OpenXiv vs SSRN
SSRN covers: Social sciences, economics, finance, law, humanities (also some life sciences via expansion). Last updated 2026-05-20.
SSRN (Social Science Research Network) is operated by Elsevier and hosts working papers across the social sciences and beyond. It has the largest catalog by volume in its core fields.
| Dimension | OpenXiv | SSRN |
|---|---|---|
| Endorsement gate | None. | None for authors with verified affiliation; otherwise editorial review. |
| AI policy | Four-level disclosure, per-paper refusal. | Authors required to disclose generative-AI use; SSRN may withdraw papers at editorial discretion. |
| Federation | AT Protocol with Bluesky bridges. | None. Email alerts and ranked download feeds. |
| Post-publication review | Typed endorsements. | Download counts and "All Time Downloads" rank are the only public signal. |
| Refusal model | Public refusal packet. | Private editorial communication; recent withdrawals have been controversial when papers were removed without public reason. |
| ISSN | Yes, ISSN 3120-9556, registered 2026-05-18 | No site-wide ISSN; some SSRN networks register their own. |
| DOI | Roadmap. | DOIs minted on posting (Crossref). |
| Default license | CC-BY-4.0. | Author retains copyright; SSRN takes a non-exclusive distribution license. Open-license selection is optional. |
| Source mandate | Source archive required. | PDF accepted. No source mandate. |
| Eligibility | Independent researchers welcome. | Open to all but emphasizes affiliated academic authors; non-affiliated authors are subject to more scrutiny. |
Source for the SSRN column: https://www.ssrn.com. Where a field looks stale, the policy page on the competitor site is the authoritative source.
See also: About OpenXiv, FAQ, Policies, How to submit.