The fastest way to check whether a journal allows preprint posting is to consult the journal’s official policies on its website, then cross-reference that information with the Sherpa Romeo database, which aggregates preprint and postprint policies from thousands of publishers.
1. Start with the journal’s own website
Go to the journal’s homepage and look for sections labeled “Author Guidelines,” “Submission Guidelines,” “Policies,” or “Open Access.” Many journals now include a specific line about preprints—for example, “Authors may post a preprint version of their manuscript to personal or institutional repositories prior to submission.” If you don’t see it in the main guidelines, check the “Copyright” or “Licensing” page, as the transfer of rights often dictates what you can share and when.
2. Use Sherpa Romeo (the gold standard)
Sherpa Romeo (operated by Jisc) is a free searchable database that compiles publisher and journal policies on preprints, postprints, and accepted manuscripts. Just type in the journal name or ISSN, and you’ll see a color-coded summary:
- Green = preprint and postprint allowed
- Blue = postprint allowed (but not preprint)
- Yellow = preprint allowed, but not postprint
- White = no preprint or postprint archiving allowed
This is the fastest way to compare multiple journals at once, especially when you’re deciding where to submit.
3. Check the publisher’s policy if the journal page is vague
Sometimes a journal mirrors its publisher’s blanket policy. For instance, Elsevier and Springer Nature have explicit preprint statements that apply to most of their titles. If the journal page is silent, search for “[Publisher name] preprint policy” or look at the publisher’s open access page.
4. Verify with a quick email to the editorial office
If you’re still unsure—especially for smaller or society-owned journals—send a short email to the editor or editorial assistant. Ask: “Does your journal permit posting of a preprint before submission, and if so, does it require any specific license or acknowledgment?” Most editors respond within a few days.
5. Watch for embargoes and license requirements
Even if preprints are allowed, some journals impose conditions: you may need to use a CC-BY license, include a link to the journal upon acceptance, or wait until after peer review. Always read the fine print.
A practical tip: If you’re managing many candidate journals at once, tools that aggregate policy data can save you hours of clicking. WisPaper’s Scholar Search can pull up journal-level metadata and related policy discussions, helping you filter out titles that don’t align with your preprint needs before you invest time in formatting a submission.
