Publishing Your Work
Advice and Resources for Authors
Harvard’s Office for Scholarly Communication (OSC) has a wealth of information to support your decisions regarding your scholarly work. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with these materials before you submit your scientific paper to a publisher.
OSC Links of Note:
- Fair Use (of previously copyrighted material)
- Information on Open Access and Your Publication (FAQ)
- Before You Sign That Publishing Contract!
- Preserve Your Future Rights to Your Own Publication
- Contact a Copyright Advisor
- Copyright information for students
Looking for more resources on publishing? Contact the Office of Scholarly Engagement.
Information on Prior Publications
Journals have different standards regarding prior publication disqualifications and these standards are changing rapidly. Always check with the journal of interest to determine their specific policies regarding prior publication.
Actions that might be considered prior publication:
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Distribution on the Internet, including a recorded presentation from a scientific meeting that is widely available.
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Posting of research papers on not-for-profit preprint servers such as arXiv.org and bioRxiv.org.
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Any format in which the author has assigned their copyright to a third party.
Not considered prior publication:
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Dissertation Thesis
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Presentation at scientific meetings, including Soma Weiss Student Research Day, but one should avoid seeking press coverage (journals may interpret press coverage differently, so check with the journal(s) of interest ahead of time).
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Distribution of a "working paper" to a limited audience to obtain feedback from colleagues. If a paper is posted on a website for this purpose, the authors should attach the following statement: "This draft paper is intended for review and comments only. It is not intended for citation, quotation, or other use in any form."