Preprint to Journal: What to Change and What to Keep

Reading time ~7 minutes · Published October 10, 2025

1) Narrative tightening: what changes

Preprints often include exploratory context and longer digressions. For journals, we streamline:

• Title/abstract: sharpen the value proposition; mirror methods and key results precisely; remove speculative phrasing.
• Introduction: collapse background into a gap-focused final paragraph that sets explicit aims or hypotheses.
• Methods: add full parameter values, inclusion/exclusion rules, randomisation, blinding, and data handling so the study is reproducible.
• Results: ensure figures are decision-ready (correct chart type, units, readable labels); move dense diagnostics to Supplement.
• Discussion: separate evidence-backed claims from speculation and add a short “Limitations & Next Steps.”

2) Citations: what to update

We refresh the bibliography to reflect the post-preprint literature and fix cross-version issues:

• Replace preprints with published versions where available; keep the preprint only if it remains the authoritative record.
• Stability and priority: cite the version of record (journal DOI) and, if needed, include the preprint DOI in parentheses for provenance.
• Self-citation balance: ensure recency and breadth; add field-defining work since the preprint was posted.
• Internal citations: re-number after figure/table changes; ensure text matches table/figure values.

3) Figures & image rights: what to keep or replace

Preprint servers typically allow broad reuse of your own content, but journals may enforce specific artwork standards and rights:

• Resolution & format: redraw figures to journal specs (DPI, font embedding, vector where possible).
• Third-party material: secure permission or re-create schematics; avoid screenshots or non-licensed icons.
• Human/clinical images: verify consent and anonymisation meet journal policy.
• License conversion: if the preprint used a restrictive license (or a very permissive one), confirm the journal’s compatibility and update captions/credits.

4) Migration checklist (quick run)

• Gap-forwarded Introduction with explicit aims/hypotheses
• Methods: parameters, randomisation/blinding, inclusion/exclusion, power/precision
• Results: figures at required DPI with correct chart types, units, and scale bars
• Citations: replace preprints with version of record; add new 2024–2025 literature
• Statements: data/code availability, funding, competing interests, ethics
• Files: cover letter, clean + tracked-changes manuscript, line numbers, response template ready