Preprints have immense potential to benefit society by increasing the rate at which new discoveries are made and translated into knowledge and practices.(Hindle & Sever, 2024)

Toolkit compiled by: Kim Trollip, MSc Science Communication and Future Media
Science Communication Manager
Human Sciences Research Council

Image generated by AI using DALL-E 3

Introduction

Purpose of the toolkit

This toolkit is designed to assist social science and humanities scholars at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa—and colleagues at other institutions across the country— to understand and effectively use preprints as part of their research workflow. As South Africa’s leading institution for social science and humanities research, the HSRC plays a crucial role in producing knowledge that informs policy and contributes to societal well-being.

Preprints—early versions of research papers shared publicly before formal peer review—offer a powerful way to accelerate knowledge dissemination, increase research visibility, and facilitate collaboration. However, they also present unique challenges, including questions about credibility, intellectual property, and journal acceptance policies.

This toolkit aims to:

• Clarify the role of preprints in the evolving landscape of scholarly communication.
• Provide practical guidance on how to submit, share, and engage with preprints responsibly.
• Highlight the benefits and risks associated with preprints, helping researchers make informed decisions.
• Offer best practices tailored to the needs of HSRC researchers, ensuring alignment with institutional and national research priorities.

By equipping HSRC scholars with this knowledge, the toolkit supports open science principles while helping researchers maximise the impact of their work in South Africa and beyond.

What is a preprint

In academic publishing, a preprint is a preliminary version of a scholarly or scientific paper that precedes formal peer review and publication in a peer-reviewed scholarly or scientific journal. The preprint may be available for free, often as a non-typeset version, before or after a paper is published in a journal. As a rule, they are non-peer-reviewed versions whose public release primarily serves to expedite the sharing of research findings. (Open Access Network, 2025)

• Preprints are early versions of scholarly publications that are made available to the (professional) public – as a rule without prior peer review.
• Preprints are made freely available on preprint servers and make an important contribution to green open access.
• Preprint servers enable the publishing of so-called overlay journals – that is, online journals that use the infrastructure of a preprint platform for submissions and publication.

Conclusion

Preprints revolutionise research dissemination by making new findings immediately available, fostering collaboration, and increasing visibility. As academia continues to embrace open and rapid publishing, preprints will remain a key tool in accelerating scientific progress.