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How preprints accelerate the time to first citation of the subsequent journal articles?

delete2026-07-24
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Dan Tian
李江 (Jiang Li) *
DOI:10.1007/s11192-026-05758-zdelete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
This study examines whether journal articles with preprints are cited more rapidly than those without preprints. We construct a matched sample of articles published in the same journal, year, volume, and issue to ensure comparability between articles with and without preprints. Survival analysis is employed to estimate the temporal advantage of articles with preprints in receiving the first citation relative to those without preprints, while OLS regression quantifies this advantage in terms of days. The key findings are as follows: (1) articles with preprints have a 35.2% higher hazard of receiving their first citation than those without preprints; (2) among articles that received at least one citation during the observation period, articles with preprints were associated with a 69.042-day shorter time to first citation than comparable articles without preprints; (3) both early visibility and the additional dissemination channels of preprint platforms are associated with a shorter time to first citation, with early visibility showing a relatively stronger association. Notably, these estimates reflect conditional associations rather than causal effects, given the observational design.
Keywords:
Articles with preprints
Articles without preprints
Knowledge dissemination
Time to first citation

Journal

Scientometrics cover
Scientometrics
IF:
3.5
Papers:
8.0K
Citations:
2.2W

Organization

S
School of Information Management
Scholars:
134
Papers: 60
Citations: 0
S
school of economics and management
Scholars:
635
Papers: 337
Citations: 0
Cited Papers

Cited Papers

Citing Papers

Citing Papers