[Preprints and open archives and social networks. To each his own.]

Abstract

The article explores the topic of preprints and their growing use within the scientific community. Preprints are complete scientific manuscripts that authors upload to public repositories before undergoing peer review. This process allows for the near-immediate dissemination of research findings, enabling authors to receive early feedback from the scientific community. Preprints represent one of the key practices of Open Science, which aims to make research more accessible and transparent. The benefits of publishing preprints are numerous: researchers can quickly share their results, receive constructive criticism in a short time, and increase the visibility of their work, particularly for early-career scholars. The work further outlines the various preprint servers available and explains the difference between institutional repositories and academic social networks. Institutional repositories, managed by universities or public entities, are secure and ensure the long-term preservation of scientific data. In contrast, academic social networks, such as ResearchGate, are commercial platforms that may pose risks related to copyright violations. Finally, the document addresses the debate over the effectiveness of the traditional peer review system, which is often criticized for its slowness and lack of transparency. Preprints offer a complementary path to traditional publishing, allowing for faster and more open dissemination of scientific discoveries. However, they should be used cautiously, particularly in fields where peer review is essential to ensure the reliability of results.