1 Introduction

• 1.1 Purpose of Writing

  This manual is intended to guide users in utilizing the various functions of the “Preprint Platform for Sino-Russian International Cooperation” (hereinafter referred to as “the Platform”), which effectively providing preprint deposit and open archiving services for scientific papers in Chinese, English, and Russian.

• 1.2 Definitions

  This section lists the definitions of the specialized terms used in this manual and the original phrases for the acronyms.'Users' refer to individuals who utilize the preprint platform, including readers, researchers from various institutes, and other members of society.

2 Usage

• 2.1 Features

  The "Preprint Platform for Sino-Russian International Cooperation" is open access to global researchers, offering multiple functions including submission, retrieval, browsing, personalized customization, and downloading of scientific preprints in Chinese, English, and Russian. It aims to build a standardized and rapid academic exchange ecosystem, promoting Sino-Russian academic exchanges, assisting journals in obtaining high-quality manuscripts promptly, enhancing journal impact, supporting the rapid pre-publication of high-level scientific papers, and effectively supporting the initial publication rights of researchers.

• 2.2 Security and Confidentiality

  The platform is committed to protecting the security of users’ personal information. The private information is owned by the user, and all operations cannot be browsed or modified by other individual users.

3 Instructions for Use

• 3.1 Overview of Features

  The platform offers the following services:

  1. Paper Submission: Provides online and batch submission methods for papers.

  2. Paper Browsing and Search: Supports browsing papers by submission time, field, author, institution, and multi-field combination search options such as title, author, and abstract.

  3. My Center: Offers services such as My Submissions, My Papers, My Comments, My Browse History, My Downloads, and My Customizations.

  4. Paper Comments: Provides anonymous and real-name comment options for papers.

  For specific features, please refer to the module introductions.

• 3.2 Platform Functionality Diagram

  The overall design of ChinaXiv (Chinese Academy of Sciences Preprint Platform) is shown in Figure 1, and it includes:

  - A complete pre-publication paper submission process, supporting batch submissions by authors and institutions, with standardized format and redundancy checks for submitted resources.

  - Establishment of a quality management mechanism, including a “recognition mechanism” to ensure standardized papers and maintain high academic standards.

  - Implementation of an online paper review process with automatic classification for paper deposit.

  - Creation of a thematic repository to centrally save scientific papers and automatically generate thematic libraries for various fields, providing data support for the platform’s services.

  - Enhanced resource permission management through authentication, permission, download, and copyright management to promote efficient use of information resources.

  - Implementation of search, browse, and alert services to provide readers with rich resource discovery services.

  - Formation of an Oauth Science Network unified authentication service application service.

  - Establishment of an academic exchange mechanism for managing and reviewing comments on published papers.

  - Organization of cooperative journal data resources, using multiple approaches to improve journal resources and integrate journal papers.

  

  Figure 1 The overall design of ChinaXiv (Chinese Academy of Sciences Preprint Platform)

• 3.3 Platform Layout and Home Page Introduction

  The platform layout is shown in Figure 2. Users can switch between different languages at the top right corner. The home page includes commonly used functions, displays the latest activities, recently submitted papers, hot discussions, and popular paper rankings, and also provides links to related platforms.

  

  Figure 2 Homepage of the Platform

  The platform menu bar includes Home, Paper Submission, Paper Browse, Paper Search, My Center, and Help. Users can quickly access each functional module by clicking on the menu. At the top right corner is the user login entrance, which redirects to the unified authentication service after clicking. A quick search box is also provided, as shown in Figure 3.

  

  Figure 3 Menu Bar

• 3.4 Account Registration

  Visit the platform address: http://smbu.chinaxiv.org/, click on Register at the top right corner, and you will be redirected to the interface shown in Figure 4. Users can register an account according to the prompts.

  1. The platform only supports registration and login with institutional email addresses (i.e. with suffixes “edu.cn” or “ac.cn”) for online paper submission.

  2. For E-mails with the suffix “edu.cn”, registration and login are required for submission; for E-mails from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, direct login is available without registration.

  3. For paper submission with personal E-mails, please contact the administrator in advance for certification. Contact information:Miss Luo: WeCom(WeChat at Work)- Contacts- Library (Option for Shenzhen MSU-BIT University Users); E-mail: luo_xy@smbu.edu.cn.ChinaXiv: eprint@mail.las.ac.cn.

  

  Figure 4 Register an account

• 3.5 Login Authentication

  Visit the platform address: http://smbu.chinaxiv.org/, click on Login at the top right corner, and you will see the login interface shown in Figure 5. Log in to the platform with the registered account and password.

  

  Figure 5 Login Authentication

• 3.6 Paper Submission

  3.6.1 Single Paper Online Submission

  Providing online submission services for readers is an essential part of the platform. The “Single Paper Online Submission” process includes six steps:

  - Confirmation of Personal Information and Paper Authorization Agreement

  - Commitment to Integrity by the Paper Submitter

  - Uploading the Paper and Proof of Identity

  - Format Verification

  - Paper Description Information

  - Preview and Submission

  3.6.1.1 Confirmation of Personal Information and Paper Authorization Agreement

  Click “Submit Paper” to enter Step 1 of the single paper online submission process, confirm personal information and paper authorization agreement, as shown in Figure 6.

  (1) Confirm Personal Information: The system automatically retrieves the user’s name, institution, address, and ORCID (if registered or associated with an E-mail and ORCID in iAuthor) based on the user’s E-mail. Users can modify this information and click “Maintain Personal Information”. If the information is confirmed, check the box “Confirm that the information is true and valid!”.

  (2) Copyright Commitment: Select the appropriate option according to your personal situation.

  (3) License Statement: Select the appropriate option according to your personal situation.

  (4) Policy Statement: Please read carefully and check the box “I agree to the statements above”.

  (5) Click “Next Step”.

  

  Figure 6Confirm Personal Information and Paper Authorization Agreement

  3.6.1.2 Commitment to Integrity by the Paper Submitter

  Step 2 of the single paper online submission process involves the submitter’s commitment to integrity, as shown in Figure 7.

  Submitter’s Commitment to Integrity (Note: Attention should be paid to avoid conflicts between the platform and the agreements of other journals. Any responsibility arising therefrom should be borne by the submitter, which has nothing to do with the platform).

  Users can inquire about the preprint policies of major international publishers and over 50,000 journals through the International Journal Preprint Policy (https://www.chinaxiv.org/yuyinben.htm); corresponding preprint policies can also be inquired on the official websites of the journals.

  

  Figure 7 Submit Integrity Commitment

  3.6.1.3 Uploading the Paper and Proof of Identity

  Step 3 of the single paper online submission process involves uploading the paper and proof of identity, as shown in Figure 8.

  (1) Click “Browse” to select the file to be uploaded from the local computer. You can choose files in PDF, Word, WPS, or Latex formats.

  (2) Click the "Upload" button, then it will display “Your most recently uploaded paper: filename”.

  (3) You are supposed to upload research identity verification materials (recommended). Submitting “researcher (author) identity verification materials” along with the paper manuscript helps the platform quickly identify your research identity and promptly disclose your submitted manuscript. Provide as much information as possible that can be found on official and third-party institutions, which helps prove that you are a rigorous scholar with a good academic reputation.This can include the following aspects of content:

  a) Your real name, contact number, brief educational background, and research experience.

  b) Information about the research institution where you are currently employed, including the institution, address, postal code, contact number, and official website.

  c) The situation of your research work at the institution. Including the department you work in, the research you are engaged in, your email address at the institution, your work phone number, and the official website that can prove your employment.

  d) A list of your published peer-reviewed journal papers, especially those related to the submitted manuscript.

  e) Other relevant information in the academic community, including ORCID, ResearchGate, ScienceNet, and other relevant information in the academic community.

  (4) It is optional for you to upload related audio and video files of the paper (in rar or zip compressed format), as well as figures, experimental data, and other files (in rar or zip compressed format).

  (5) Click “Next Step”.

  

  Figure 8 Uploading the Paper and Proof of Identity

  3.6.1.4 Format Verification

  Step 4 of the single paper online submission process involves format verification of the uploaded paper and proof of identity, as shown in Figure 9.

  (1) The system will perform a format check on the uploaded paper: if there are any abnormalities, you will need to return and re-operate; otherwise, the system will display that the article verification is successful.

  (2) You can also click “View PDF Full Text” to have the system automatically pop up the file for browsing.

  (3) Click “Next Step”.

  

  Figure 9 Format Checks

  3.6.1.5 Paper Description Information

  Step 5 of the single paper online submission process involves filling in the paper description information, as shown in Figure 10.

  (1) Firstly, select the language (i.e. Chinese, English, or Russian) of the submitted paper.

  (2) Fill in the paper’s descriptive information according to the prompts, including title, author(s), abstract, keywords, etc.

  (3) Select the classification of the paper.

  (4) After confirming the information, click “Next Step”.

  

  Figure 10 Fill in the Paper Description Information

  3.6.1.6 Preview and Submission

  Step 6 of the single paper online submission process involves previewing and submitting the paper, as shown in Figure 11.

  (1) Review the paper information to confirm that it is correct; if there are any issues, click on the previous steps to review and modify.

  (2) When submitting a manuscript or an updated paper version, select the status associated with journal papers and conference papers, such as the status of the manuscript submitted for review, etc.

  (3) Users can fill in the corresponding links in the paper description, such as bioRxiv paper links, the DOI numbers of papers accepted by journals, etc.

  

  Figure 11 Preview and Submission

• 3.6.2 One-Click Submission from arXiv

  For papers already published on the arXiv platform, there is no need for re-submission. The platform supports one-click submission from arXiv, with metadata and full text directly connected. As shown in Figure 12, after logging in, click “My Center” - “My Submissions” - “arXiv Submit” at the top right corner, and a window will pop-up. Fill in the corresponding arXiv number.

  Other preprint platforms (e.g. bioRxiv) have not yet implemented one-click submission data connection. Authors can fill in the article link in the “Paper Description” during the last step of the “Single Paper Online Submission” process.

  

  Figure 12 One-Click Submission from arXiv

• 3.7 Paper Modification and Withdrawal

  (1) For papers submitted and awaiting review, as shown in Figure 13, in “My Center” - “My Submissions”, users can update, delete, or cancel the submission of papers in the management of current submission requests.

  

  Figure 13 My Submissions

  (2) For papers reviewed and approved, as shown in Figure 14, in “My Center” - “My Papers”, users can manage approved papers, perform version updates, and cross-category changes.

  Notes: Once approved, users cannot delete or withdraw papers on their own. As pre-published papers serve as proof of the first publication, the platform in principle does not perform a “withdrawal” operation. Except under special circumstances, or if the author requests it with a valid reason. If withdrawal is needed, please contact the administrator.

  

  Figure 14 My Papers

• 3.8 Paper Review and Publication

  Papers submitted by users will undergo a preliminary examination by the system and the administrator, including: the system automatically performs checks for format, redundancy, plagiarism, and research nature; the administrator checks the detailed pages of the paper to ensure that all fields are filled in accurately, the PDF opens normally, the format is correct, the scholar’s identity proof meets the requirements, and the discipline classification is accurate.

  After passing the review, the paper will be published on the platform; and users can view it in the “My Center” or on the homepage.

• 3.9 Paper Browsing

  The platform provides browsing services classified by subject areas; and within the classification, uses can browse the latest submissions, interdisciplinary papers, and multi-version papers. Also, one can click on the author to view all papers submitted by him(/her). On the browsing list page, users can select a specific date range to browse paper information among the corresponding date.

  There are several facets provided:

  - By submission time

  - By subject classification

  - By author

  - By institution

  Click on “Paper Browsing” to display the list of all papers on the platform and metadata information, and provide browsing by submission time, subject classification, discipline, author, etc., as shown in Figure 15.

  

  Figure 15 Paper Browsing

  Click on the title of the paper to enter the detailed information page of the paper. In the details of the paper, the browsing facet of submission time and classification is provided. The relevant version information and related papers can be viewed. Users are allowed to give public comments, anonymous comments or only send comments to the author. As shown in Figure 16:

  

  Figure 16Details of Papers

• 3.10 Paper Search

  Users can quickly locate the most relevant papers and display the relevant facet information. Users can select search fields and enter keywords for search by the search box; in addition, one can choose the corresponding discipline classification to further limit the search. As shown in Figure 17.

  

  Figure 17 Paper Search

• 3.11 My Center

  My Center provides users with personalized services to manage paper submissions, reviewed papers, browsed papers, paper downloads, and paper comments for content management and review.

  - My Submissions

  - My Papers

  - My Comments

  - My Browse History

  - My Downloads

  - My Customizations

  3.11.1 My Submissions

  “My Submissions” manages the current paper requests submitted by the user and allows for updating and deleting the requests, as shown in Figure 18.

  

  Figure 18 My Submissions

  3.11.2 My Papers

  “My Papers” provides management for reviewed and approved papers, allowing for version updates and cross-category changes, as shown in Figure 19.

  

  Figure 19 My Papers

  3.11.3 My Comments

  “My Comments” provides the user’s paper comment content on the platform, as shown in Figure 20.

  

  Figure 20 My Comments

  3.11.4 My Browse History

  “My Browse History” provides the user with a log of paper browsing history on the platform, as shown in Figure 21.

  

  Figure 21 My Browse History

  3.11.5 My Downloads

  “My Downloads” provides a log of the user’s paper downloads, as shown in Figure 22.

  

  Figure 22 My Downloads

  3.11.6 My Customizations

  “My Customizations” provides a custom function for users to obtain the latest papers based on keyword searches, as shown in Figure 23.

  

  Figure 23 My Customizations

  The setting method is as follows: click on the “Add Custom” in the upper right corner to enter the custom page, enter the custom name, the custom subject word, select the push frequency, and the default custom is E-mail push.Click on “Save” to complete the customization addition. The system will automatically send the latest literature to the email address provided by the user (i.e. the E-mail address of the registered account), as shown in Figure 24.

  

  Figure 24 Add New Custom

4 Inquiry of International Journal Preprint Policies

• Users can inquire about the preprint policies of major international publishers and over 50,000 journals through the International Journal Preprint Policy — Preprint policy of Journal (https://www.chinaxiv.org/yuyinben.htm); the preprint policy can also be inquired on the official website of the journal.

5 Contact Us

• If any problems, please contact the platform administrator as soon as possible.
  Miss Luo: WeCom(WeChat at Work)- Contacts- Library (Option for Shenzhen MSU-BIT University Users); E-mail: luo_xy@smbu.edu.cn.
  ChinaXiv: eprint@mail.las.ac.cn.