1. Promoting a culture of
preprinting in biology
Jessica Polka
Director, ASAPbio
CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 1

2. ASAPbio is a researcher-driven project to promote
the productive use of preprints in the life sciences.
CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 2
• Convening meetings
• Advocating for policies
on preprints
• Distributing information
• Supporting community
discussions
ASAPbio.org
#ASAPbio

3. A preprint is a manuscript posted online before
completion of journal-organized peer review
CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 3

4. Benefits of preprints
CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 4
• Compatible with journals
• Helps scientists demonstrate recent productivity
• Enables earlier & broader feedback
• Accelerates communication of scientific results
• Low barrier to sharing: negative results, etc
• Potential for innovation: open, versioned publications that implicitly
interoperate with other services (ie journals)

5. CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 5
arXiv: 100,000 manuscripts per year
Preprint servers have existed for 25 years
In Biology

6. CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 6
0
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figshare (filtered by PrePubMed)
Preprints.org (articles/reviews in bio/life/med)
Nature Precedings (manuscripts, from search results)
The Winnower
F1000 Research
PeerJ Preprints (bio/med/life)
bioRxiv (from bioRxiv)
arXiv (q-bio w/cross-lists, from arxiv.org stats)
Version 1 | asapbio.org
Preprints are taking off in biology

7. CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio
7
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PubMed 2015 average: ~66,700 articles/month https://www.nlm.nih
.gov/bsd/bsd_key.ht
ml
Rate of preprinting: ~1%

8. CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio
8
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1000
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Larivière et al 2013 (arXiv)
PubMed 2015 average: ~66,700 articles/month https://www.nlm.nih
.gov/bsd/bsd_key.ht
ml
Rate of preprinting: ~1%

9. Physics vs. biology
• Competition
• Difficulty of reproduction
• Historic precedent
• Culture
CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 9
* https://www.nsf.gov/funding/funding-rates.jsp?org=MPS
** https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2015/06/29/what-are-the-chances-of-
getting-funded/
NSF 2016
Astronomy
22%*
NSF 2016 Physics
33%*
NIH 2014 RPG
18.1% **
Funding rates
Math vs. HEP vs. Cond-mat
ArXiv has operated since 1991
Paul Ginsparg, founder of arXiv on scooping:
“It can’t happen, since arXiv postings are
accepted as date-stamped priority claims.
Eventually I came to understand that biologists
do not use “scoop” in the standard journalistic
sense… Instead “scooping” in the context of
biology research appears to mean using
information or ideas without proper
attribution.”
http://asapbio.org/preprint-info/preprint-faq

10. The cycle of cultural change
Cultural
Capital
Behavioral
intention
• Attitudes
• Values
• Beliefs
Adapted from Knott, Muers, Aldridge, 2008. Achieving Culture Change: A Policy Framework. UK Cabinet Office Strategy Unit.
Behavioral
path
Behavioral
norm
Behavior
Behavioral
drivers
CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 10

11. The cycle of cultural change
Cultural
Capital
Behavioral
intention
• Attitudes
• Values
• Beliefs
Adapted from Knott, Muers, Aldridge, 2008. Achieving Culture Change: A Policy Framework. UK Cabinet Office Strategy Unit.
Behavioral
path
Behavioral
norm
Behavior
Behavioral
drivers
CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 11
“Preprints are
dangerous”
“I’m going to
get scooped”
“Journals
won’t accept
preprints”
Objection
from
advisors etc
“No one will
see it”
Low
awareness of
preprints
“No one I know
preprints”

12. The cycle of cultural change
Cultural
Capital
Behavioral
intention
• Attitudes
• Values
• Beliefs
Behavioral
path
Behavioral
norm
Behavior
Behavioral
drivers
• Enable
• Information/awareness
• Capacity/Infrastructure
• Encourage
• Incentives
• Requirements
• Recognition
• Engage
• Co-production
• Fora
• Networks
• Exemplify
• Consistency
• Leading by example
CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 12
Adapted from Knott, Muers, Aldridge, 2008. Achieving Culture Change: A Policy Framework. UK Cabinet Office Strategy Unit.

13. The cycle of cultural change
Cultural
Capital
Behavioral
intention
• Attitudes
• Values
• Beliefs
Behavioral
path
Behavioral
norm
Behavior
Behavioral
drivers
• Enable
• Information/awareness
• Capacity/Infrastructure
• Encourage
• Incentives
• Requirements
• Recognition
• Engage
• Co-production
• Fora
• Networks
• Exemplify
• Consistency
• Leading by example
Increasing
visibility
Asapbio.org:
FAQ, tracking
policies
Promoting
preprint
infrastructure
& standardsFunder/
institutional
policy
#ASAPbio,
transparency,
Ambassadors
Senior
scientists
CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 13
Similarity to
conference
talks/posters
Preprint
journal clubs
in curricula
Adapted from Knott, Muers, Aldridge, 2008. Achieving Culture Change: A Policy Framework. UK Cabinet Office Strategy Unit.

14. Thank you
CC-BY @jessicapolka. #ASAPbio 14
ASAPbio Advisory board
Ron Vale (UCSF)
James Fraser (UCSF)
Daniel Colόn-Ramos (Yale)
Harold Varmus (Cornell)
Harlan Krumholz (Yale)
Cynthia Wolberger (JHU)
Tony Hyman (MPI)
ASAPbio Funding
Simons
Sloan
Arnold
Moore