Reference notes

Coverage

57 journal policy records

Sources

Feb. 2026 publisher snapshot · JCI rechecked Sep. 2026

Last reviewed

Dataset: February 2026 · JCI record: September 2026

Prepared by the Manusights editorial team.

Preprint-policy guide

Preprints in Biomedicine: bioRxiv, medRxiv, and Journal Preprint Policies

Preprints are now a routine part of many biomedical workflows, but journal rules, clinical screening, and funder obligations still make the decision context-specific. If you're unsure whether to post one or how it affects a target journal, this guide helps you start the check.

Quick orientation

Use this page when the real question is whether posting a preprint will help, hurt, or complicate the journal plan.

This guide is for the decision stage: whether to post, which server fits the manuscript, what the target journal expects you to disclose, and where the rare exceptions still exist.

57 journal policiesbioRxiv and medRxiv guidanceDisclosure expectationsBest for submission timing

Best used with

Author rights guide

Use it when preprint questions turn into accepted-manuscript or copyright questions later in the workflow.

Open access guide

Pair preprint strategy with funder mandates, APC planning, and the final publication route.

Data sharing requirements

Make sure repository and dataset timing decisions stay aligned with the preprint plan.

Actively encouraged

Allowed

Allowed with conditions

Not allowed

What Is a Preprint and Why It Matters

A preprint is a version of a manuscript posted publicly before peer review. It gets a timestamp and a DOI through a preprint server (bioRxiv for life sciences, medRxiv for clinical/health sciences), making it citable and shareable immediately.

Preprints don't replace peer review, they run alongside it. You post the preprint, then submit to a journal. The journal reviews it independently. If accepted, the preprint stays up alongside the published version.

NIH recognizes preprints as interim research products in specified applications and reports, and its Preprint Pilot improves discoverability of selected NIH-supported preprints. That is separate from the public-access requirement for a peer-reviewed article.

✓

Establishes priority: A timestamped DOI proves you had the finding before others, which matters in competitive research areas

✓

Gets community feedback: Other researchers can comment before submission, improving the manuscript

✓

Immediate visibility: Your work can be read and cited while it sits in peer review (which can take months)

✓

NIH discovery and reporting: NIH recognizes preprints as interim research products in some reporting contexts, but they do not replace the public-access obligation for a peer-reviewed article

✓

Career benefit: Preprint DOIs can be listed on CVs, grant applications, and job materials before formal publication

bioRxiv vs medRxiv: Which One?

bioRxiv

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. For life sciences broadly: molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, neuroscience, immunology, biochemistry, genomics, evolutionary biology. The default preprint server for most basic research.

biorxiv.org | Free to post

medRxiv

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory + Yale + BMJ. For health sciences, clinical medicine, epidemiology, public health, and clinical trials. Use medRxiv if your work involves patient data, clinical outcomes, or health policy implications.

medrxiv.org | Free to post | Additional screening for clinical content

medRxiv caution: medRxiv adds a brief screening check for clinical manuscripts that could affect patient behavior. Papers involving clinical trials, drug efficacy, or public health recommendations take slightly longer to appear (~1–2 days). This is by design.

Preprint policies for biomedical journals

Search journals, policy status, preferred preprint servers, and disclosure notes. Export the current view or copy rows into a lab submission guide or publishing policy sheet.

Journal	Policy	Preferred server	Notes
Nature	Allowed	bioRxiv / any	Allows preprints; preprint posting does not affect editorial consideration
Science	Allowed	bioRxiv / any	Accepts papers with posted preprints; authors must disclose
Cell	Allowed	bioRxiv / any	Cell Press welcomes submission of manuscripts with associated preprints
The Lancet	Allowed	medRxiv preferred	Lancet family journals accept manuscripts previously posted as preprints
NEJM	Allowed	medRxiv	Permits preprints posted on recognized servers before or during submission. The historical Ingelfinger rule restricted prior publication but does not apply to recognized preprint servers. Authors should disclose the preprint DOI at submission.
JAMA	Allowed	medRxiv	JAMA Network journals accept preprints on medRxiv; authors should disclose on submission
Nature Medicine	Allowed	bioRxiv / medRxiv	Springer Nature group-wide policy allows preprints
The BMJ	Encouraged	medRxiv	BMJ actively encourages preprint posting and has a formal preprint partnership with medRxiv
Cancer Cell	Allowed	bioRxiv / medRxiv	Cell Press (Elsevier) welcomes preprints on bioRxiv or medRxiv. Disclose the preprint DOI and URL in the cover letter at submission. The preprint must be disclosed at submission; authors are asked to confirm no confidential peer review has taken place during submission review.
Journal of Clinical Oncology	Allowed	medRxiv	ASCO journals accept manuscripts posted as preprints; authors should note preprint link
The Lancet Oncology	Allowed	medRxiv preferred	Lancet family journals (Elsevier) permit preprints on medRxiv or recognized servers before and during review. Disclosure of preprint DOI required in the cover letter at submission.
JAMA Oncology	Allowed	medRxiv	JAMA Network journals accept manuscripts with associated preprints on recognized servers. Disclose the preprint DOI and server in the cover letter. Preprint should be clearly labeled as not peer-reviewed.
Circulation	Allowed	medRxiv	AHA journals allow preprints on recognized servers; disclosure required
European Heart Journal	Allowed	medRxiv / bioRxiv	ESC/Oxford allows preprint posting before and during peer review
JACC	Allowed	medRxiv	ACC journals permit preprints; authors encouraged to disclose
JAMA Cardiology	Allowed	medRxiv	JAMA Network journals accept manuscripts with associated preprints on recognized servers. Disclose the preprint DOI and server in the cover letter. Preprint should be clearly labeled as not peer-reviewed.
Circulation Research	Allowed	bioRxiv / medRxiv	AHA journals permit preprints on bioRxiv, medRxiv, or other recognized servers. Preprint posting does not constitute prior publication under AHA policy. Disclose the preprint at submission.
Nature Neuroscience	Allowed	bioRxiv	Springer Nature supports preprint posting on bioRxiv or other recognized servers before submission. Disclose the preprint link in the cover letter. Policy is consistent across all Springer Nature titles.
Neuron	Allowed	bioRxiv	Cell Press (Elsevier) allows preprints on bioRxiv before or during submission. Authors must disclose the preprint link in the cover letter. Does not constitute prior publication under Cell Press policy.
Brain	Allowed	bioRxiv / medRxiv	Oxford University Press allows preprints
Lancet Neurology	Allowed	medRxiv	Lancet family journals (Elsevier) permit preprints on medRxiv or recognized servers before and during review. Disclosure of preprint DOI required in the cover letter at submission.
Molecular Psychiatry	Allowed	bioRxiv / medRxiv	Springer Nature allows preprints on bioRxiv or recognized servers before or after submission. Authors should disclose the preprint link at submission. Does not affect editorial consideration.
Journal of Neuroscience	Allowed	bioRxiv	SfN journals allow preprints; encouraged for NIH-funded research
Cell Metabolism	Allowed	bioRxiv	Cell Press (Elsevier) allows preprints on bioRxiv before or during submission. Authors must disclose the preprint link in the cover letter. Does not constitute prior publication under Cell Press policy.
Cell Host & Microbe	Allowed	bioRxiv	Cell Press (Elsevier) allows preprints on bioRxiv before or during submission. Authors must disclose the preprint link in the cover letter. Does not constitute prior publication under Cell Press policy.
Cell Stem Cell	Allowed	bioRxiv	Cell Press (Elsevier) allows preprints on bioRxiv before or during submission. Authors must disclose the preprint link in the cover letter. Does not constitute prior publication under Cell Press policy.
Molecular Cell	Allowed	bioRxiv	Cell Press (Elsevier) allows preprints on bioRxiv before or during submission. Authors must disclose the preprint link in the cover letter. Does not constitute prior publication under Cell Press policy.
Developmental Cell	Allowed	bioRxiv	Cell Press (Elsevier) allows preprints on bioRxiv before or during submission. Authors must disclose the preprint link in the cover letter. Does not constitute prior publication under Cell Press policy.
Current Biology	Allowed	bioRxiv	Cell Press (Elsevier) allows preprints on bioRxiv before or during submission. Authors must disclose the preprint link in the cover letter. Does not constitute prior publication under Cell Press policy.
Cell Reports	Allowed	bioRxiv	Cell Press (Elsevier) allows preprints on bioRxiv before or during submission. Authors must disclose the preprint link in the cover letter. Does not constitute prior publication under Cell Press policy.
PNAS	Allowed	bioRxiv / any	NAS strongly supports preprints; NIH encourages preprint posting for PNAS authors with NIH funding
Nature Communications	Allowed	bioRxiv / any	Fully OA; preprint posting actively supported
Science Advances	Allowed	bioRxiv / any	AAAS policy allows preprints
eLife	Encouraged	bioRxiv / medRxiv	eLife strongly encourages preprints and has a direct submission pathway from bioRxiv; reviewed preprints published regardless of outcome
PLOS ONE	Encouraged	bioRxiv / any	PLOS actively encourages preprint posting; direct submission from bioRxiv/medRxiv available
Scientific Reports	Allowed	bioRxiv / any	Springer Nature allows preprints on bioRxiv or recognized servers before or after submission. Authors should disclose the preprint link at submission. Does not affect editorial consideration.
Nature Genetics	Allowed	bioRxiv	Springer Nature allows preprints on bioRxiv or recognized servers before or after submission. Authors should disclose the preprint link at submission. Does not affect editorial consideration.
Nature Methods	Allowed	bioRxiv	Springer Nature allows preprints on bioRxiv or recognized servers before or after submission. Authors should disclose the preprint link at submission. Does not affect editorial consideration.
Genome Biology	Encouraged	bioRxiv	BioMed Central; fully OA; preprints strongly encouraged
Nucleic Acids Research	Allowed	bioRxiv / any	Oxford allows preprints for all submission types
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology	Allowed	bioRxiv	Springer Nature allows preprints on bioRxiv or recognized servers before or after submission. Authors should disclose the preprint link at submission. Does not affect editorial consideration.
Nature Chemical Biology	Allowed	bioRxiv / ChemRxiv	Springer Nature; ChemRxiv also accepted
The EMBO Journal	Encouraged	bioRxiv	EMBO Press has a direct submission pathway from bioRxiv
Nature Immunology	Allowed	bioRxiv	Springer Nature allows preprints on bioRxiv or recognized servers before or after submission. Authors should disclose the preprint link at submission. Does not affect editorial consideration.
Immunity	Allowed	bioRxiv	Cell Press (Elsevier) allows preprints on bioRxiv before or during submission. Authors must disclose the preprint link in the cover letter. Does not constitute prior publication under Cell Press policy.
Frontiers in Immunology	Allowed	bioRxiv / any	Frontiers journals allow preprints; authors must disclose
Gastroenterology	Allowed	medRxiv / bioRxiv	AGA/Elsevier allows preprints; authors should disclose on submission
GUT	Allowed	medRxiv / bioRxiv	BMJ journals allow preprints and actively encourage posting on medRxiv. BMJ has a direct submission pathway from medRxiv. Disclose preprint link in the cover letter; no embargo on posting.
Hepatology	Allowed	medRxiv / bioRxiv	AASLD/Wiley allows preprints; disclose at submission
Nature Biotechnology	Allowed	bioRxiv / ChemRxiv	Springer Nature allows preprints on bioRxiv or recognized servers before or after submission. Authors should disclose the preprint link at submission. Does not affect editorial consideration.
Blood	Allowed	bioRxiv / medRxiv	ASH journals updated policy to allow preprints; disclosure required
Journal of Clinical Investigation	Allowed	bioRxiv / medRxiv	JCI permits posting to bioRxiv and medRxiv and offers transfer from either server. Verify the current author information before posting.
Lancet Infectious Diseases	Allowed	medRxiv	Lancet family journals (Elsevier) permit preprints on medRxiv or recognized servers before and during review. Disclosure of preprint DOI required in the cover letter at submission.
PLOS Medicine	Encouraged	medRxiv / bioRxiv	PLOS encourages preprints
BMC Medicine	Allowed	bioRxiv / medRxiv	BioMed Central; preprints encouraged
BMJ Open	Encouraged	medRxiv	BMJ encourages preprints; BMJ Open has a direct medRxiv submission pathway. Disclose preprint link at submission. No embargo.
Science Translational Medicine	Allowed	bioRxiv / medRxiv	AAAS journals allow preprints on bioRxiv or medRxiv before or after submission. Disclose the preprint DOI in the cover letter. Does not affect editorial consideration at STM.

Practical Guidance

When to post a preprint

Most researchers post at the same time as or just before journal submission. This establishes priority without delaying the journal submission. Some post earlier to get community feedback before finalizing the manuscript. This works well for computational/methods papers where community scrutiny catches errors quickly.

Don't post until you have checked the target journal's current policy and any confidentiality, patent, sponsor, or clinical-safety constraints. A policy mismatch can complicate submission.

What to disclose at submission

Most journals that allow preprints ask you to disclose that a preprint exists in the cover letter or submission form. Include the preprint DOI. This is a transparency requirement, not a problem. Editors expect it.

If the manuscript is revised substantially after peer review, update the preprint to reflect the final version. Both bioRxiv and medRxiv allow version updates.

Practical note

Three preprint mistakes that still create avoidable submission friction

Posting before checking the target journal’s current policy and assuming every major title has the same stance.

Using the wrong server for a clinically sensitive manuscript when medRxiv screening is the better fit.

Forgetting to disclose the preprint DOI or link at submission even when the journal explicitly asks for it.

References

Fraser N, Momeni F, Mayr P, Peters I. The relationship between bioRxiv preprints, citations and altmetrics. Quantitative Science Studies. 2020;1(2):618-638. [doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00043 ↗]
bioRxiv. About bioRxiv: the preprint server for biology. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Retrieved February 2026. [biorxiv.org ↗]
medRxiv. About medRxiv: the preprint server for health sciences. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory / BMJ / Yale. Retrieved February 2026. [medrxiv.org ↗]
ASAPbio. Preprint FAQ for researchers and journals. Retrieved February 2026. [asapbio.org ↗]
SHERPA/RoMEO. Publisher copyright policies and self-archiving database. Jisc. Retrieved February 2026. [sherpa.ac.uk/romeo ↗]
National Institutes of Health. (2017). Reporting preprints and other interim research products. [grants.nih.gov ↗]
Journal of Clinical Investigation. (2026). About the journal: preprint server and institutional repository posting. [jci.org ↗]

Data note: Preprint policies are a February 2026 snapshot from individual journal author instructions and publisher policy pages; the JCI record was rechecked in September 2026. Policies change, so always verify the target journal's current author guidelines before posting. For detailed journal-by-journal policies, SHERPA/RoMEO is a useful policy directory. For accuracy corrections or updates, contact hello@manusights.com.

Cite this resource

Citation formats

Free to use and cite, with attribution. See the reuse policy for what you may republish.

APA: Manusights. (2026). Preprints in biomedicine: bioRxiv, medRxiv, and journal preprint policies (Dataset snapshot February 2026; JCI rechecked September 2026). https://manusights.com/resources/preprint-guide
MLA: Manusights. "Preprints in Biomedicine: bioRxiv, medRxiv, and Journal Preprint Policies." Manusights, dataset snapshot Feb. 2026; JCI rechecked Sept. 2026, manusights.com/resources/preprint-guide.
Vancouver: Manusights. Preprints in biomedicine: bioRxiv, medRxiv, and journal preprint policies [Internet]. Dataset snapshot Feb 2026; JCI rechecked Sep 2026. Available from: https://manusights.com/resources/preprint-guide

Related guides in this collection

Author Rights Guide

Use this when preprint and accepted-manuscript questions turn into rights and embargo questions.

Open Access Guide

Connect preprint strategy to APCs, funder mandates, and journal policies.

Data Sharing Requirements

Plan repository and data-availability steps alongside preprint posting.

Reference Library

Return to the broader publishing reference library for timelines, specs, and policy guides.

Author Rights Guide All Resources Open Access Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Does posting a preprint count as prior publication?

Many journals treat a preprint as a public draft rather than prior journal publication, but the policy belongs to the target journal and can change. This table is a February 2026 policy snapshot, with the JCI record rechecked in September 2026. Consult current author instructions or contact the journal before posting, particularly when a submission has clinical, confidentiality, patent, or sponsor constraints.

Should I post to bioRxiv or medRxiv?

Use bioRxiv for basic life sciences research: molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, neuroscience, immunology, biochemistry, and genomics. Use medRxiv for clinical medicine, epidemiology, public health, and research involving patient data or health outcomes. When in doubt, check which server your target journal recommends - many (like NEJM and JAMA) specify medRxiv for clinical manuscripts.

Will posting a preprint hurt my chances of journal acceptance?

No. There is no evidence that preprint posting reduces acceptance rates. Most top journals (Nature, Science, Cell, NEJM, JAMA, Lancet) explicitly allow and some actively encourage preprints. Editors evaluate the manuscript on its scientific merit, not on whether a preprint exists. Some journals - including eLife and PLOS ONE - have formal direct submission pathways from bioRxiv, treating preprint posting as a positive signal.