Preprinting Does Not Meet Science’s Duty of Care Responsibility to Society

While acknowledging that peer review is imperfect, we argue that preprint servers, which disseminate non-peer-reviewed research, represent a significant risk to society. Preprints can lead to the spread of misinformation, undermine public trust in science, and contribute to harmful public health outcomes, as occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. We challenge the premise that preprints accelerate discovery and we argue that the absence of pre-publication peer review compromises the reliability of scientific findings. We contend that scientists have a duty of care to society and that the lack of pre-publication vetting, and the minimal oversight associated with preprinting, neglects this responsibility. Because of these harms, and to safeguard both public health and trust in science, we propose that journals should not publish manuscripts posted on preprint servers.