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Equating a pre-print with a letter because they have both not gone through a review is like equating a skateboard with a car because they both have wheels.

Yes, both are text, written in the english language, shown on a webpage. Beyond that, they share no similarities.

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If you think a pre-print is a better source than an academic letter (published in a reputable scientific journal, which implies at least editorial review), then lets agree to disagree.

A pre-print from legitimate researchers is a much higher standard of evidence than a letter. It's not really a matter of opinion.

If you cannot reliably judge the legitimacy of a pre-print in an area, then you aren't qualified to judge the legitimacy of any scientific comment in that area.

You keep calling it a "letter" but it is not just a "letter" in the sense that I can write a letter to you, it's a letter written by experts in the field to a top ranked scientific journal that has been editorially reviewed (by experts).

> If you cannot reliably judge the legitimacy of a pre-print in an area, then you aren't qualified to judge the legitimacy of any scientific comment in that area.

I agree, but now we are moving into the content and not just judging the book by its cover.

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