Cell Press is committed to handling COVID-19 papers with the same thoughtful and timely approach to peer review as is our standard in all areas. Papers that are accepted will be fast-tracked to publication, and anything published will immediately be set free on cell.com. As a signatory of the Wellcome Trust’s statement on sharing research data and findings relevant to the outbreak, Cell Press is committed to working together with the community to help ensure:

All peer-reviewed research publications relevant to the outbreak are made immediately open access, or freely available at least for the duration of the outbreak

Research findings relevant to the outbreak are shared immediately with the WHO upon journal submission, by the journal and with author knowledge

Research findings are made available via preprint servers before journal publication, or via platforms that make papers openly accessible before peer review, with clear statements regarding the availability of underlying data

Researchers share interim and final research data relating to the outbreak, together with protocols and standards used to collect the data, as rapidly and widely as possible - including with public health and research communities and the WHO

Authors are clear that data or preprints shared ahead of submission will not pre-empt its publication in these journals.