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Are you sitting on an unpublished research article? Would you like feedback or critique of your findings from your peers in your field or related fields? Are you worried that your research may have already been covered by another researcher? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then check out medRxiv, the latest tool for researchers in the medical field. 

MedRxiv (pronounced “med-archive”) is a free, preprint service that allows medical researchers to submit and distribute unpublished research articles. The service was created by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), Yale University and BMJ, though the server is owned and operated by CSHL. The service accepts research from numerous medical and health sciences fields, including, but not limited to: 

  • Dermatology
  • Health Policy
  • Nursing
  • Pediatrics
  • Surgery

As a researcher, there are some factors that you should consider prior to archiving your work with a preprint service. Some publishers do consider archived preprints to count as a prior publication and thus might not be willing to consider publication in a given journal. To find out more about whether a specific journal counts an archived preprint as a prior publication, utilize the website Sherpa Romeo. This free website provides information about publisher copyright and self-archiving policies that can help you decide whether submitting your research to a preprint archive like medRxiv is the right choice for disseminating your research. 

Submitting your work to medRxiv is a straightforward process. Once you’ve completed your research article and are prepared to share it with others, go to medrxiv.org and click ‘SUBMIT.’  You will be redirected to a page which will provide details about the service, the submission process, proper formatting and other relevant information. You must register with the website before submitting any research and medRxiv will review submissions for offensive or harmful content. Once the article passes the submission process, it will be available to view via the search engine.  

MedRxiv puts researchers around the world in contact with one another. It is a great way to receive feedback on your work or connect with individuals who may be involved in similar research. While the website can be easily accessed, it is important to note that the articles and relevant data have not been peer-reviewed. Therefore, you should not use the information as established and accepted scientific and medical facts. Also, you should avoid citing material from preprints in your own publications. Despite these limitations, preprint archives such as medRxiv still offer an excellent way to learn about current and pending health sciences research. 

If you’re interested in using medRxiv or would like to know more, be sure to check out the website at https://www.medrxiv.org/.