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bioRxiv

biorxiv.org

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Spec score 8.0 #13 of 35 in Academic Research Databases

What it is

bioRxiv is a free online archive and distribution service for unpublished life-sciences preprints. Researchers can post findings for immediate availability and receive feedback before journal submission. It accepts research across areas such as genetics, neuroscience, ecology, and bioinformatics. Before posting, submissions receive completeness and scope checks, automated analyses for possible plagiarism or prior online posting, and review by volunteer Affiliates for biological relevance and potential public harm. Screening usually takes 24–48 hours, with longer waits possible during weekends, holidays, or further discussion. Articles are not peer-reviewed, edited, or typeset before posting, and publication does not endorse scientific quality. Research articles must contain data; narrative reviews, commentaries, opinion pieces, and step-by-step protocols are not accepted. Authors may revise until formal journal acceptance, but posted articles cannot be removed. The service provides public comments, B2J journal transfer, APIs, RSS metadata, and bulk full text for text and data mining.

Spec sheet

Purpose
bioRxiv is a free online archive and distribution service for unpublished preprints in the life sciences.Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org
Intended users
It lets life science researchers make findings immediately available and receive feedback before submitting manuscripts to journals.Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org
API
The API provides article metadata endpoints with JSON, XML, and HTML formats and paginates multi-paper results.Read 9 Oct 2026 · api.biorxiv.org
Founded
2013Read 28 Sep 2026 · biorxiv.org
Comments
Readers may add public comments to articles, and comments are moderated for standards of normal professional discourse.Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org
Coverage
It accepts preprints covering all aspects of life sciences research, organized into subject categories including genetics, neuroscience, ecology, and bioinformatics.Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org
Journal transfer
bioRxiv can transmit manuscript files and metadata directly to participating journals or peer review services through its B2J service.Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org
Machine access
The service provides free and unrestricted article access, metadata through RSS feeds and APIs, and bulk full text for text and data mining through an Amazon S3 resource.Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org
Operator
bioRxiv is operated by openRxiv, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing science communication.Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org
Reuse
Authors retain copyright and choose among listed reuse options including CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-ND, CC BY-NC-ND, CC0, or no reuse.Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org
Review status
Articles are not peer-reviewed, edited, or typeset before posting, and their appearance does not imply endorsement of their scientific quality.Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org
Revision and permanence
Authors may submit revisions until formal journal acceptance, but posted articles cannot be removed.Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org
Screening
Submissions receive completeness and scope checks, automated analyses for potential plagiarism or prior online posting, and review by volunteer bioRxiv Affiliates for biological relevance and potential public harm.Read 9 Oct 2026 · connect.biorxiv.org
Screening time
Screening typically takes 24–48 hours and may take longer over weekends, holidays, or when further discussion is needed.Read 9 Oct 2026 · connect.biorxiv.org
Submission limits
Narrative reviews, commentaries, opinion pieces, and step-by-step protocols are not accepted as article types; research articles must contain data.Read 9 Oct 2026 · connect.biorxiv.org

Plans and prices

Free Free Free Free online archive and distribution service · manuscript submissions free of charge Read 9 Oct 2026 · biorxiv.org

Every bioRxiv plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free archive and distribution service
  • Covers broad life-sciences subjects
  • Provides APIs and RSS metadata
  • Supports B2J journal transfer
  • Authors retain copyright choices

Limits

  • Articles are not peer-reviewed before posting
  • Posted articles cannot be removed
  • Some article types are not accepted
  • Screening can take longer than 24–48 hours

Who it suits

It suits life-science researchers who want to share findings before journal submission and receive public feedback. It also serves readers and data users needing free article access, metadata, and bulk full text.

Verdict

bioRxiv offers free preprint distribution with screening, revision, commenting, and machine-access options. Readers should treat posted work as unpublished material because peer review and editing do not occur before posting.

Where Specifiction places it

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