Peer Community In & Peer Community Journal
From preprint evaluation to publication
in a Diamond Open Access Journal
PCI offers thematic platforms to review preprints and the multidisciplinary, indexed and Diamond Open Access Peer Community Journal, where validated preprints can be published free of charge for authors
Following submission by authors, thematic PCIs evaluate preprints in their respective scientific fields through rigorous peer review. Upon positive evaluation, the PCIs validate and publicly recommend those preprints, making them complete, reliable, and citable. Authors who need to publish their PCI-recommended article in a journal can transfer it for publication, free of charge, in the Diamond Open Access Peer Community Journal or submit it to a PCI-friendly or other journal.
VALUES OF PCI AND PEER COMMUNITY JOURNAL
As part of the Diamond Open Access ecosystem, PCI and Peer Community Journal enable scientists to regain control of the scientific publication process and decouple it from financial constraints. PCI also wants to refocus scientific quality on articles rather than on journals.
Non-profit ethos and scientific knowledge as a common good: PCI and Peer Community Journal are dedicated to the non-profit ethos, viewing scientific knowledge as a common good. We provide free access to knowledge by minimising production and distribution costs and embracing cost-effective practices.
Independent: PCI and Peer Community Journal is not-for-profit and non-commercial. It is managed by scientists for scientists.
Free: The entire PCI and Peer Community Journal process is free for any user (readers, authors, etc.). The content of their website is publicly accessible.
Open: PCI and Peer Community Journal are embedded in Open-Science. Articles evaluated by PCI (preprints), as well as the associated data, code, and scripts, must be deposited in open access. For accepted preprints, PCI evaluations are also publicly available. Articles in Peer Community Journal are published in Open Access at no charge for authors. Finally, the PCI infrastructure is open source.
Rooted in alternative publishing models: PCI decouples evaluation and publication. An article recommended by a PCI may subsequently be published in Peer Community Journal or in any other journal. PCI is part of the Publish-Review-Curate initiative.
Reliable: Decisions made by editors (called recommenders at PCI) are based on rigorous evaluations by at least two reviewers. The Managing Board of each PCI checks the quality of reviews and validates all editorial decisions and recommendations.
Strongly committed to reproducibility and research quality. PCI and Peer Community Journal focus their policies on the soundness of scientific questions and the quality and reproducibility of results. They encourage the use of preregistrations and Registered Reports, the replication of studies and the publication of negative results. For example, PCI provides to authors a detailed auto-questionnaire of evaluation, offers pilot data and script editing in two PCIs, prohibits financial conflicts of interest, and requires justification of the sample size.
REASONS TO BELIEVE IN PCI AND PEER COMMUNITY JOURNAL
Strongly supported: Many leading universities, research institutions and libraries provide financial support and in-kind donations to PCI.
Designed to expand: Each newly created thematic PCI creates a new section in Peer community Journal, making it more multidisciplinary, visible, and attractive.
Self-reinforcing: Each newly created thematic PCI and Peer Community Journal’s section benefit from the infrastructure, experience, indexation, and visibility of the other PCIs and journal’s sections.
Rooted in the long term: The financial support already secured can cover the operating cost of PCI and Peer Community Journal for at least the next decade. PCI’s finance policy is based on technical investments for the future and savings as a safeguard against potential lean periods.
Scalable: PCI’s clonal architecture and in-house, specifically designed infrastructure enable scalability. Scalability is further enhanced by focusing on the essential workload required for the production and distribution of knowledge and by distributing it across a broad network of researchers.
HOW DOES PCI AND PEER COMMUNITY JOURNAL WORK?
1. Submit your preprint to PCI
Watch a 3-minute video about PCI
2. Once your article is accepted and recommended by a PCI, you can opt to leave it on a preprint server, to publish it in Peer Community Journal, to submit it to a PCI-friendly journal or to any other journal
Watch a 3 minute-video about Peer Community Journal
