What are preLists?

preLists are curated lists of preprints covering one of two different themes: either preprints on a specific topic, or preprints which have been presented at a scientific meeting.

The preList initiative is complementary to that of preLights. One of the main aims of preLights is to help scientists navigate the ever-increasing abundance of preprint literature. But while preLights is continually updated with new posts, this represents only a fraction of the new studies posted on preprint repositories. preLists allow us to highlight an even wider selection of interesting new work – either within a specific research area or covering a larger research field. We encourage preList curators to periodically update their preLists with relevant new preprints, meaning that subject-specific preLists are a great resource for staying on top of new research.

preLists also feature curated lists of preprints that were presented at conferences. Researchers often present non-peer reviewed work at conferences that has recently, or will soon be, posted as a preprint. By collating preprints presented at conferences into one place, preLists are a useful resource for attendees or those who were not able to make the meeting.

You do not need to be a registered preLighter to be able to curate a preList. Any researcher who would like to make a new preList – either focusing on their topic-of-interest or of research presented at a meeting – is able to do so by registering on preLights and following the instructions detailed here.

We think that preLists are a great resource for staying informed about new work or locating the manuscript associated with a talk you found particularly fascinating at a conference. We encourage new preLights visitors to register as a preList contributor, and we look forward to seeing new preLists in the future.