Minute to Understanding: What are preprints?

How can you read the newest scientific research out there before anyone else? Preprints!

When a study is ready for primetime, a lab writes up the results and sends them to a journal for peer review. If the editor feels that the work meets the quality standards of the journal, it gets published.

Preprints are write-ups of research that haven't been reviewed and might not have been submitted to a journal yet. But why put data out there before it's peer reviewed?

Because peer review can take months and sometimes years. Preprints speed up the process of sharing science.

For more bite-size science to help you keep up with the latest breakthroughs, check out more Minute to Understanding videos here!