The role of preprints in open science: Accelerating knowledge transfer from science to technology

2025-06-25

AI Summary

The role of preprints in accelerating the translation of scientific discoveries into technological applications remains unclear. This study conducts the first systematic patent citation analysis using bioRxiv data from 2013–2021 to examine the temporal patterns and disciplinary distribution of preprint citations in patents. Results show a substantial increase in patent citations to preprints—particularly after 2020, following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic—and a reduction in average knowledge translation lag by approximately 1.8 years compared to journal articles. Citations are concentrated in interdisciplinary domains at the intersection of biomedicine and artificial intelligence. This work provides the first empirical evidence that preprints significantly shorten the “science-to-technology” cycle, underscoring the critical role of open-access preprint platforms in enhancing research visibility and accelerating innovation diffusion. The findings offer novel evidence to inform open science policy and reform of research evaluation frameworks.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Data Mining & Knowledge Management: Linked Open Data, Knowledge Graphs & KB Completion
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance
• Responsible Web: Data and user privacy-enhancing technologies for the Web
• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Interdisciplinary science discovery with web data mining

Abstract

Preprints have become increasingly essential in the landscape of open science, facilitating not only the exchange of knowledge within the scientific community but also bridging the gap between science and technology. However, the impact of preprints on technological innovation, given their unreviewed nature, remains unclear. This study fills this gap by conducting a comprehensive scientometric analysis of patent citations to bioRxiv preprints submitted between 2013 and 2021, measuring and accessing the contribution of preprints in accelerating knowledge transfer from science to technology. Our findings reveal a growing trend of patent citations to bioRxiv preprints, with a notable surge in 2020, primarily driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Preprints play a critical role in accelerating innovation, not only expedite the dissemination of scientific knowledge into technological innovation but also enhance the visibility of early research results in the patenting process, while journals remain essential for academic rigor and reliability. The substantial number of post-online-publication patent citations highlights the critical role of the open science model-particularly the "open access" effect of preprints-in amplifying the impact of science on technological innovation. This study provides empirical evidence that open science policies encouraging the early sharing of research outputs, such as preprints, contribute to more efficient linkage between science and technology, suggesting an acceleration in the pace of innovation, higher innovation quality, and economic benefits.

Problem

• Assessing preprint impact on tech innovation via patent citations
• Measuring bioRxiv's role in accelerating science-to-knowledge transfer
• Evaluating open science policies' effect on innovation efficiency

Innovation

• Scientometric analysis of bioRxiv preprint citations
• Measuring preprint impact on patent citations
• Open access accelerates science-technology knowledge transfer