Check out the answers to some of the most common questions we get at eiRxiv:
No. Thanks to generous grants and donations, eiRxiv submission, posting, and feedback are completely free! If you’d like to help us continue this for future students, please consider supporting our work.
Yes. All manuscripts at eiRxiv must have at least two authors: one student author and one adult author. Each manuscript also needs a Coordinating Adult to submit the manuscript, coordinate communications with eiRxiv, and mentor the student through any necessary revisions. The adult author usually also serves as the Coordinating Adult.
We do not accept manuscripts that only have a student author, and we don’t allow students to submit manuscripts for themselves.
Yes. We still require every manuscript to have a Coordinating Adult and an adult author, even if the student author is over 18.
Please check with your teacher or mentor before submitting to eiRxiv. Almost all labs require approval from the head of the lab (Principal Investigator) before students’ work can be shared publicly.
From submission to receiving feedback, the eiRxiv process typically takes 6-12 weeks. This timeline can vary seasonally and vary depending on author responsiveness and adherence to our submission guidelines. Please see our eiRxiv posting process for more details.
Even preprints go through a pre-review process to make sure the manuscript is done ethically and fits within the organization’s scope. eiRxiv’s pre-review process is more in-depth and supportive – and therefore slightly longer – because we prioritize helping young scientists learn and grow.
No, we do not expedite manuscripts at eiRxiv. You can cite your submitted work on applications/CV/resumes using the following example:
Author names. “Title” eiRxiv. Year. Manuscript submitted.
Example: Marcus Smith and Anna Wang. “Impact of atmospheric CO2 concentration on Littorina obtusata shell strength.” eiRxiv. 2026. Manuscript submitted.
Citation styles vary, though you can learn more about citing preprints from NIH and OSF. and here.
Author names. “Title” eiRxiv. Date Month Year. DOI.
Example: Marcus Smith and Anna Wang. “Impact of atmospheric CO2 concentration on Littorina obtusata shell strength.” February 17, 2026. DOI: 10.6981/12345678a
Every journal has a different policy regarding preprints, so please check with the journal you’ve submitted to. We generally recommend students submit their preprint to eiRxiv before submitting to another journal, so they can use the eiRxiv reviewers’ feedback to improve their manuscript.
For copyright reasons, eiRxiv does not accept manuscripts that have passed scientific review at other journals. We also do not accept pre-publication proofs from other journals.
Similarly, once a manuscript passes pre-review and enters the scientific review process at JEI, the manuscript cannot be submitted to eiRxiv or any other preprint.
No. You should only submit the same manuscript to one preprint at a time. And although you can submit your manuscript to a journal after posting on eiRxiv, posting the same manuscript on more than one preprint server isn’t allowed.
Yes. All manuscripts at eiRxiv must be written on the provided manuscript template. The template ensures our watermarks and copyright statements properly overlay on your PDF.
You can submit only one revised version of your manuscript after it has been posted.
No. While eiRxiv and JEI are part of the same organization, we have different staff and volunteers working on each one.
For any questions, changes, or other needs related to a JEI manuscript, please contact submissions@emerginginvestigators.org.
We also recommend reading JEI’s Common Mistakes guide – it identifies many of the common structural, grammatical, formatting, and content mistakes student authors make. Because eiRxiv preprints do not go through a formal peer review and revision process, you should check for all of these mistakes before you submit your manuscript.
If you have additional questions that aren’t answered in these FAQ’s, please check the Submission Guidelines, eiRxiv Posting Process, manuscript template, and help guides on our submission platform first. You can also look at previously posted preprints to see if they answer your question.
If the above resources don’t have the answer to your question, you can reach out directly to our editorial staff.
