ArXiv, the pioneering preprint server, declares independence from Cornell | Science | AAAS
ArXiv.org, the website that in 1991 pioneered the now widespread use of preprints as a fast, free alternative to scientific journal articles, will go it alone after more than 2 decades of being hosted by Cornell University. On 1 July, it will become an independent nonprofit corporation, according to an advertisement posted earlier this month seeking a leader for the new organization. The move will help arXiv raise more money from a broader range of donors to fund the staffing and technology needed to support the site’s skyrocketing number of preprints—expected to top 300,000 this year—says Greg Morrisett, dean and vice provost of Cornell Tech, the graduate-education and research arm of the university that manages arXiv. The money will also help deal with other challenges, Morrisett says, such as the emergence of “AI slop,” mediocre or fraudulent submissions written entirely by artificial intelligence. On social media, a few scientists have raised concerns about the shift, including tha