Description: Peer review is the cornerstone of scientific publishing, yet its tangible contributions to research quality remain underexplored. This study aims to quantify the added value of peer review by analyzing matched preprint–publication pairs across disciplines. The project will compare preprints to their final published versions using natural language processing to detect textual and structural changes and relate these changes to time under review. Data will be collected via public APIs (e.g., bioRxiv, arXiv, CrossRef) and processed using semantic similarity metrics and change classification models. The study will provide empirical evidence on how, when, and to what extent peer review alters scientific manuscripts, offering insights for improving transparency and efficiency in the publication process.

Contact: miquel.serraburriel@uzh.ch