Frequently Asked Questions
1. Questions about Anthropology’s Lost Library and submission criteria
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The Lost Library is a digital archive that preserves unpublished anthropological research, including incomplete, abandoned, or never-submitted work. It exists to address scholarly loss, research that disappears due to structural, personal, or institutional barriers. Additionally the archive values intellectual contribution over formal completion or publication status.
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Though we are in conversation with many people with expertise in digital repositories and archives, the team working actively on the building of Anthropology’s Lost Library is:
Joshua D. Rubin, Colby College
Kara Kugelmeyer, Colby College
Kate McNally, Yale University and McGill University
Research Assistants Selene Wang and Max Pettite, Colby College
Would you like to assist in the development of Anthropology’s Lost Library? If so, click here and let us know!
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While there are a number of excellent repositories that focus on preserving either raw research notes (such as fieldnotes, field diaries, letters, and photographs) or published work, Anthropology’s Lost Library focuses specifically on works that were intended for publication but were never ultimately finished.
The Lost Library also prioritizes putting these unfinished works in their context. Why they were left unfinished is just as important as what these unfinished writings say.
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Scholarly writings can go unpublished for reasons that have nothing at all to do with their merit. It may be important to preserve unfinished scholarly works for the purposes of amplifying important scholarly contributions.
By prioritizing unfinished scholarly works and the stories about their production, Anthropology’s Lost Library seeks also to shed light on the broader sociopolitical landscape of academic labor that informs fundamentally how academic research is conducted, documented, and preserved.
Readers who are interested in a more detailed account of the aims of this archive are encouraged to read this essay about the Lost Library that was published in Anthropology News.
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ALL is accepting unfinished works on topics in any of anthropology’s subfields (archaeology, physical anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology). Unfinished works can include:
Drafts, working papers, and incomplete manuscripts
Unpublished theses, chapters, articles, books, and grant proposals
Work intended for publication (even if never submitted or finished)
The following will not be accepted:
Raw field notes or data records
Personal correspondence, diaries, or informal materials
The work must have been written with the intent to publish.
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The author
A colleague, student, or family member
If the submitter is not the author:
They must explain their relationship to the author
They must justify that the author would have supported submission
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Acceptance is based on a small set of required core criteria (Section 1 of the form):
The work was intended for publication
Authorship is clearly established
Author consent is obtained (or justified if not possible)
Research meets ethical standards (e.g., IRB or equivalent approvals)
These are the only questions that affect acceptance.
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We have become aware that there are many reasons why one might want to share unfinished writings—to protect one’s intellectual property, to share one’s favorite ideas despite having left academia, to memorialize a brilliant colleague or friend or family member.
That said, this archive was initially imagined as a counterweight to the ways that academic publishing is most commonly conceived. Every published book and article began as a draft that was written in particular contexts. Drafted works are worthy of preservation even if—in some cases especially if—those contexts prevented the work from ever reaching publication.
We expect that the Lost Library will contain works at many stages of incompletion. These works will necessitate alternative practices of readership and citation, which we are eager to explore in the coming months and years.
2. General questions about the submission process
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A. Submission (required for acceptance)
Name, email, ORCID (or N/A)
Authorship and consent confirmation
Approval confirmation
B. About the work (required for discoverability)
Title (or “Untitled”)
Keywords and geographic focus
Abstract/description
Document type and subfield
Language and approximate dates
C. File & rights (required for processing)
File upload
Copyright holder
Access or embargo preference
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Optional fields provide context but do not affect acceptance:
Author background (affiliation, position, research area)
Demographics (gender, race, etc.—private and not public)
Submission history (e.g., rejected, abandoned)
Reasons for non-publication (beyond the required basic explanation)
Funding sources and personal circumstances
Additional restrictions or notes
These are used to understand patterns of scholarly loss, not to evaluate submissions.
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The archive seeks to preserve the reasons why research is lost, including:
Rejection or disciplinary gatekeeping
Career disruption or funding loss
Illness or personal circumstances
Time constraints
This information is:
Optional (beyond a basic required explanation)
Private
Used only in anonymized, aggregate research
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No. The archive accepts work at any stage, including:
Outlines
Drafts
Partially completed manuscripts
Complete but unpublished work
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Submitters must confirm that:
The research was approved by relevant ethics bodies (Institutional Review Board (IRB), tribal, national), or
A clear explanation is provided if not applicable
This ensures ethical integrity while still allowing for historical or non-standard cases.
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Yes, when possible.
If consent cannot be obtained:
The submitter must provide justification (e.g., prior intent to publish, estate approval)
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Access is controlled by the submitter:
Fully public
Registered users only
Archive staff only
Embargoed until a future date
Non-logged-in users can typically see only the first page of a submission
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Copyright remains with:
The author, co-authors, or institution
Submitters choose how the work is shared (open, restricted, or embargoed).
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Yes, you can request for your document to be taken down. Email AnthrosLostLibrary@proton.me.
3. Content of the submission form
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Required
What is your name?
What is your email address (for correspondence)?
What is your ORCID iD (or enter N/A)?
Does this submission meet the requirement that it is a written work intended for publication?
Are you the author of the work?
If not, what is your relationship to the author?
Has the author consented to this submission?
Can you confirm the research received appropriate ethics approval (IRB or equivalent)?
If applicable (conditional)
If the author cannot consent, why do you believe they would support submission?
If ethics approval is not applicable, please explain
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Required
Author name (as it should appear)
Preferred visibility of author name (public, restricted, anonymous)
Was this work co-authored?
Have co-authors approved the submission? (or explanation if not)
Author’s highest degree
Optional
Author ORCID iD
Author’s research focus
Author’s position at time of writing
Institutional affiliation
Author’s current position
Optional demographic questions (private)
Gender identity
Transgender identity
Sexual orientation
Race/ethnicity
Hispanic/Latinx identity
Disability status
First-generation college student status
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Required
Title (or leave blank for “Untitled”)
Keywords (up to 5)
Geographic focus (up to 4)
Abstract or description
Document type (e.g., article, dissertation, working paper)
Relevant anthropological subfield(s)
Primary language of the work
Approximate year(s) written
Approximate year(s) of fieldwork
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Required (minimal)
What stage of completion is the work (scale/category)?
Why did this work not reach completion or publication?
Optional
Has the work been submitted elsewhere?
If yes, what was the outcome (rejected, withdrawn, etc.)?
What funding supported the work?
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What circumstances contributed to non-publication? (checkboxes such as illness, career disruption, funding loss, etc.)
What aspects of identity (if any) were relevant?
Why are you submitting the work now?
Additional narrative about the work’s history
May this information be used in anonymized research?
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Required
Upload your file (one file)
Who holds copyright to the work?
What access level do you want?
Open access
Restricted
Embargoed
Optional
Embargo details (dates/conditions)
Additional restrictions (e.g., community consent concerns)
Would you be open to a public-facing interview?