This week we’re highlighting pre-print papers that analyse all things SSRN, including how to get the most of SSRN, as well as a deeper dive into how papers get categorised.

In Tools for Improving Distribution, Discussion, and Downloads: An Informed Approach to Submitting Legal Scholarship to SSRN, Jessica Wherry, a professor of law at Georgetown Law, takes a step-by-step approach to explaining how papers make their way down the chain of processing, from authors submission to distribution on SSRN’s site. She also wants to help authors who submit to SSRN improve their understanding of the classification process so their papers can be more widely distributed.

For authors, or aspiring researchers, using SSRN in the right way can help papers get more downloads, ensuring that pre-prints are promoted to the right people and provoke more discussion regarding their papers. In particular, Professor Wherry advises that a few features, such as the abstract and keywords, can aid authors in using SSRN.

If you have questions about how SSRN pre-prints are classified, Professor Wherry’s paper also contains a great explanation of the process from start to finish.

What do you think about using SSRN? Do you have any suggestions for how to make using SSRN easier for the author? We’d love to hear from you.

Professor Wherry’s paper can be accessed here.