bioRxiv vs EconLit

bioRxiv is a free online archive and distribution service for unpublished life-sciences preprints.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 Articles are not peer-reviewed, edited, or typeset before posting, and publication does not endorse scientific quality.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.

EconLit is the American Economic Association’s bibliographic database for economics literature. It covers peer-reviewed journal articles, working papers, PhD dissertations, books, book reviews, and articles in collective volumes. The database contains over 2 million records, covers literature published over the last 140 years, and is updated weekly. Searchable record fields can include title, author, affiliation, publication details, document type, keywords, subject classifications, named persons, and geographic descriptors. Its subject descriptors follow the Journal of Economic Literature classification system, using four-digit codes. Institutional subscriptions are available through EBSCO, ProQuest, and Ovid, which provide the same data through different interfaces. Full-text links depend on library holdings; EconLit with Full Text is available only through EBSCO. AEA members have courtesy access to bibliographic records, but that service has no full-text links and may be phased out. Institutional pricing is supplied by providers; EBSCO offers a trial request without stating its duration.