answer different needs: the server makes the paper public at once, the review adds the expert check.
How long does it take to get a peer-reviewed preprint?
Weeks rather than months: the reviewers are asked focused questions on their own field, and the revision goes back to the same people. How long peer review takes compares it with journal timelines.