3 reasons it’s valuable to include funder information with your preprint

As preprints continue to reshape how we share scientific knowledge, we’re continuing to think about how we receive, share and acknowledge credit in our work. One important area for this is including funder information when we post preprints. Adding funder information isn’t just a good idea, but an essential practice for research. Now, we’ve made this even easier, and the bioRxiv submission system includes dedicated fields that submitting authors can use to provide standardized funder information and any associated grant numbers. 

See more on the bioRxiv blog post on how to include your funder information at submission, and how you can update your existing preprints.

We soft-launched this feature in April and are already seeing that 70% of authors are including this information when they submit their manuscripts, so it’s a very integrated part of our workflow that’s easy for authors to use.

Why is it valuable to include funder information with your preprint?

Building Trust Through Transparency

Transparency about funding sources helps establish trust with your audience. When readers can see who supported your work, they can better evaluate potential biases or conflicts of interest. This openness doesn’t weaken your research—it strengthens it by demonstrating your commitment to scientific integrity from the very beginning of the dissemination process.

Think of funding acknowledgments as part of your research’s provenance. Just as we trace the origins of data and methods, understanding the financial context helps readers interpret findings more completely.

Meeting Funder Expectations

Funding agencies have evolved their expectations alongside the preprint revolution. Many now explicitly require or strongly encourage researchers to acknowledge their support in all research outputs, including preprints. The National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, foundations and numerous international funding bodies have policies that extend beyond traditional publications. By including funder information from the start, you demonstrate good stewardship of research funds and show funders that their investment is generating visible outputs. This isn’t just about compliance—it’s about building a track record that supports future funding applications.

Maximizing Your Research Impact

Preprints with proper funding acknowledgments become part of funders’ impact tracking systems and these are becoming more widely used. This visibility can work in your favor in multiple ways:

• Enhanced discoverability: Funding agencies sometimes maintain databases of supported research, and acknowledging your funders makes it easier for your preprint to be indexed in these systems.
• Policy influence: Funders sometimes use early research outputs to inform funding priorities and policy decisions.
• Streamlining your publication journey: Including funding information in your preprint creates consistency across your research outputs. It’s easier to include complete acknowledgments from the beginning rather than tracking down funding details later in the publication process.

As the research ecosystem continues to evolve, the line between “preliminary” and “published” research continues to blur. Preprints are increasingly cited, discussed, and shared worldwide, gaining visibility for your work. Therefore, including funder information is a further investment in transparency, compliance, impact and the future of your research career. 

Get started with your bioRxiv preprints. (medRxiv coming soon)

• On the dedicated Funding Information page during submission, look up your funder’s name in the dropdown menu. We use the standardized list of funders from Research Organization Registry (ROR). 
• Include grant numbers and grant DOIs where available.
• Acknowledge all sources of support, including institutional funds, fellowships, and equipment grants.