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I've written a paper which I submitted to journal ~5 months ago and is still in peer review. I have a follow up piece of work that is similar, but uses a different formulation of a problem (so I can show the results are similar and draw attention to the positive/negatives of using one formulation or the other).

How can I cite this in my new paper? I have published the first paper on arXiv, but it hasn't even got to the first round of reviews. I also have a need to publish as soon as possible as my Ph.D. funding runs out in 6 months - so I'd like to complete before then!

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    I've read many, many references to sources "to appear" in bibliographies of books. Is that not permissible in journals? – Kilian Foth Apr 24 '17 at 16:04
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Cite your arXiv preprint, just like you would cite any other prior work. Peer review is not a prerequisite for something to be citeable.

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  • Ok, thanks. Is it worth noting it has been submitted? My feeling was that if I submit this paper, it may not be viewed well that it's being compared to work that hasn't yet been through peer review. – Mike Miller Apr 24 '17 at 11:22
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    Is it worth noting it has been submitted? — [shrug] Can't hurt. – JeffE Apr 24 '17 at 11:24
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    @user2768: Well, then? The statement "This paper has been submitted." is still true. Even if it were not resubmitted elsewhere, "This paper has been submitted." tells the reader exactly what it says - at the time of publication of the work at hand, the other paper had been submitted, but it had not yet been accepted, so what would eventually happen to that other paper is still open. – O. R. Mapper Apr 24 '17 at 11:52
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    I used to write "submitted for publication" in the bibliographic entry of a paper that was, well, submitted for publication. Eventually I realized that knowing whether the paper has been submitted is not nearly as useful as being able to see the paper, so now I much prefer to give a weblink to the paper, and when I can find one I don't write "submitted" anymore. By the way, I also cite weblinks for things that have not been submitted, e.g. some of my own online notes. – Pete L. Clark Apr 24 '17 at 13:26
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    @PeteL.Clark Thanks - this is what I have done. :) I would like them to read the previous piece! – Mike Miller Apr 24 '17 at 16:05

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