Advance: A SAGE Preprints Community

Advance, a SAGE preprints community, from SAGE Publishing, is one of a growing number of Open Access repositories where researchers can post papers online for free prior to peer review and thereby speed the dissemination of research. Figshare, Open Access repository software from Digital Science, forms the infrastructure and workflow for Advance. Key features of Advance include an easy-to-navigate interface and simple search, Creative Commons-licensed manuscripts with version-controlled DOIs, support for multiple file formats, indexing in Google Scholar and CrossRef, and long-term access. Drawbacks include limited content, slight issues with web accessibility, and limited, non-standard advanced search options. Advance and other preprint services form one part of the ever-evolving scholarly communication landscape, which is growing in numbers and disciplines served.