Science spotlights a small number of studies each month that are published in other journals. HCAT Lab was excited to learn that our preprint research, published in Public Understanding of Science, was featured in the November 2024 issue of Science.

What is a ‘preprint,’ anyway?

Only about one-third of U.S. survey respondents correctly described preprint articles as presenting unreviewed research findings, a study has found—raising questions about whether people understand the term in news accounts. In 2021, researchers surveyed 1700 randomly selected people about a selection of news articles that mentioned preprints about COVID-19. Asked to provide open-ended answers defining preprints, 19% of respondents correctly described them as publicly available, not yet peer reviewed, and/or not yet published in a scientific journal, the study’s authors reported last month in Public Understanding of Science. Another 14% had a cursory understanding that the evidence in preprints can be preliminary or uncertain. But other respondents indicated confusion, equating preprints with drafts, plagiarized or reprinted content, settled science, or unproofread versions of news stories. Researchers have worried the public may misinterpret findings reported from preprints, and during the COVID-19 pandemic some news outlets that described preprints stated that they were not peer reviewed. Clearer definitions may be needed, the study’s authors say.