Takedown & withdrawal policy

Last updated 2026-05-18. Plain English.

First principle: nothing disappears silently

Once a paper is published, its OpenXiv id and DOI resolve forever — even after withdrawal, retraction, or a third-party complaint. The record stays at the same URL, with the same identifier; what changes is the content shown there. A "Withdrawn" badge, a retraction notice, or a tombstone replaces the body of the record, but the citation graph remains intact.

We make this commitment because citation graphs and the historical record matter. Letting a paper vanish without a trace makes science less reproducible.

Author withdrawal

You can request withdrawal of your own paper at any time:

Email davidich.alfyorov@gmail.com from the address bound to your ORCID, or post a signed request through your Bluesky DID.
Tell us the reason in one short paragraph (e.g. "found a critical error in §3 after deposit"). This wording appears on the public withdrawal badge.
The abstract page renders a prominent "Withdrawn" badge, the reason, the withdrawal date. The PDF and source remain downloadable for citation purposes.

If you'd rather correct than withdraw, submit a v2 — that's the usual path for retractable mistakes (see submission policy).

Third-party takedown — copyright

If you believe a paper hosted on OpenXiv infringes your copyright, submit a written DMCA notice through /dmca (or email davidich.alfyorov@gmail.com with subject "DMCA").

A valid DMCA notice includes:

Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed.
Identification of the OpenXiv URL where the alleged infringement lives.
Your contact information (address, phone, email).
A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised.
A statement that the notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or are authorised to act on the owner's behalf.
Your physical or electronic signature.

On receipt we replace the content with a takedown notice within 14 days, notify the author, and offer them the opportunity to file a counter-notice. A successful counter-notice restores the content; the complainant must then pursue the matter in court.

Plagiarism & misconduct

When a credible report of plagiarism, fabrication, or misconduct reaches the moderation queue:

A moderator reviews the evidence; the author is contacted privately for response.
If confirmed, the outcome is public: either a refusal packet that names the failure mode, or a retraction notice that replaces the body of the record. The original content remains downloadable via a "retracted version" link so the historical record stays auditable.
The author may submit a revised version (which is treated as a fresh submission, not a v2 of the retracted work).

We do not issue silent bans. Refusals and retractions are published with their reasoning so the community can judge them.

Legal & safety takedowns

For takedowns required by law (court order, GDPR right-to-erasure claim against personal data appearing in a deposited paper, etc.), we comply with the minimum scope of the order: the affected content is removed, but the record itself remains with a "Removed under legal order" notice. We publish a transparency report annually listing the count of legal takedowns.

What we don't do

We don't delete records to make the catalogue look cleaner.
We don't silently edit published content.
We don't issue retroactive author bans.
We don't accept anonymous misconduct reports — every report must be signed (real name, ORCID, or an established Bluesky identity).