Arx | FAQs

FAQs

What is Arx?

Arx is an open, academic, non-profit platform/repository where researchers can share working papers, preprints, and published articles, while also linking related data and code. Its mission is to make your works more accessible, broaden its reach, enhance the quality of research, and contribute to the evolution of scholarly communication.

Arx operates on an ecological rather than an economic model, as it is supported by subscriptions and donations by its users in exchange of an affordable and durable service. ■

Tell me more

If you want to share your academic works, you either end up on a massive platform with crazy bots, hungry AI, shady policies that exploits your data and patience, or you have to run your own website — losing money, time and the community and networking aspect.

Arx keeps it human and simple.

You get a friendly platform with short public URLs, storage space, and good company — without having to give away your soul. ■

Why can't I signup for free?

We are very strict about maintaining a perfectly human, warmly maintained, bot‑free environment for our members. For this reason, there is no way to sign up without making a small, intentional donation.

Arx has no interest in or plans for your personal data. That is why we do not accept free memberships just to inflate the user base and “see what happens later”. We all know what happens later :) ■

What if I do not renew?

Each year, Arx asks for a voluntary donation to help keep the service running. If you choose not to donate or your account passes its expiry date, nothing immediate will happen. As long as Arx remains online with the support of other members, your account will also be preserved.

However, please note that expired accounts cannot upload new files. ■

How do I upload a paper?

First, you need an Arx Account with your basic information.

You can do all necessary operations (upload, edit, etc) from "My.Arx.onl".

Managing publications is super easy. ■

Is Arx moderated?

Entries are "self-moderated".

Arx may additionally check that entries are:

(1) scholarly (as well as minimally informative and complete)
(2) plausibly categorized,
(3) not fraudulent,
(4) in PDF format.

In addition, we accept only publications that authors have the right to share, although we do not check copyrights on your behalf. ■

Do I have the right to post my works on Arx?

You have every right to create on Arx an information page for a publication of which you are the author or co-author.

You also have the right to upload the PDF version of your publication for your personal archive and to share it with your colleagues, provided that uploading the PDF version does not conflict with the contractual agreements between you and the publisher. Only you can know the details of this agreement, and we encourage you to respect them.

As a general rule, all publishers allow an author to share a version prior to the final print version (a draft or a preprint). In many cases, the online publication of a final PDF version is also tolerated, provided that neither you nor Arx makes any economic profit from the sale of the publication.

If you are unsure, we recommend clarifying the matter with your publisher.

Arx respects your intellectual property, while also respecting the exploitation rights you have granted to the publisher. By proceeding with uploading the PDF file (either as a physical upload or through an external download URL), you assume full responsibility for your relationship with the publisher and release Arx from any legal liability in this regard.

If a publisher contacts Arx and requests the removal of the file, Arx will comply with the request, while keeping the information page of the publication intact. ■

What can I post to Arx?

Arx accepts research papers at different stages of the research process:

Drafts: Any version of a paper that is ready to share with others but has not yet undergone peer review. If you are circulating your work among colleagues, presenting it at a conference, or submitting it to a journal, this can be an ideal moment to broaden your audience by posting it on Arx.

Preprints: Commonly used to describe completed papers that have not yet been peer reviewed (similar to working papers). In some cases, the term may also include versions that have gone through peer review but are not yet officially published by a journal. However you define “preprints,” Arx will host them.

Post-prints: Once a paper has been published in a journal, you may choose to share a version on Arx. This could be a version without the journal’s formatting and edits, or the publisher’s official version of record—if you hold the distribution rights. ■

What are the benefits of Arx?

- Stable, persistent URL to use in your CV, professional portfolio, citations, etc.

arx.onl/yourname/pubID

- Getting your work out faster than traditional publishing.

- One place to store many outputs and materials.

- Being free from platforms which profits on you and are silently cruel to your attention, time, personal data. ■

What if I need a new feature?

If you need a specific function, please contact us. Let us know what you need and what you expect from it, and we will evaluate the request.

Please note that, depending on the nature of the request, we cannot guarantee an immediate or always positive response, since:

- The feature could generate unintended side effects within the Arx ecosystem.

- It could involve higher-than-expected additional costs (technology, development, maintenance, support).

If the request is feasible, we may ask the opinion of other Arx members. If the majority agrees, we will implement it as a global feature available to everyone. ■

What kind of URLs does Arx generate?

You can count on nice URLS like:

https://arx.onl/username
to share your profile page;

https://arx.onl/username/publicationID
to share your profile AND your publication;

https://arx.onl/p/publicationID
to share your publication only;

So you can have a set like:
- https://arx.onl/johnsmith
- https://arx.onl/johnsmith/123456789
- https://arx.onl/p/123456789

Be advised that your username may not be available and that publication IDs are randomly generated. ■

I want to change my URL / Handle

Great!

One of Arx’s strengths is its clean and short URLs.

You can choose a short URL like "arx.onl/abc" (easy to write down or share verbally) or a more descriptive one like "arx.onl/yourname" (better for search engines).

Currently, to change your handle, please send us an email with at least 3 options listed in order of preference.

Keep in mind that some handles may already be taken, and others are reserved by the system for technical purposes. ■

Arx respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects its users to do the same.

It is Arx’s policy, in appropriate circumstances and at its discretion, to disable and/or terminate the accounts of users who repeatedly infringe or are repeatedly charged with infringing the copyrights or other intellectual property rights of others.

Arx will respond expeditiously to claims of copyright infringement committed using the Arx.onl website that are reported to Arx, identified in the sample notice below.

If you are a copyright owner, or are authorized to act on behalf of one, or authorized to act under any exclusive right under copyright, please report alleged copyright infringements taking place on or through the Sites. Upon receipt of your Notice, Arx will investigate and take whatever action, in its sole discretion, it deems appropriate, including removal of the challenged material from the Sites. ■

How I delete my account?

First, please delete your own publications yourself.

When you want your account deleted, please send us an email containing a formal request, the email address you use to log in, and your secret PIN (e.g., 6789).

Your account will then be deleted. ■