Peer-reviewed preprints
Get your preprint peer‑reviewed. Then publish it.
Upload your paper. We match it with the experts best placed to judge it, run a double-blind review, and once they sign off on your revision you publish it as a peer-reviewed preprint, in weeks, not months.
Free to upload · Pay only when reviews are delivered · Free to publish · You keep your copyright
Your paper, reviewed by the people who know the field
Methods now address the selection concern. Ready to publish.
Robustness table is convincing. Minor wording fixes only.
Why this exists
Peer review is slow, unpaid, and a lottery.
Researchers write the papers, review each other's work and serve on editorial boards for free, then wait months for a verdict that depends more on who reviewed the paper than on what it says.
How it works
From upload to published, in five steps.
Software does the legwork: reading the paper, finding reviewers, chasing replies. The judgment stays with human experts.
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01
Upload your paper
Drop a PDF or Word file. We read it and pull out the specific questions that need an expert eye. Free, and nothing is sent to anyone yet.
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02
Approve your reviewers
We search the global publication record for the researchers best placed to judge each question and show you an anonymized shortlist. Nothing reaches a reviewer without your approval.
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03
Double-blind review
Each reviewer gets a focused request anchored on the passages that matter, and comments directly on your paper. You and they stay anonymous to each other, so feedback stays candid.
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04
Revise with the same reviewers
Upload a revised version from your author space. The reviewers who read the first draft check it against their own comments and say whether it is ready.
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05
Publish when they sign off
Once enough reviewers endorse the revision (at least two, and none saying “not yet”), you get a Publish button. You decide if and when. It goes live on the Unjournal preprint journal, with its reviews alongside. Like any preprint, the copyright stays with you.
A new kind of paper
Between a preprint and a journal article.
A peer-reviewed preprint has been through real expert review and revision, without the year-long wait or the gatekeeping. Readers see the paper and the reviews behind it.
| Criterion | Preprint | Peer-reviewed preprint | Journal article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviewed by experts | No | Yes, double-blind | Yes, usually 2–3 |
| Time to publish | Days | Weeks | Months to years |
| Reviews visible to readers | No | Yes, published alongside | Rarely |
| Who decides to publish | You | You, once reviewers endorse | The editor |
| Cost to publish | Free | Free | Up to $13K in APCs |
| Copyright | Stays with you | Stays with you | Often transferred to the publisher |
For reviewers
A focused ask, not a weekend gone.
If we contact you, it is because your own work sits right where a paper needs an expert opinion, and because its author asked for independent review.
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Targeted questions
You get the two or three questions that match your expertise, each pointing to the exact passage. Most take around fifteen minutes.
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Anonymous both ways
You never see who wrote the paper, and the author never sees who you are.
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Comment on the paper itself
Highlight a passage and leave a note, or simply reply to the invitation email.
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Your call on publication
When the author revises, you check the new version against your own comments and say whether it is ready. Nothing is published over your “not yet”.
Pricing
Pay for the review. Never to publish.
No subscription, no article processing charge. You pay once for the review, and only when the reviews are in.
Upload & reviewer shortlist
Free
See who we would invite before you commit to anything.
Double-blind review
Pay on delivery
Nothing to pay upfront. You are charged once the reviews are delivered, with a money-back guarantee. Revision rounds are included.
Publishing
Free
A public page for your peer-reviewed preprint and its reviews. You keep the copyright, as with any preprint.
Where this goes
Review that is never wasted.
No rejections
Every submission enters an improvement loop with the experts who reviewed it. The review is a mentor, not a filter.
No journal silos
A review done once travels with the paper. Expert time is not thrown away every time a paper changes venue.
Auditable, later
We are working on a time-locked review record: confidential while the review runs, open to anyone’s audit once the paper is out.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is a peer-reviewed preprint?
A preprint that has been through expert review and revision before it is published. On Unjournal, reviewers matched to the paper review it double-blind, check the author's revision against their own comments, and the author publishes the endorsed version with its reviews alongside. More on peer-reviewed preprints.
How much does it cost?
Uploading your paper and seeing the reviewer shortlist is free. The review is paid once, on delivery, with a money-back guarantee, and revision rounds are included. Publishing is free: there is no subscription and no article processing charge.
How are the reviewers chosen?
We search the global publication record for the researchers whose own work is closest to the questions your paper raises, and show you an anonymized shortlist. Nothing reaches a reviewer without your approval.
Is the review anonymous?
Yes, both ways. Reviewers never see who wrote the paper, and you never see who they are. How double-blind review works.
When can I publish?
Once enough reviewers endorse your revision: at least two, and none saying “not yet”. You then get a Publish button and decide if and when. The paper goes live on the Unjournal preprint journal with its reviews.
Who owns the copyright?
You do. As with any preprint, the copyright stays with the author.
Is Unjournal the same as The Unjournal?
No. Unjournal (unjournal.ai) runs double-blind review of preprints with reviewers matched to each paper. The Unjournal (unjournal.org) is a separate organisation.
Science deserves review as rigorous as the research.
Upload your paper and see your reviewer shortlist today. It’s free until the reviews are in.