Box 1: Example guidance for reading unreviewed preprint research
for general audiences
- Unreviewed research means that this work has not yet been reviewed by
academic experts therefore may not yet meet required standards for
scientific publication. This work should not be treated as confirmed
evidence.
- Unreviewed research is not finalised. Specific statements, values,
figures and tables within this work are subject to change.
- Unreviewed research can be more prone to proofreading errors. This
includes simple typographical errors and more substantial errors that
may alter the interpretation of the work.
- Scientific methods require collecting a consensus of knowledge from
multiple studies and other sources of relevant evidence. If unreviewed
research directly conflicts with another source, this does not mean
the findings are wrong. Often, more evidence is required before an
informed scientific consensus can be made.
- Be especially mindful that this research is not yet reviewed when
sharing or commenting through social media. Information from
unreviewed research can be confused for confirmed evidence without
proper context. Misunderstanding or misrepresentation of unreviewed
research through social media can have harmful consequences, e.g.,
influencing decisions and behaviours of members of the public
decisions away from guidance given by health authorities.
- If you are looking to reference this research in a newspaper,
magazine, blog, podcast, video or other form of media and are unsure
exactly what conclusions can be drawn, the authors represent the best
initial point of contact.