GACOPA Medical Journal

Journal of the Global Association of Clinical Officers and Physician Associates

Preprint Policy

This policy outlines GACOPA Medical journal’s stance on preprints, submission protocols, and guidelines for authors wishing to submit their manuscripts as preprints before formal peer review and publication.

What is a preprint?

A preprint is a version of a scientific manuscript that precedes formal peer review and publication. It is typically uploaded to a preprint server, where it is made publicly available to facilitate early dissemination of research findings, encourage scientific discussion, and receive feedback from the global research community.

GACOPA Med J allows authors to submit their manuscripts as preprints before formal peer review, in alignment with open science practices. Authors can submit their preprints to recognized preprint servers in their field or directly through the GACOPA Med J preprint platform, where applicable.

Preprint Submission Guidelines

To submit a manuscript as a preprint, authors must follow these guidelines:

2.1. Preprint Platform
  • Authors can be submit their preprints to our preprints platform through the provided link at the website
  •  Uploaded preprints  should meet the standards and ethical guidelines established in this policy.
2.2. Manuscript Format
  • The manuscript submitted as a preprint should follow the same guidelines for formatting as a full submission to the journal (refer to Author Guidelines).
  • Authors are encouraged to include a “Preprint” tag and indicate the preprint server in the manuscript metadata.
  • Manuscripts should include a clear disclaimer stating that the manuscript is a preprint and has not undergone peer review.
2.3. Ethical Considerations
  • Human and Animal Research: Any research involving human participants or animals must include confirmation of ethical approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee, just as required for formal publication.
  • Plagiarism: Manuscripts submitted as preprints must adhere to the journal’s standards for originality and proper citation. Preprints will be screened for plagiarism using the same protocols applied to submitted manuscripts.
2.4. Copyright and Licensing
  • Authors who submit preprints retain full copyright over their work.
  • Preprints should be accompanied by an open-access license such as a Creative Commons (CC) license (e.g., CC BY, CC BY-NC), to allow others to freely access, share, and distribute the content.

Authors should also ensure that their preprint complies with the copyright and licensing policies of the preprint server to which it is submitted.

3. Peer Review and Publication

Preprints are not peer-reviewed upon submission to a preprint server or to GACOPA Med J. However, authors may choose to submit the preprint to GACOPA Med J for formal peer review after uploading it to a preprint server.

Once a manuscript is accepted for publication in GACOPA Med J, the preprint will be linked to the final published version, with appropriate citations provided for both versions. This allows readers to track the evolution of the manuscript from preprint to peer-reviewed article.

3.1. Revising Preprints After Peer Review

If an author revises their manuscript in response to reviewer comments during the peer review process, they must update the preprint version on the preprint server with a new version number. This ensures that readers can track changes between the preprint and the final peer-reviewed manuscript.

4. Benefits of Preprints

  • Early Dissemination: Preprints allow authors to share their findings with the scientific community before undergoing formal peer review, accelerating the dissemination of new knowledge.
  • Public Engagement: Authors can receive feedback from researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders that may improve the quality of the manuscript.
  • Increased Visibility: Preprints increase the visibility of research, allowing others to cite or build upon the findings in the preprint even before the manuscript is formally published.
  • Open Science: Submitting a manuscript as a preprint aligns with open science practices by promoting transparency and access to research.

5. Citation of Preprints

  • Authors should ensure that preprints are properly cited in the references section of their manuscript, following the format below:

    Format for citing preprints:
    Author(s). Title of the preprint. Preprint Server Name. Year [cited Year Month Day]. Available from: URL

    Example:
    Smith J, Brown A, Davis L, et al. The role of genetics in cardiovascular disease. medRxiv. 2023 [cited 2023 Jan 15]. Available from: https://www.gmjpreprint@gacopaworld.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.15.20233355v1

  • Preprints that have not been peer-reviewed or formally published should be cited as such to avoid confusion regarding their status in the scientific community.

6. Interaction with Journal Submission

  • Simultaneous Submission: Authors may submit their manuscript to GACOPA Med J for peer review while the preprint is hosted on a preprint server. However, if the manuscript is accepted for peer review, authors will need to provide the preprint server with the DOI or reference to the published article once it is officially published.
  • Post-Review Submission: Authors who have already uploaded their manuscript as a preprint on a preprint server and subsequently submit the same manuscript to GACOPA Med J for peer review should indicate the preprint submission information at the time of the journal submission.
  • Acceptance and Revision: Authors submitting preprints are expected to revise their manuscripts after peer review if requested, incorporating feedback from reviewers and editors.

7. Transparency and Updates

  • Authors who submit their work as a preprint are required to keep their preprints up to date by updating the server version after revisions. They should also include a version control statement (e.g., “Version 2 of this preprint includes updates based on reviewer feedback”).
  • Errata or Corrections: If any issues arise post-publication, authors should promptly submit errata or corrections to both the preprint server and the journal, to ensure the scientific community has access to the most accurate information.

8. Conflicts of Interest

  • Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest in the preprint, as they would in a formal manuscript submission. Conflicts of interest must be reported transparently in both the preprint and the peer-reviewed publication.

9. Preprints in the Context of GACOPA Med J

GACOPA Med J recognizes the importance of preprints in advancing scientific knowledge and supports the free exchange of research findings through preprint platforms. We encourage authors to submit their work as preprints and engage with the global scientific community to improve the quality of research before formal peer review and publication.

However, authors should be aware that submitting a manuscript as a preprint does not guarantee acceptance into GACOPA Med J. All manuscripts, whether preprinted or not, undergo a rigorous peer review process before final publication.

10. Contact Information

For questions or further details about submitting a preprint to GACOPA Med J, please contact the editorial office:

This Preprint Policy ensures that GACOPA Med J maintains a commitment to open science while upholding the integrity and quality of the research we publish. By supporting preprints, we help researchers share their work more rapidly and engage with the scientific community earlier in the research process.