Preprint & Prior Publication Policy

EJAS supports the early sharing of research while protecting the integrity of the published record. This policy explains how preprints and other prior dissemination are treated.

What Online First means

Online First is the early publication of an article on the journal website as soon as it has completed peer review and production, and before it is assigned to a volume and issue. Publishing Online First allows the research community to read, cite and build on new findings without waiting for an issue to be compiled.

An Online First article is a complete, peer-reviewed and copy-edited article. It carries a digital object identifier (DOI) from the moment it appears, is freely available in open access, and is the citable version of the work.

When an article appears

Once your manuscript is accepted, it is copy-edited, typeset and prepared for publication. The finished article is then released Online First, normally within a short period of completing production. It is later assigned to a volume and issue as part of the journal’s ordinary publication schedule.

Open access and licensing

Online First articles are open access from the moment of publication, under the journal’s Creative Commons licence, on the same terms as articles in a compiled issue. Authors retain copyright. See the Open Access, Copyright & Licensing policy for the full terms.

A permanent, citable record

The DOI assigned to an Online First article does not change when the article is later placed in an issue. This means:

How to cite an Online First article

Until an article is assigned to an issue, cite it using the authors, title, journal name, the words “Online First” (or “Advance online publication”) and the DOI. For example:

Once the article has been assigned to a volume and issue, please cite the final version with its full volume, issue and page or article details.

Corrections and the version of record

If a significant error is identified in an Online First article, it is handled through the journal’s Corrections, Retractions & Withdrawals policy, and any correction is linked to the article. The version of record is the article as published, including any subsequent corrections.

Indexing and discovery

Article metadata for Online First articles — including title, authors, abstract, keywords and DOI — is made available to support discovery and indexing. Please see Abstracting and Indexing for how the journal supports discoverability.

Preprints

Posting a manuscript as a preprint on a recognised preprint server or institutional repository is permitted and does not count as prior publication. Authors may post the submitted and accepted versions without embargo, as set out in the Open Access, Copyright & Licensing policy, and should link the preprint to the version of record once the article is published. Authors are asked to disclose the preprint (with its DOI or URL) on submission.

Theses, conference papers and datasets

Material that has appeared in a thesis, as a conference presentation or abstract, or as a deposited dataset is generally acceptable as the basis for a submission, provided the manuscript represents a substantial and properly cited development of that work and the prior dissemination is disclosed. This is not redundant publication, but it must be transparent.

What to disclose

On submission, authors should inform the editor of any preprint, any related manuscript in press or under consideration elsewhere, and any overlap with their own earlier work, so that the editor can consider it. Undisclosed duplicate or redundant publication is handled under the Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement.