Interim Research Projects and Preprints

What are IRPs?

Interim Research Products (IRPs) are defined by the NIH as "...complete, public research products that are not final".

A preprint is a type of IRP.

Typically a preprint is a completed draft of a scientific document of a manuscript made public before being accepted by a journal of publication.These manuscripts are written using a peer-reviewed journal article style but are not yet peer reviewed. Preprints are often released to "speed dissemination, establish priority, obtain feedback, and offset publication bias". 

A preregistered protocol is another common type of iterum product. A researcher will publicly declare key elements of their research protocol in advance. The reasoning can be to "enhance the rigor of their work".

Notes:

• You are not required to create interim research products through your NIH award.

• Applicants are not required to cite interim research products as part of their grant applications.

• Preprints do not fall under the NIH public access policy because they are not published in peer-reviewed journals.

• This guide notice does not apply to clinical trial registration. For registration of clinical trial protocols information see ClinicalTrials.gov.

Why choose this option before official acceptance to a publication?

There are several purposes for making preprints or other interim research products publication available.

• Establishing priority (release information and get a "timestamp" on your work).

•  Peer review and the editorial process can be slow so this allows the work to be accessible and you can refer to it in other publications, a grant application or grant progress reports.