How to Email an Author for a Copy of Their Paper (With a Template)

When a paper is paywalled and no free copy exists, asking the author is one of the most reliable ways to get it. Researchers are not paid per download and want their work to be read, so most are glad to send a copy to anyone who asks politely. Sharing a paper privately with an individual reader is something publishers generally permit authors to do.

Who to write to

Every paper names a corresponding author, the person who handles questions about it. On the article's web page they are usually marked with an envelope icon or an asterisk next to their name. If you cannot tell who it is, write to the first author.

For an older paper, the corresponding author may have moved or retired. In that case try a co-author, starting with whoever appears to be still active in the field.

How to find their email address

• The article page. The corresponding author's address is often shown on the abstract page even when the full text is paywalled. Click the author's name or the envelope icon.
• Their university profile. Search for the author's name and institution. Staff pages nearly always list an email address.
• Their own website or ORCID record. Many researchers keep a personal page with contact details and a list of publications, which sometimes includes the PDF you are after.

Addresses printed on old papers go out of date when people change jobs, so prefer a current profile page for anything more than a few years old.

What to say

Keep it short. Say which paper you want, mention in a line why you are interested if you like, and thank them. You do not need to be an academic or explain yourself at length.

A template you can copy

Subject: Request for a copy of your paper

Dear Dr [surname],

I would like to read your paper "[title]" ([journal], [year]), but I do not have access to it through a subscription.

Would you be able to send me a copy? I would be very grateful.

Many thanks,

[your name]

When our finder cannot locate a free copy of a paper, its page offers this email ready-written with the paper's details filled in.

Tips that improve your chances

• Use the full title. Authors may have published dozens of papers; make it effortless to find the right one.
• Write to one person at a time. A message addressed to a single author gets answered more often than one copied to six.
• Be patient. Give it a week before following up or trying a co-author. Academics get a lot of email and travel often.
• Say thank you when the paper arrives. It takes ten seconds and makes the author more likely to help the next person.

If nobody replies

Ask a library. University libraries subscribe to most journals, and public libraries can often obtain an article through inter-library loan. Our guide to reading research papers for free lists the other legal routes, and it is worth running the paper through the finder again after a few months, because many papers gain a free copy once the publisher's embargo ends. Embargoes are explained in our guide to the kinds of open access.