Preprint or working paper
Original research draft · October 2026
Working pattern
[Author], [Title] [pinpoint] ([series/no., version date]), [repository/DOI].
Capture from the source
Author; title; series; version; repository; publication status
Check before you use it
Check whether a later published version changes the text used.
Common error: A preprint should not be described as peer reviewed without support.
Completed example
Author, paper, series, repository, samples, and later article are fictional. The .example URL is illustrative, and no actual peer-review or research-status claim is made.
Iris Vale, Comparing Archive Search Interfaces 17 (TRAIN Research Series No. 25-03, working paper v. 2, Mar. 4, 2025), https://training.example/papers/25-03/v2.
Read the supplied source facts
Fictional packet TRAIN-S68 contains Iris Vale's working paper Comparing Archive Search Interfaces, TRAIN Research Series No. 25-03, version 2 dated March 4, 2025. The repository labels it a working paper and provides no peer-review claim. Page 17 reports an early sample of 40 tasks. A later journal version in the packet expands the sample to 65 and changes the conclusion about one interface. The assignment asks how the early version described the initial study, so that version remains relevant as a historical research object. Both versions have similar titles.
Why this works
The series number, version, date, and status distinguish the working paper from the later publication. Describe its result as belonging to the initial 40-task study and preserve any stated uncertainty. A repository's professional appearance does not supply a peer-review status that the record does not state. If the argument instead concerns the author's final published conclusion, inspect and cite the later article rather than using the working paper's convenient locator. The source card should link related versions while retaining their separate dates, text, and sample definitions, so an editor can identify which result each citation actually supports.
When the facts change
If version 3 silently replaces the repository download, use the preserved version 2 file or a verified version-specific record for the historical comparison. If the paper is withdrawn, identify that status when relevant. A later journal publication does not make every earlier sentence part of the final article, and a citation should not imply such continuity without a textual comparison.
Apply the receiving court or publication’s requirements. These working forms do not establish citation permission, precedential weight, or support for a legal proposition.