Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] In the context of open access movement and epidemic situation , preprint publishing has been widely concerned and applied in the scientific community. Exploring the diffusion trend of preprint publishing among countries and institutions is of great significance for the construction of preprint platform and the improvement of academic exchange system. [Design/Methodology]Taking all the preprints of bioRxiv, the mainstream preprint platform in the field of Biology （2013-2021）, as the analysis object, and using the bibliometric approach,this paper analyzes the evolution law of preprints in bioRxiv at the national and institutional levels from the temporal perspective and country/institution level, as well as the impact of the epidemic on the publishing spread in bioRxiv.. [Findings/Conclusion] The results show that preprints publishing in bioRxiv spread from developed countries to developing countries and from top institutions to ordinary institutions, and the COVID-19 epidemic has a negative impact on the diffusion trend of preprint publications in developing countries [Originality/Value] This work ,which reveals the diffusion law of preprint publishing from multiple perspectives such as time and space, and explores the impact of the epidemic on the diffusion of preprint publishing , has implications to provide some enlightenment for the construction of preprint platform.

Keywords: Preprint publishing, Preprint, Diffusion trend, Open science, COVID-19 pandemic, bioRxiv