Question

Directions for Summary: A paragraph is followed by four options which have summarized the passage in their own way. Pick the option that best summarizes the passage:
Biologists who publish their research directly to the Web have been labelled as “rogue”, but physicists have been routinely publishing research digitally (“preprints”), prior to submitting in a peer-reviewed journal. Advocates of preprints argue that quick and open dissemination of research speeds up scientific progress and allows for wider access to knowledge. But some journals still don’t accept research previously published as a preprint. Even if the idea of preprints is gaining ground, one of the biggest barriers for biologists is how they would be viewed by members of their conservative research community.

• A. One of the advantages of digital preprints of research is they hasten the dissemination process, but these are not accepted by most scientific communities.
• B. Compared to biologists, physicists are less conservative in their acceptance of digital pre-publication of research papers, which allows for faster dissemination of knowledge.
• C. Preprints of research are frowned on by some scientific fields as they do not undergo a rigorous reviewing process but are accepted among biologists as a quick way to disseminate information.
• D. While digital publication of research is gaining popularity in many scientific disciplines, almost all peer-reviewed journals are reluctant to accept papers that have been published before.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

To determine the best summary of the passage, we should focus on the key points discussed in the paragraph. The passage compares the different approaches of biologists and physicists regarding the publication of their research on digital platforms, known as preprints. It highlights that physicists are more open to this practice, whereas biologists face challenges due to the conservative nature of their research community. The passage mentions that although the idea of preprints is becoming more popular, some journals still resist accepting research that has already been published in this format.

With this understanding, let's evaluate the options:

1. The first option suggests that digital preprints are not accepted by most communities, which contradicts the passage's mention of physicists accepting it widely.
2. The second option accurately captures the comparison between biologists and physicists in terms of acceptance of preprints and how this affects the dissemination of knowledge, aligning well with the passage's main points.
3. The third option incorrectly states that preprints are accepted among biologists, which the passage indicates is not the case due to their conservatism.
4. The fourth option overgeneralizes about peer-reviewed journals being reluctant to accept preprints and misses the specific comparison focus between biologists and physicists.

Thus, the option that best summarizes the passage is: Compared to biologists, physicists are less conservative in their acceptance of digital pre-publication of research papers, which allows for faster dissemination of knowledge.