Preprints policy

Definition
Preprints are defined as an author’s version of a research paper that has been deposited on a publicly accessible preprint server prior to, or during, formal peer review process at a scholarly journal.

Submission of Preprinted Manuscripts
“Journal of Research and Applications in Agricultural Engineering” allows authors to submit manuscripts that have been posted as preprints on eligible preprint servers. Posting a preprint is not regarded as duplicate submission or duplicate publication, and will not affect editorial consideration of the publication.

Preprint Server Requirements
The journal accepts preprints deposited on servers that meet the following criteria:
- the server assigns a persistent identifier (e.g. DOI) to each posted manuscript,
- the server provides long-term, stable public access to the deposited content,
- the server maintains transparent policies on versioning, screening and content removal.

Disclosure Obligations
Authors must disclose the existence of any preprint version upon submission of the manuscript to the journal. The disclosure must include:
- the name of the preprint server,
- the DOI or other persistent identifier of the preprint,
- the licensing terms under which the preprint was posted.
This information should be provided in the cover letter accompanying the submission and in the manuscript itself (in the Disclosure / Additional Information section, as applicable). Disclosure of preprint posting helps editors contextualize any text overlap detected during routine plagiarism screening.

Citation of Preprints
The journal encourages authors to cite a preprint in the submitted manuscript in the reference list, including details such as a DOI or other persistent identifier.
Example:
Kowalski, J. & Nowak, A. (2025) *Title of the preprint*. Preprint at https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Licensing and Copyright
When posting a preprint, authors should retain copyright and avoid granting any exclusive license or transferring rights in a way that would prevent subsequent journal publication.

Impact on Double-Blind Peer Review
“Journal of Research and Applications in Agricultural Engineering” operates a double-blind peer review process. Authors should be aware that a publicly available preprint may, by its nature, disclose the identity of the authors. However, the existence of a preprint does not disqualify a manuscript from consideration, and the journal does not require authors to remove or restrict access to a preprint in order to submit. Authors must still follow the journal’s anonymisation requirements for the submitted manuscript. Editors will make reasonable efforts to minimise potential bias during peer review.

Post-Publication Responsibilities
If the paper is accepted for publication, it is the author’s responsibility to ensure that the preprint record is updated at the preprint server with a link to the published article, including DOI. It is strongly recommended that authors cite the article in “Journal of Research and Applications in Agricultural Engineering” instead of the preprint at their next submission to journals in order to enable their readers to access the peer-reviewed, most accurate and up-to-date version of the research.

Versioning During Peer Review
If a revised version of the preprint is posted during the peer review process at this journal, the author should inform the handling Editor and provide the updated DOI or version identifier.