Preprints, Transparency, and the Future of Scholarly Publishing: Why Journals Should Lead the Shift

From Gatekeeping to Stewardship in a Preprint-First World

Scholarly publishing is undergoing one of the most consequential shifts in its modern history. Concerns about trust, credibility, and research integrity—amplified by paper mill activity, rising retractions, and the pressures seen during the COVID-19 era—have sparked intense reflection about how research should be disclosed, evaluated, and communicated.

A preprint-first model offers one of the most promising ways to realign transparency, scrutiny, and speed. For publishers, especially journal editorial teams, preprints should not be seen as competition; they represent an opportunity to strengthen stewardship, improve signal detection, and elevate credibility in an era of information saturation.

This is not a trade-off between speed and quality. It is a chance to harmonise accessibility with validation, and openness with authority.

How Preprints Interact with the Paper Mill Economy

Paper mills thrive in environments with low visibility and siloed workflows. Traditional journal submission systems—closed, isolated, and heterogeneous—create space for coordinated misconduct to avoid detection.

A preprint stage disrupts this by:

• Increasing early visibility

A timestamped, public record makes duplicate or simultaneous submissions significantly harder for fraudulent actors.

• Opening the door to community scrutiny

Researchers and integrity specialists often spot anomalies—duplicated images, strange statistics, incoherent methodology—long before formal peer review.

• Enabling system-level pattern recognition

When manuscripts exist in interoperable repositories, patterns become easier to detect across the ecosystem rather than within a single journal’s silo.

Preprints alone cannot solve structural integrity issues. But they shift detection earlier, widen the field of observation, and strengthen the ecosystem when combined with robust screening and governance.

What Helps Contain Paper Mill Activity

Preprints work best when paired with systemic improvements, including:

• AI-augmented integrity checks at the preprint or early-review stage
• Clear contributor and provenance statements
• Responsible information-sharing across publishers and repositories
• Increased transparency of data and methods where appropriate
• Academic incentives that reward robustness instead of output volume

Retractions and disputes carry tangible reputational and operational cost. Moving scrutiny upstream is one way to redistribute effort from reactive correction to proactive assurance.

Why Publishers Have Historically Hesitated—And Why Now Is the Time to Reassess

Publishers’ reservations have traditionally included:

• Concerns about losing exclusivity
• Disruption to established workflows
• Revenue model uncertainty
• Versioning and copyright complexities
• Misinterpretation of unreviewed work
• Cultural inertia

These concerns are understandable, but the industry context has changed. Today, authority is built less on controlling access and more on demonstrating trustworthiness, stewardship, and transparency. The opportunity for publishers lies in shaping these new norms—not reacting to them.

Discovery and the Continuing Role of Journals

Even with the rise of preprints, journals remain essential. Clinicians, policymakers, and practitioners continue to rely on curated, validated content to inform decisions.

As global research output expands, journals serve as the interpretive layer that transforms information into trusted knowledge.

Preprints determine when research becomes visible.
Journals determine what it means and why it matters.

This complementary relationship will define scholarly communication going forward.

The Expanded Role of Publishers: From Publication to Engagement

Publishers today are responsible not only for validating research, but also for ensuring it is understood, contextualised, and communicated responsibly. This entails:

• Visual and graphical summaries
• Audience-tailored explanations
• Multimedia formats
• Policy-relevant interpretation
• Clearer pathways between versions and interpretations

With these expanded responsibilities come new risks: over-simplification, misrepresentation, or fragmented messaging. This requires stronger governance and editorial oversight to preserve accuracy alongside accessibility.

Preprints and Journals as Integrated Partners

A modern, integrated publishing workflow may include:

1. Early preprint deposition with baseline checks
2. Community visibility and informal commentary
3. Author refinement informed by early feedback
4. Formal peer review and editorial evaluation
5. Enhanced communication and context at publication
6. Transparent linkage between preprint and Version of Record

This is not a marginal adjustment—it is a reimagining of research flow based on transparency and iterative validation.

The Role for Institutions and Funders

Institutions and funders are increasingly promoting preprint deposition, particularly in fast-moving disciplines. This sequencing accelerates visibility and can surface methodological concerns earlier. But it requires strong governance, clear policies, and cross-stakeholder collaboration to ensure the system strengthens, rather than dilutes, trust.

No single participant—publisher, funder, repository, or researcher—can secure integrity alone.

How Integra Can Support Publishers in a Preprint-First Future

As publishers adapt to a landscape where early research signals originate in the preprint ecosystem, the need for structured intelligence, enhanced screening, and expert curation becomes more pronounced.

Integra supports publishers through a combination of:

1. Early-Stage Intelligence and Signal Detection

We help journals identify high-potential research earlier in its lifecycle by analysing emerging themes, novelty indicators, and conceptual significance across global preprint activity.
This allows publishers to move from passive receipt of submissions to proactive recognition of influential work.

2. AI-Enabled Quality and Integrity Assessment

Our advanced screening capabilities highlight potential technical issues, structural inconsistencies, or integrity risks—strengthening the foundation upon which editorial decisions are made.

3. Human-Led Editorial Curation

Experienced specialists contextualise insights, assess alignment with journal scope, and synthesise structured recommendations.
This ensures that intelligence is not merely generated, but made actionable.

4. Strategic Engagement With Authors

We assist journals in thoughtfully inviting authors of promising preprints to consider submitting—strengthening selectivity without increasing volume dependency.

5. Continuous Insight and Performance Monitoring

We provide ongoing intelligence to track outcomes, improving editorial strategy and helping journals better understand which early signals translate into long-term impact.

Through these capabilities, Integra helps publishers become active curators of significance in a preprint-first world.

A Strategic Imperative for Scholarly Publishing

Engaging constructively with preprints is not a concession—it is a leadership opportunity. The industry has already navigated major transformations: digital, open access, multimedia, data-heavy research. The next frontier is a shift toward transparent, intelligence-led, and integrity-first communication.

Preprints provide openness.
Journals provide validation.
Together, they form the foundation of a more trustworthy and resilient research ecosystem.

For publishers willing to embrace this shift, the future offers deeper influence, stronger trust, and greater scientific impact.

Acknowledgment

This blog is adapted from an article originally published in Editors Café by the Asian Council of Science Editors (ACSE). The original article can be found here:
https://editorscafe.org/details.php?id=117