arXiv Caps Submissions at 2 Per Month to Curb AI-Generated Paper Flood

arXiv, the preprint repository, has introduced new rate limits effective October 1, 2026, capping each submitter at two submissions per month and three active submissions under review at any time.

The platform received 40,363 submissions in September 2026, nearly double the 20,569 submissions in September 2024 and a record high. arXiv said that generative AI tools have lowered the barrier to writing, leading to a rise in “salami-sliced” papers, short-scope manuscripts, and dense AI-generated submissions. Submissions to the cs.AI category grew more than sixfold in two years.

Support tickets surged to nearly 9,000 in the same period, consuming volunteer moderators' time. Thomas Dietterich, chair of arXiv's editorial advisory board, noted that a small number of authors submit large volumes of low-quality papers, delaying reviews of high-quality research by days or weeks. The new policy aims to ease the strain on the review process and maintain the platform's efficiency.