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Getting in trouble for posting preprints?

In our newest "how can we help you?" thread a reader asks:

Has anyone ever got "in trouble" for freely posting pdfs of their papers on academia, philpapers, etc.?

I guess that there's often some legal contract that I didn't bother reading. I always put all my papers up, since I want as many people to read them as want to read them, and since my guess is that there's zero chance of someone "coming after me," whatever that would look like in this context.

I'd be curious to hear this too. I've always respected the contracts I've signed, but I've heard many people say they don't think there's any good reason to do so given the exploitive nature of academic publishing. Regardless of the moral and legal issues, it'd be interesting to hear what people actually do, and whether anyone has gotten in trouble for this.

Anyone care to weigh in? 

Posted in ,

8 responses to “Getting in trouble for posting preprints?”

  1. Circe

    I’ve been publising for 15+ years. I think I heard of it happening once.

    Reply
  2. crickets

    I’ve been posting accepted manuscripts first, then updating with the published version after 2 years. I’ve posted 7 published versions to philpapers so far, and have never gotten any indication that journals know or care.
    (The two-year wait is my first guess at how to split the difference between respecting journals’ investments in organizing review, copyediting, and typesetting, vs. not leaving my work locked away forever. I’d love to be persuaded that posting published versions sooner is okay.)

    Reply
  3. Tim

    I’ve never gotten in trouble for it.
    And there’s one scholar who runs, on his personal website, archives with publications of several prominent metaphysicians. The archives have scans or PDFs of journal articles across the philosophers’ careers. So I think the risk is quite low.

    Reply
  4. Cap

    Follow up: Do editors care if authors do this against the rules? I have wanted to simply put the published versions of (several year old) articles on my websites but I worry that when the editors who accepted them see my website, it will annoy them since they probably know I am not supposed to. Or do they have no skin in the game and so not care?

    Reply
  5. EU

    In Europe this practice is starting to be increasingly encouraged. Arguably, this is mostly about publications resulting from grants, where open access from acceptance is required, but I think think because of it’s becoming more widespread.
    About editors, in my (anecdotal) experience with Synthese, they actually encourage using the Pittsburgh phil-sci archive before the article is published, so I don’t see why editors for other journals would care.

    Reply
  6. Cap

    EU, thank you. I was specifically curious about the final, published version, with the publisher’s typesetting etc.

    Reply
  7. Shay Allen Logan

    All but my very earliest papers are on PhilPapers. And those aren’t up simply because I lost the external hard drive that had them in it and I haven’t bothered downloading new copies to post. Probably I’ll post those at some point when I find the motivation.
    Nobody has ever so much as shaken a finger at me.

    Reply
  8. EU

    @Cap, I was referring to the accepted manuscript version, before the typesetting and proofs, I don’t think anyone cares about that being online. I think there are more chances of getting into trouble with the publisher for the version you mention.

    Reply

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