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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

May I submit an incomplete paper or paper sketch?

While submitted work may be preliminary, it is expected that material posted forms a complete paper with all sections present, the language carefully edited and all footnotes, references, figures and other supporting material in place.

How does the archive differ from a journal?

A journal publishes material that has passed scrutiny by referees and has been edited by the editorial staff to bring it to the journal standards. The archive does not referee postings and does not edit them. The archive merely filters minimally to assure relevance to philosophy of science.

May we submit material to the archive that has appeared elsewhere?

The archive does not require or expect that material has not appeared elsewhere. However, if it has appeared elsewhere, the author must determine whether copyright was transferred from the author and whether the copyright agreement allows posting on the archive. While we do not object to duplication, the other source may.

Do I lose copyright privileges when I submit a document to the archive?

No. Works contributed to the archive remain fully protected by US and other copyright laws. Under US copyright law, your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form. Even though the copyright for your work may not be registered, you are encouraged to assert your copyright on the title page of your work. For more information, see (http://www/copyright.gov/)

Will posting on the archive affect subsequent attempts to publish in a journal?

This is a matter for the individual journals to decide. Our impression is that these policies are in flux with the trend towards greater tolerance. The precedent of the physicists' enormous LANL archive (http://xxx.lanl.gov/) is strong. Papers posted there routinely proceed to refereed journals.

Why can I not post a paper to a category in "Conferences and Volumes"?

These categories are dedicated to particular conferences and volumes. Only contributors designated by the conference organizers or volume editors may post papers.