F1000’s VeriXiv introduces trust badges for preprints

F1000 has introduced trust marker badges to its VeriXiv preprint server, providing readers with visible confirmation of the verification checks completed before research is posted online.

The open research publisher says the move makes VeriXiv the first major preprint platform to display comprehensive research integrity verification directly on published preprints.

Launched in August 2024 in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, VeriXiv was created to combine the speed of preprint dissemination with stronger quality assurance measures. Submissions are screened across four areas before publication: authorship verification, publishing ethics, research integrity and open research standards.

The newly introduced trust marker badges allow readers to see at a glance which checks a preprint has completed and passed. Additional information about the verification process is available through the VeriXiv platform.

Preprints have become an increasingly important part of scholarly communication. However, concerns have grown over the potential for problematic research to be disseminated before issues such as plagiarism, image manipulation, conflicts of interest or undisclosed AI use are identified.

F1000 says VeriXiv addresses these concerns through a comprehensive verification process carried out by specialist editorial teams before publication. The publisher argues that this approach helps identify problematic submissions before they become part of the scholarly record.

James Cleaver, Head of Publishing at F1000, said: “As concerns about the risks to the integrity of preprints continue to grow, especially in an era of AI-generated content, transparency and trust have never been more critical. Many preprint servers are now finding that their current level of checks are not enough to hold back a flood of Al-generated submissions and that trying to deal with problematic preprints only after publication is often too late.

“These trust marker badges make our investment in extensive pre-publication verification workflows visible to everyone, giving researchers, funders, and policymakers confidence in the work they are reading.”

Alongside the verification badges, VeriXiv also displays the peer review status of individual preprints. Authors can opt to submit their work to Gates Open Research, where manuscripts undergo transparent post-publication peer review hosted on VeriXiv. Following successful review, the final version of record is published in Gates Open Research.

The announcement comes as the scholarly publishing sector increasingly explores ways to communicate improved trust and transparency. Earlier this year, the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) approved a Trust Markers Working Group tasked with developing a Recommended Practice framework for indicators that signal trust in published scholarly content. One of the group’s co-chairs is Dr Rebecca Lawrence, Vice President of Knowledge Translation at Taylor & Francis.