Not only can #preprints be cited, citations to preprints are growing. Using the literature on #AI policy for a case study, these authors found that citations of preprints increased 8x over the last decade, from 5% to 40%.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.16477
Shifting 'AI Policy' Preprints and Citation Trends in the U.S., U.K and E.U., and South Korea (2015-2024)
This study of literature focusing on 'AI Policy' over the past decade, found that citations of preprints, publications on platforms such as arXiv, have increased from five percent to forty percent across three major regions: the U.S., U.K. & E.U., and South Korea. We compare regional responses of preprint citations across the global disruptions of COVID-19 and the release of ChatGPT. We discuss driving factors and risks of preprint normalization, which follows the trend in computer science.
