Preprints – the way forward for rapid and open knowledge sharing

SciELO is in the process of establishing a preprint server. This initiative is driven by the need for speeding up the publication process and enhancing its transparency. On this occasion, Jan Welterop, a consultant on open access, analyses the growth of preprints since the late 50’s onward. He thinks that communicating and sharing research results on the one hand, and formal publication in a peer-reviewed journal on the other hand, could be separate and parallel processes.