In 2019, Yale helped launch medRxiv, a preprint server that revolutionized how health researchers share their findings. Just months later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and underscored medRxiv’s critical role in global health research.
To safeguard the future of open-access scientific publishing, the founders of medRxiv and its companion server, bioRxiv, are establishing openRxiv—an independent organization dedicated to ensuring these platforms remain freely accessible and resilient for generations to come.
To date, the two servers have been owned and managed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which co-launched medRxiv with Yale and BMJ. Now, openRxiv will provide the governance, resources, and oversight needed to ensure that medRxiv and bioRxiv continue to thrive without reliance on a single institution.
Demand for rapid, open scientific communication has never been higher. Over the past year, submissions to medRxiv and bioRxiv have surged by 16% and 20%, respectively. Together, they post around 5,000 new preprints each month and host more than 335,000 in total—fueling global knowledge-sharing at an unprecedented pace.
“MedRxiv and bioRxiv have shown that researchers want immediate access to new findings and broader peer engagement,” says Harlan Krumholz, MD, Harold H. Hines, Jr. Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and cofounder of medRxiv. “OpenRxiv ensures these critical resources remain freely available and continue evolving to serve the scientific community.”
When researchers submit new studies to a journal, their papers are sent privately to multiple reviewers—scientific peers—who weigh in on the rigor of the research, make recommendations for improvement, and share any concerns they have about the work. The journal then decides whether to publish the study, ask for additional experiments, or reject it altogether. The process can take months and allows for constructive feedback from only two or three individuals.
Preprint servers like medRxiv allow researchers to share early versions of their papers with a much wider community of scientists. They can get a greater amount of feedback and incorporate suggestions they find useful, which can strengthen the research and the final study.
Ultimately, establishing openRxiv is about being the best stewards we can be for these critical resources.
Krumholz and fellow medRxiv cofounder Joseph Ross, MD, professor of medicine (general medicine) at YSM—both also of Yale School of Public Health—will be involved in openRxiv. Krumholz will serve on the board of directors and Ross on the scientific and medical advisory board. Both have a long-standing interest in open science and together launched the Yale Open Data Access (YODA) Project in 2013.
The YODA Project advocates for the responsible sharing of clinical research data, open science, and research transparency. And it aims to both increase access to clinical research data and promote its use to generate new knowledge. Currently, it provides researchers with access to data from almost 500 clinical trials.
“The clinical experience and judgment Dr. Krumholz and Dr. Ross brought to article decision-making were invaluable as pandemic preprints surged,” says John Inglis, PhD, cofounder of medRxiv and bioRxiv and inaugural chair of openRxiv’s advisory board. “The responsible screening procedures they helped develop are fueling acceptance of preprints in a growing number of medical specialties.”
Both medRxiv and bioRxiv will continue to operate as they have done, as separate platforms, each with their own submission requirements and screening criteria. OpenRxiv will manage both and oversee administration, fundraising, and the shaping of policies and ethical procedures. Currently, the organization, which has applied for not-for-profit status, is supported by funds provided by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, academic institutions, and others. Preprint servers have historically relied on philanthropic support, but openRxiv’s leadership is actively exploring long-term funding models, including institutional partnerships and innovative revenue strategies, to reduce dependency on external donations.
“Ultimately, establishing openRxiv is about being the best stewards we can be for these critical resources,” says Ross. “MedRxiv and bioRxiv enhance transparency, accelerate progress, and enable more robust research. The result is more sharing of information, better data, and improved health care.”
OpenRxiv launches March 11. More information can be found at openarxiv.org.