Some Frequently Asked Questions

Is JAIR a "real" journal?

Yes, in every important respect. JAIR subjects submissions to rigorous reviewing. It publishes articles worldwide in both electronic and printed form. JAIR is indexed by the standard citation and abstracting services (INSPEC, Science Citation Index, Mathematical Reviews, etc.). Its articles represent some of the best current works in artificial intelligence, and are cited accordingly.

The only things about JAIR that differentiate it from other scientific journals is that its articles are freely available via the internet without subscription. Subscription fees are required only to purchase the bound volumes that collect and reproduce the online articles.

What types of articles does JAIR publish?

JAIR publishes full-length research articles, short technical notes, and survey and expository articles. See the editorial charter for more details.

How do I submit articles?

JAIR articles should be submitted via electronic mail or through posting on an FTP or web site. See the submission information for more details.

How do I resubmit an article to JAIR?

JAIR resubmissions should be submitted the same way as original submissions. They should not be sent directly back to the editor. See the submission information for more details.

How should I cite JAIR articles?

Cite JAIR articles in the same way as articles appearing in other journals. For example, an appropriate bibliography entry for Ginsberg’s "Dynamic Backtracking" paper would be: Ginsberg, M. "Dynamic Backtracking", Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research, Vol. 1 (1993), pp. 25-46.

Locate the publication date and page numbers of an article on either the article itself or in JAIR’s table of contents. The first page of each JAIR article displays the date of publication in the upper left-hand corner.

What if I have trouble retrieving articles?

The server that stores our articles sometimes goes down and does not automatically restart. If attempts to access the server result in a message that the server is unavailable, please send mail to jair-ed@isi.edu to notify us (or use the JAIR feedback form).

What if I have trouble printing or previewing articles?

PostScript incompatibilities occasionally cause difficulty in printing an article situation. In this case, try previewing the article instead of printing it out. Often a file that will not print correctly can be successfully previewed, and vice versa. As a last resort, look at the source file for the article (in the /source directory on our FTP servers), or contact the authors directly and asking them to send you a paper copy of the article.

Where can I obtain a PostScript previewer?

The Ghostview previewer (built on top of Ghostscript) can be obtained from ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/. Previewers for a variety of platforms are available over the net.

How can I extract PostScript files from newsgroups, etc.?

PostScript files start with a line beginning with the characters %!, possibly followed by additional text (e.g., %!PS-Adobe-2.0). PostScript files end with a line consisting of %%EOF.

How do I order bound volumes of JAIR?

The ordering instructions provide complete details on how to purchase the printed volumes of JAIR.

What Other Features Should I Know About?

Online appendices containing source code, data, and demos

Some JAIR articles are accompanied by on online appendices containing source code, data or demos. Each appendix is contained in a separate file. If an article is accompanied by online appendices, this will be stated in the announcement as well as in the Table of Contents.

The JAIR mailing list

JAIR maintains a mailing list so that we can periodically notify our readers of the titles and abstracts of new articles. See the online instructions to subscribe or unsubscribe.

Discussing articles via newsgroup

We ask our readers to use the comp.ai newsgroup for discussing JAIR papers. When posting a comment/query about a JAIR article to comp.ai, please prepend the subject line with "JAIR:...". If there is a sufficient number of such posts, we will attempt to create a separate discussion newsgroup.

How can I contact the editors or staff?

The JAIR editors and staff can be contacted by sending email to jair-ed@isi.edu. Correspondence can also be sent by physical mail to Steven Minton, JAIR Managing Editor, Information Sciences Institute, Marina Del Rey, CA, 90292.

How can I help support JAIR?

JAIR depends first and foremost on its authors. Support JAIR by submitting high-quality articles.

JAIR also depends on its readers. Please use the suggestion form or email to send suggestions, and help further by getting your library to subscribe to JAIR or by giving gifts to JAIR.

JAIR’s operations depend in part on sales of the printed volumes of the journal. Please encourage your librarian to subscribe to JAIR. The ordering information provides all the details librarians need to subscribe to these volumes.

JAIR’s publisher, AI Access Foundation, is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation. The Foundation welcomes all donations, including individual and corporate gifts of money, equipment, and personnel to help support the operation of JAIR. Individuals and organizations wishing to make financial gifts to support JAIR should make such payable to AI Access Foundation, Inc. and send them to:

Steven Minton, AI Access Foundation Secretary
Fetch Technologies
841 Apollo St, Suite 400
El Segundo, CA 90245

For more information, please contact Steven Minton at minton@isi.edu

What is the history of JAIR?

JAIR began accepting submissions on June 15, 1993, and published its first article in August, 1993. A brief description of JAIR’s history is available online. An article to be published in AI Magazine (Spring 1999) describing JAIR’s first half decade is also available.