No. This is a fully key-less public API.

How often does it refresh?

The pipeline polls for new records every few minutes.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

Are these preprints peer reviewed?

Not as a rule. Posted content is material shared without formal publication, so treat each item as a claim that has not necessarily been checked by referees.

Why do some titles look odd or contain stray symbols?

Titles come from the metadata the depositing publisher registered, so any markup or unusual characters in them reflect what was deposited.

Is everything in the feed a preprint?

No. Crossref's posted-content type also covers working papers, reports and dissertations, among other things.

Crossref New Preprints Screensaver

The Crossref New Preprints screensaver streams real newly-registered scholarly preprints as they're reported. It is free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the Crossref New Preprints screensaver works

The background pipeline polls Crossref's own public API — the DOI registry used by most scholarly publishers — every few minutes for new records.

Each new item eases up into its slot at the bottom of the list as it arrives.

A header shows a live/connecting indicator and the last update time.

No key is required for this key-less public endpoint.

What counts as a Crossref preprint

Crossref is a not-for-profit registration agency for DOIs, the persistent identifiers that scholarly publishers attach to papers so that citations keep working after a website is redesigned. Members deposit metadata for the content they publish, and Crossref makes it available through a public REST API. This screensaver reads from that API.

Crossref files preprints under the content type posted-content. Its documentation describes this as preprints, eprints, working papers, reports, dissertations and other content that has been posted but not formally published, so the feed is a mix of fields and publishers rather than only preprints. Items must sit on a host platform that maintains them, and accepted manuscripts are not counted as posted content.

Each line shows what the depositor registered, such as the title and the registering organisation. The timestamp reflects when the record was created at Crossref, which is not the same as the date on the manuscript itself. Because posted content has not been formally published, you should not assume it has been peer reviewed.

A worked example

A real recent item scrolls into view with its details, then eases upward as newer ones arrive behind it.

Settings & tips

These are posted-content DOIs, Crossref's category for preprints.
Accent recolours the header and highlights.
New DOIs appear here within minutes of registration.

Frequently asked questions

Is this real data?: Yes — it's read live from Crossref's own public API, the DOI registry used by most scholarly publishers.
Is a key needed?: No. This is a fully key-less public API.
How often does it refresh?: The pipeline polls for new records every few minutes.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
Are these preprints peer reviewed?: Not as a rule. Posted content is material shared without formal publication, so treat each item as a claim that has not necessarily been checked by referees.
Why do some titles look odd or contain stray symbols?: Titles come from the metadata the depositing publisher registered, so any markup or unusual characters in them reflect what was deposited.
Is everything in the feed a preprint?: No. Crossref's posted-content type also covers working papers, reports and dissertations, among other things.

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