Where is Download Academic located?

In Massachusetts, north of Boston.  Our address is on our contact page.

Why should I obtain academic works from Download Academic when traditional academic sources are more authoritative?

There are two reasons.  First, a vast amount of worthy work never gets published through traditional sources, which are swamped with far more submissions than they could ever accept.  Although any kind of worthy work can be rejected, the risk is especially high for:

• leading-edge research that radically challenges the current paradigm or for other reasons cuts against the bias of the reviewers or the journal
• work by authors who, for whatever reason, have fallen out of favor with the establishment -- perhaps for no greater sin than doing good research in an area considered too controversial
• research in areas not currently "hot" or trendy
• work which is too similar to other work (the "novelty" factor), even though the differences may actually be critical
• reports which are too complex or detailed to meet a journal's space requirements
• reports of negative experimental results -- and yet what could be more useful to researchers than to know what doesn't work?
• the third confirmation of a new finding
• conference proceedings that do not have a standard publication venue.

The second reason looking to Download Academic is that even for those works which are accepted by traditional sources, in today's fast-paced electronic information age, by the time the print hits the page, it is often no longer news but history.

It's certainly true that we do not require peer review, and you need to take this into account — along with such factors as the credentials of the author(s) — in deciding, for example, how much weight to put on particular results . 

On the other hand, our more relaxed submission criteria enable you to find works here that you couldn't obtain anywhere else.  In addition, to maintain the accuracy of information on our site, readers are encouraged to report any misrepresentation — and authors know that this can result in immediate loss of all their privileges.

What standards do your products have to meet?

Our authors have agreed to very strict standards regarding the kinds of content they will submit.  We aggressively pursue any purported violations reported by our readers.

Regarding academic standards:

• Authors are expected to have credentials or some basis for authority in their field, whether formal or not, which would be recognized as reasonable by a majority of their colleagues in that field.
• The views expressed should be based on evidence and logic, taking reasonable account of the full scope of relevant knowledge and opinion in the field.
• The focus must be the communication of knowledge, rather than, for example, polemic, promotion or entertainment.
• The target audience should be primarily colleagues, practitioners and students in the field. 

Download Academic cannot evaluate every author and work on this basis.  However, authors are asked to describe, for display on our site, their qualifications as well as the standards met by the works they submit.  It is essential that these descriptions be accurate.  If you see any instances of misrepresentation, please report them to us.

Beyond our academic standards, we have general standards. Unsuitable products may include material that, for example, constitutes or promotes obscenity or pornography; constitutes or promotes violence; constitutes or promotes hatred or revenge or acts motivated by same, constitutes or promotes discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or age; constitutes or promotes illegal activities; facilitates specifically illegal gambling, sweepstakes or lotteries; or solicits money or investment contrary to applicable law or rule. 

Above all, we require that our authors present themselves and their works accurately on our site and avoid any misrepresentation.  We will not tolerate exceptions.  Our objective is to create an environment where you can safely evaluate authors and works for yourself based on what you read on our site.

Violations of any of these standards should be reported to us.  Your identity will be kept confidential.

What if I see misrepresentation on your site?

Report it to us!  We want to know.

The academic integrity of our site depends on the accuracy of the information presented.  We are not referring here to the accuracy of the works themselves, which is, as always, subject to scholarly debate.  What we mean is the information about the works, and their authors and editors, as described on our site.

If believe you have identified such misrepresentation, please report it to us.  We will then investigate the issues. If your charges are substantiated, we will take appropriate action to either correct the misrepresentation (if it seems minor and accidental) or remove the works and their author from our site (if the misrepresentation seems major or deliberate).

Thank you.

What if your site gets hacked and my credit card information gets stolen?

Glad you asked.  There is no credit card information on our site!  Credit card transactions are performed in “real time” over a secure connection , by a third-party online payment account system which approves (or declines) the transaction. If it's approved then the payment is transferred to our merchant account.  Our database shows that the order was approved, but contains no information about the card you used.  This is a great protection for both us and you!

I purchased a digital work (eBook) from you.  Where is it?

It's here!

You can also find it by clicking on My DA in the navigation menu at the top of the page.

What eBook formats do you offer?

We create PDF files for authors, with optional Virtual Vault protection.  We also offer to customers any other eBook formats our authors submit.  We tell you what format a particular work is in before you purchase.

Read about our different eBook formats.

Are there any special software or hardware requirements for viewing eBooks?

Usually not.  Very rarely, there may be some software requirements.  It depends on the particular eBook format.  However, when there are special requirements, they are usually very simple.  In the great majority of cases, all you need is Adobe Acrobat Reader to read PDF files — and you probably have that already, since it's standard on almost all new computer systems..

Read about our different eBook formats.

Can I make unlimited copies of eBooks I purchase from Download Academic?

As you probably know, it's illegal to make unlimited copies (or even a very limited number of copies!) of any publication without explicit permission of the copyright holder.  It's against both U.S. and international copyright law.

In addition, we offer our authors optional Virtual Vault protection.  Of all forms of copy-protection for digital products which we investigated, this is the most flexible and least restrictive for you as a reader.  For example, you could read your eBook on both your desktop and your laptop, or both your home and work computer.  This very reasonable flexibility is not possible with some other copy protection tools.

Some of our eBooks have Virtual Vault protection, and some don't, depending on the author's choice (they must pay for this service).  We do not tell you which particular products have this protection, because it takes only a few moments extra of your time and should make no difference to your purchase decision. 

Please remember that our authors worked very hard to create these products for your benefit, and they are entitled to be paid for them.  And the law agrees.

Can I make a printed copy of an eBook I purchase from Download Academic?

Yes, you can print our eBooks, regardless of format.  If there is ever an exception, we will make sure you know it before you make your purchase.  There are no exceptions at this time.