Sara Monaco, PhD - "Review Commons: Innovating scientific publishing through preprint peer-review"

Sara Monaco, PhD
Managing Editor,
Review Commons,
EMBO

Short CV

Abstract
The emergence of preprints has challenged traditional scientific publishing norms, presenting an opportunity to reshape peer-review culture towards a more constructive and science-focused evaluation process.
In pursuit of accelerating dissemination of robust scientific findings while improving publishing efficiency, EMBO introduced Review Commons, a platform offering peer review of preprints (https://www.reviewcommons.org/).
The review process is openly available on bioRxiv and medRxiv and preprints reviewed through Review Commons can be seamlessly transferred to an expanding consortium of  journals (such as EMBO Journal, EMBO Mol Med, elife, Genes and Dev, Genome Biology, JCB, PLOS Biology, among others) without restarting the peer review process. The peer review is designed in a “journal-agnostic” manner, enabling reviewers to concentrate on the scientific content rather than on a specific journal fit.
Reviewed preprints (Preprint + reviews + authors’ rebuttal) have the potential to revolutionize scientific communication by promoting inclusivity and transparency while upholding scientific rigor.
Notably, funders and open access initiatives, including EMBO and Coalition S, are increasingly acknowledging the value of Reviewed Preprints as a valid scientific output and are including them as eligibility criteria for fellowship program applications.
A broader recognition of Reviewed Preprints by funders and institutions has the potential to alleviate the pressure of the traditional  “publish or perish” culture and improve career pathways for scientists.