ASAPbio is planning a refresh of its Preprint Services Directory (https://asapbio.org/preprint-servers/). Since 2020, ASAPbio has maintained the directory on its website. A one-stop-shop for detailed information about life science preprint servers, the page is one of our most frequently visited sites.

As part of the refresh, we intend to narrow the features that we catalog to make the directory more focused and therefore more useful. The refreshed list will outline a smaller set of core features using a systematic and constrained set of descriptors. This will make it easier for researchers and other stakeholders to understand key differences between preprint servers at a glance.

We are seeking public feedback on the set of core features that we plan to evaluate. Ideally, this set of features fully encompasses fundamental characteristics that define a preprint server. These core characteristics are the ones that researchers and other stakeholders must consider when selecting which preprint servers to post to and otherwise support. Our proposed core characteristics are as follows:

We especially welcome feedback on the following questions:

1. Does the proposed set of features fully describe the core characteristics of a preprint server? Are any features missing or unnecessary?
2. Are there any improvements that could be made to the set of features that would make the Preprint Services Directory more useful for researchers, research performing organizations, funders, and other stakeholders?
3. Are there features we ought to catalog that go beyond these core characteristics that would be of use to the community?

We welcome public comments here on our blog, as well as private comments, which can be emailed to [email protected]. It is also possible to mark up our draft here. For best consideration, please submit comments by August 9, 2026. Following consultation with the preprint server community, we will launch the refreshed directory later this fall.