Shared technology needs for preprints

In 2020, the CZI Open Science program started a collaboration with ASAPbio to identify shared technology needs for preprints. Preprints have come of age in many areas of science, particularly in the life sciences, and the pandemic has brought additional momentum to community innovations that build on preprints. Countless experiments have emerged to unlock the potential of preprints by supporting open collaboration, community curation, and content enrichment, thereby making the overall process of early dissemination of results more transparent and open. That being said, while many of these experiments focused on identifying incentives and strategies to drive participation, they often lacked adequate technical support. This project was set out to identify missing technology that would enhance preprint-based collaboration and innovation. We collected information and user stories (excerpted in each section) from various stakeholders through interviews, surveys, and a workshop. This report summarizes key technology-related preprint needs that emerged from this work.