Australian Research Council’s ban on preprints in grants prompts outcry

Reports of grant applications being rejected by the Australian Research Council for citing preprint studies have sparked an outcry from the academic community.

For its 2021 funding calls, the ARC introduced a rule that bars applicants from citing preprint material in their grant applications. Nature reports that more than 20 applications were deemed ineligible because they referenced preprint material. Due to a strict limit on the number of applications a researcher can submit for the ARC’s early and mid-career awards, some of those caught out by the rule change will never be allowed to reapply.