After you submit: on hold, reclassification and moderation

You've clicked submit. Now what? For many first-time authors the days after submission are the most confusing part, especially if the status changes to "on holdOn holdA submission status meaning arXiv moderators are taking a closer look before announcing the paper.". This article explains what arXiv's pages say about what happens next.

ResearchGuild is independent and not affiliated with arXiv. We can't see your submission's status or influence moderationModerationarXiv's check of every submission for fit and basic quality before it is announced. It is separate from endorsement and from peer review..

The announcement schedule

arXiv doesn't publish papers instantly. It announces them on a schedule. Per arXiv's availability page (as checked in September 2026):

• new submissions received by 14:00 US Eastern time are generally made available at 20:00 Eastern that day, following the schedule;
• announcements are typically made Sunday through Thursday, with none on Friday or Saturday;
• edits and final submission before the 14:00 Eastern deadline, Monday to Friday, won't delay announcement.

The schedule can have exceptions, so check the Availability of submissions page. arXiv says you'll get an email when your work is announced, and it will appear on your account dashboard.

What moderation is

arXiv's moderators are volunteer subject-matter experts, approved by discipline-level advisory committees and arXiv staff. arXiv describes moderation as checking that submissions are topical and refereeable scholarly contributions for their subject area. It is not peer reviewPeer reviewFormal evaluation of a paper by independent experts, usually organised by a journal or conference, before it is accepted for publication. arXiv moderation and endorsement are not peer review.; moderators don't referee your results.

"On hold": what it means

arXiv's status page says a submission may be put on hold when staff or moderators identify it as needing further attention. The reasons listed range widely:

• questions about proper classification;
• pending moderator approval;
• presentation issues;
• a copyrighted PDF;
• editorial concerns.

arXiv says its goal is to resolve issues within 24 hours, but some decisions need more time, and because of the large volume of submissions it may take several days. arXiv also says most holds don't require any further input from the submitter.

What to do while on hold

• Wait. Unless arXiv contacts you, there's usually nothing to do.
• Watch your email in case arXiv asks for something.
• Don't resubmit the same paper as a new submission to "get around" a hold.
• Don't contact moderators directly. arXiv says all communication about moderation must go through its user support portal.

Reclassification

arXiv's moderation page says moderators may reclassify submissions so they appear in the most relevant categoryCategory (subject class)arXiv's topic label for a paper, such as cs.AI (Artificial Intelligence) or cs.CL (Computation and Language). Moderators and readers use it to route and find papers.. Cross-listsCross-listingAlso listing a paper in secondary categories so readers in related fields can find it. Use it only when the paper is genuinely relevant there. may be added to related categories or removed if moderators consider them inappropriate. arXiv also notes it can reclassify papers after announcement.

ReclassificationReclassificationWhen arXiv moderators move a paper to a different primary category than the one the author chose. isn't a rejection. It often means another category's readers are a better audience. You can reduce the chance of it by choosing carefully; see Choosing your primary category and Cross-listing.

Rejection

Moderators can also decide a submission isn't appropriate for arXiv. Common reasons relate to scope and content type. In computer science, for example, as of October 2025, per arXiv, review articles and position papersPosition paperA paper that argues for a viewpoint or direction for a field rather than reporting new results. Like surveys, arXiv's CS section only accepts these after peer review elsewhere. without documentation of successful peer review are likely to be rejected (see Research paper vs survey vs position paper).

Appealing a decision

If you disagree with a moderation decision, arXiv's appeals page explains the process:

• Use the user support portal. Appeals are only considered if made through the appropriate channel. Don't contact moderators directly.
• Include everything. Submission or arXiv identifiers, previous correspondence, and a clear rationale, including a detailed description of your research content and how it applies to the category you want.
• Expect some time. arXiv says most appeals are resolved within two weeks, though some take longer. If you haven't heard within four weeks of the acknowledgement, you can ask for a status update through the portal.
• Final means final. If appellate moderators deny an appeal, arXiv says no further appeal is possible and it won't enter into extended discussion.

Write your appeal calmly and factually. A clear explanation of your contribution helps more than frustration does.

Mistakes before announcement

If you spot an error before your paper is announced, arXiv lets you unsubmit it from your user page, fix it and resubmit. arXiv notes this takes it out of the processing queue and the announcement will be scheduled based on the new submission time. See Replacing, versioning and withdrawing.

A calmer submission experience

Most surprises after submission come from classification, format or content-type issues that a second reader could have spotted. Reviewers on ResearchGuild can help with that before you submit. Start a paper or run the readiness check.