FAQs for ChemRxiv Users

If you have any questions about ChemRxiv that are not addressed by the FAQs or Submission Guide, contact us at support@chemrxiv.org. Our team will typically respond within 1-2 business days.

Introducing ChemRxiv

What is ChemRxiv?

ChemRxiv (pronounced 'chem-archive') is a free submission, distribution, and archive service for unpublished preprints in chemistry and related areas.

ChemRxiv gives researchers across a broad range of fields related to the chemical sciences the opportunity to share early results with colleagues and receive recommendations for improvement, ahead of formal peer review and publication.

Researchers can use ChemRxiv to:

All of these features can ultimately improve the reliability of the final research.

What is Cambridge Open Engage?

Cambridge Open Engage, where ChemRxiv is hosted, is a collaborative platform that enables the uploading, sharing, and accessibility of early, open research.

The platform was developed specifically to host early research outputs, such as preprints, posters and presentations, as well as other types of open content, including grey literature. This content is hosted within a rich ecosystem that incorporates content uploaded to Cambridge Open Engage and partner sites like ChemRxiv, across multiple disciplines. ChemRxiv currently only accepts preprints.

Who determines how ChemRxiv will operate?

ChemRxiv is a community-centric endeavor, and the scope, governance, and operating principles were defined after broad consultation. ChemRxiv is co-owned and collaboratively managed by the American Chemical Society (ACS) [opens in a new tab], Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) [opens in a new tab], Chemical Society of Japan (CSJ) [opens in a new tab], German Chemical Society (GDCh) [opens in a new tab], and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) [opens in a new tab].

We are grateful to the many organizations that provided additional input, including other preprint services, not-for-profit organizations, chemistry community members writ large, publishers, and funding agencies.

The feedback from this initial consultation was used to identify the specific requirements for launching ChemRxiv, and it, alongside ongoing community consultation from our Scientific Advisory Board, continues to help shape ChemRxiv.

A group of PhD chemists employed by or contracted by ChemRxiv are engaged in the screening process, and a Publishing Manager for ChemRxiv oversees the day-to-day operations.

What is a preprint?

Preprints are manuscripts made publicly available before they have been submitted for formal peer review and publication. They might contain new research findings or data. Preprints can be a draft or final version of an authors' research but must not have been accepted for publication at the time of submission. All authors must agree to the work being posted on ChemRxiv.

Why is there a need for a chemistry-specific preprint server? Can't chemists use arXiv or bioRxiv?

Chemistry is the central science. We believe each major discipline will ultimately have a discipline-specific preprint server. We are engaged in efforts to find commonalities with arXiv, bioRxiv, and other preprint platforms, and we are exploring leveraging common resources and tools. However, we recognize that chemistry authors and readers will benefit from a space dedicated to their field and their needs, as our colleagues at arXiv have for physics and math, and bioRxiv for the life sciences.

What type of information is posted on ChemRxiv?

ChemRxiv's focus is technical research findings covering the chemical sciences and related fields. News, advertisements, editorials, commentaries, and policy statements are not appropriate for this forum and will be declined if received.

Complementary preprint services, such as those offered by arXiv and bioRxiv, are available for findings that clearly fall into the physics, mathematics, or life science fields.

Submissions can be made at any stage of the research process up until the point that the content is accepted for formal publication following peer review. The content must meet the following requirements:

ChemRxiv will not approve the upload of content that has received a final accept decision for publication as a journal article or book chapter, or the retrospective upload of pre-acceptance versions of content that has already been published in peer-reviewed journals or books in a final "Version of Record" form.

Please note: ChemRxiv does not currently accept book chapters, purely hypothetical essays, letters to the editor, or editorial/viewpoint/opinion articles. We can accept work that has previously appeared in a PhD thesis, if it has been written as a manuscript independent of the original thesis.

Is ChemRxiv a regional or global service?

ChemRxiv is global—all interested authors can submit a preprint, and preprints are available globally for readers to download and view.

Are the preprints posted on ChemRxiv peer reviewed? Are they checked prior to publication?

The preprints on ChemRxiv are not peer reviewed, edited, or typeset. All preprints are subject to a basic screening following submission, during which they are checked for plagiarized, offensive, dangerous, non-scientific, and/or inappropriate content. ChemRxiv will exclude materials that may pose a health or security risk when identified. The ChemRxiv organizers cannot endorse any information contained in or linked from the preprints.

Is there a fee to read a preprint on ChemRxiv?

No. Preprints on ChemRxiv are free for both authors and readers.

Can I read ChemRxiv content on different devices?

Yes, the Cambridge Open Engage platform, where ChemRxiv is hosted, has been designed to be read on a variety of different devices, from laptops and monitors to tablets and smartphones.

What is ChemRxiv's impact factor? What other metrics are available for ChemRxiv? Where are ChemRxiv preprints indexed?

ChemRxiv is a preprint service, not a journal, and like other preprint servers such as arXiv and bioRxiv, it does not have an Impact Factor.

Preprint-based usage and Altmetric [opens in a new tab] scores (tracking attention to the preprint based on blogs, tweets, news articles, and other media) are updated daily and can be found on the right side of the preprint record.

ChemRxiv preprints are indexed by Chemical Abstracts Services, Google, Google Scholar, CrossRef, ProQuest, Scopus, and other search tools. Preprints are not currently indexed by Web of Science.

Is there an open API for ChemRxiv?

Yes, ChemRxiv is Open API compatible. You can find more information on our API documentation page [opens in a new tab].

Finding Content

How do I search for content?

You can enter your search term to find content, or you can refine the search by category, date, keyword, or author by selecting one or more of the filters provided. The search results will update automatically.

How can I keep track of the latest content on ChemRxiv?

You can keep abreast of newly uploaded research content by using the ChemRxiv RSS feed or following ChemRxiv on Twitter. We will soon be offering content alerts so you can sign up to receive automatic alerts on specific areas of ChemRxiv via email.

How will the preprint on ChemRxiv be linked to a related journal article once published?

ChemRxiv automatically adds a link to the preprint within a few weeks of journal publication. The timing depends on when the journal posts its files to CrossRef, allowing ChemRxiv to check and make matches between preprints and published articles.

You can also request a link to the published version of your paper if you notice that your preprint hasn’t been properly matched to the published version. To do this, visit the latest version of the content in your author dashboard, and select “Submit version of record”. You will then be prompted to provide the DOI of your published work. Before you can submit the DOI, please select “Check your DOI” and make sure that the metadata is correct. If everything is correct, click “Submit”. Once you have submitted the DOI, it will be checked by an administrator before being posted on your content page. You will receive an email notifying you of the administrator’s decision.

If you have any additional questions about linking your preprint to the published version, email support@chemrxiv.org. Please indicate in that email both the DOI of your ChemRxiv preprint and the DOI of the published version of your paper.

For an overview of how to request a link to your published paper, please view our video guide here:

How can I find work by a particular author?

When searching ChemRxiv, you can refine your search by author using the search options on the left of the page.

Sharing and Collaborating

How can I share content?

All content on ChemRxiv is freely available and can be shared according to the license that the author(s) have selected. The following sharing tools are available on the platform on each content page:

Citing Content

How do I cite ChemRxiv content?

Individual pieces of prepublication content can be cited using their unique digital object identifier (DOI) as follows:

"Author 1, Author 2, Date, Title, DOI"

By selecting "Cite" on the content landing page, you can automatically generate a citation for the content in a number of formats and use the copy/paste tool to copy the citation into your document or reference manager.

Reusing Content

How can I use content posted on ChemRxiv?

This depends on the license that the corresponding author applied to their work during the upload process. The license information is displayed on the content landing page.

Plagiarism

What do I do if I think my research or someone else’s has been plagiarized in content on ChemRxiv?

If you suspect plagiarism, contact support@chemrxiv.org. The ChemRxiv team will investigate the claim and may decide to amend, retract, or remove the paper.

Text Mining

Does ChemRxiv allow text data mining? If so, under what terms?

ChemRxiv does allow metadata mining and allows all associated files to be downloaded. Interested users should refer to the Open API documentation [opens in a new tab] .

The terms applicable to the mining of preprints are determined by the author's selection of a Creative Commons license, including CC-BY-NC-ND, CC-BY-NC, or CC-BY. Interested parties may limit searches to specific license types to meet their specific reuse needs.

Browser support

Do you support Microsoft Internet Explorer 11?

Technical support for Internet Explorer 11 will end on the ChemRxiv website on Tuesday 17 August 2021. If you currently use Internet Explorer 11 we recommend you switch to another of our supported browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari) to ensure you are able to make full use of our digital offering.
This decision was timed with the announcement from Microsoft that they will no longer be supporting Internet Explorer and have recommended their users migrate to Microsoft Edge. This website will still be accessible through Internet Explorer 11 but we will no longer be able to guarantee all features will be compatible. By ending our support for Internet Explorer 11 our technical teams will be able to increase the pace of development and testing for new features in the future.