XSci invites preprints and working papers in any discipline to the XSci Open Review Competition 2026. XSci is a preprint platform where papers are reviewed in the open.
Up to 100 submissions will be reviewed by an independent expert in the field, paid by XSci, who answers one question: does the paper have the potential to be published in the journal or conference the authors are aiming at? If the answer is yes, the paper becomes an XSci Peer-Certified Preprint, and with the expert's report made public, the submitting author receives the $500 XSci Open Review Award 2026.
# Submission
- Submission is free.
- Authors keep all rights and may submit their papers to any journal or conference at any time.
- Submission Deadline: 30 November 2026, 23:59 Anywhere on Earth.
- Early submission is encouraged, as up to 60 papers are selected on a rolling basis.
# Eligibility
- Researchers in any discipline and any country may submit. The submitting author must verify an ORCID iD or an institutional email address.
- Each author may submit up to three papers, with the agreement of their co-authors.
- Papers must not yet be published in a journal or conference proceedings. Papers posted on another preprint server such as arXiv are eligible.
- If your paper is under review, please check the venue's policies (on dual submission and double-blind reviewing) before entering, bearing in mind that the expert sees the authors' names and that the review report is published by default.
- AI review reports are optional. Authors may submit with none, or take them down, without affecting eligibility.
# Benefits to authors
- Posting as a preprint with a DOI, free to read.
- Reports from AI reviewers of your choice, in minutes to hours, free during the competition when made public.
- For up to 100 papers, a review by an independent expert in the field, usually in about five to ten days, paid for by XSci.
- Access to the expert's report 48 hours before anyone else, with the option to take it down at no charge. Taking it down ends eligibility for the award but does not affect certification.
- A public right of reply to any report, on the same page as the paper.
- Submissions not selected receive $49 off XSci Human Review service for the same paper, valid until 31 March 2027.