Open Access arXiv Style. (December 31, 2012)

This past September TFW pointed out that the open access preprint server arXiv makes available the vast majority of papers in the field of particle physics, as well as other disciplines, prior to publication (not peer reviewed), with the peer-reviewed versions later published in subscription journals, but a researcher submitting to arXiv automatically has his/her peers reading and assessing what's made available on arXiv.

True, those working in the field can't rely on journal referees when reading a paper in arXiv as to its worth, they have to rely on their own knowledge and judgement and those of their colleagues within "conversing" distance. Not such a bad thing when you think about it.

Just in case you were wondering, the journal Nature refers to arXiv. A recent example:

Nature 492, 165 (13 December 2012) doi:10.1038/492165a

"Hope surface for exotic insulator: Findings by three teams may solve a 40-year-old mystery."
by Eugenie Samuel Reich

The list of references: