Universität zu Köln

Wingen, Tobias ORCID: 0000-0002-1559-859X, Berkessel, Jana B. and Dohle, Simone ORCID: 0000-0003-1535-5464 (2022). Caution, Preprint! Brief Explanations Allow Nonscientists to Differentiate Between Preprints and Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles. Adv. Methods Pract. Psych. Sci., 5 (1). THOUSAND OAKS: SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC. ISSN 2515-2467

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

A growing number of psychological research findings are initially published as preprints. Preprints are not peer reviewed and thus did not undergo the established scientific quality-control process. Many researchers hence worry that these preprints reach nonscientists, such as practitioners, journalists, and policymakers, who might be unable to differentiate them from the peer-reviewed literature. Across five studies in Germany and the United States, we investigated whether this concern is warranted and whether this problem can be solved by providing nonscientists with a brief explanation of preprints and the peer-review process. Studies 1 and 2 showed that without an explanation, nonscientists perceive research findings published as preprints as equally credible as findings published as peer-reviewed articles. However, an explanation of the peer-review process reduces the credibility of preprints (Studies 3 and 4). In Study 5, we developed and tested a shortened version of this explanation, which we recommend adding to preprints. This explanation again allowed nonscientists to differentiate between preprints and the peer-reviewed literature. In sum, our research demonstrates that even a short explanation of the concept of preprints and their lack of peer review allows nonscientists who evaluate scientific findings to adjust their credibility perception accordingly. This would allow harvesting the benefits of preprints, such as faster and more accessible science communication, while reducing concerns about public overconfidence in the presented findings.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Wingen, Tobias UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-1559-859X UNSPECIFIED Berkessel, Jana B. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Dohle, Simone UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-1535-5464 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-666026
DOI:	10.1177/25152459211070559
Journal or Publication Title:	Adv. Methods Pract. Psych. Sci.
Volume:	5
Number:	1
Date:	2022
Publisher:	SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
Place of Publication:	THOUSAND OAKS
ISSN:	2515-2467
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language QUALITY; TRUST; SCIENCE Multiple languages Psychology; Psychology, Multidisciplinary Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/66602