Background
The epidemic of COVID-19 disease originating in Wuhan, China in December
2019 has continued to spread, with global outbreak size currently
estimated at 372,757 cases (of which 81,747 occurred within China)
\cite{who_novel_2020-2}. Initial concerns about cryptic localised spread have
materialised, as human-to-human transmission is confirmed to have
occurred within 110 countries \cite{who_novel_2020-2}, with the largest secondary
outbreaks since February in Western Europe, the USA, and Iran. The
causative virus was identified as a novel betacoronavirus \citep{zhu_novel_2020} and
named as SARS-CoV-2 on the 11th February \citep{gorbalenya_severe_2020}.
While scientific knowledge surrounding the current public health
emergency continues to advance on a daily basis, an important driver in
coordinating a research response to the outbreak has been the use of
preprints. Uploading unreviewed manuscripts to open-access repositories
as preprints can offer immediate knowledge sharing without restrictions
from potentially lengthy journal submission and publication processes.
Preprint usage can also bring wider benefits to academic research,
including further citation potential and a more equitable system of
credit for early career researchers \citep{sarabipour_value_2019}.
Growth in
preprint repositories has surged in the last five years \cite{asapbio_biology_2019},
becoming a more everyday element of scientific literature access and
academic culture \citep*{abdill_tracking_2019}, with 31% of authors surveyed in 2016
reporting they have posted at least one preprint \citep{asapbio_survey_2016}. While posting
preprints has been generally encouraged across life sciences \citep{desjardins-proulx_case_2013,berg_preprints_2016},
there have also been specific calls for better open platform science
during active outbreaks \citep{yozwiak_data_2015}, in order to improve the potential for
research to guide timely public health responses.
Here I sought to a) review and characterise the use of academic preprints in research addressing
the COVID-19 outbreak, and b) quantify their growth in comparison to previous infectious disease outbreaks.