The ability to precisely date, or identify the age of an object, can teach us when Earth formed, help reveal past climates and tell us how early humans lived. So how do scientists do it?
Radiocarbon dating is the most common method by far, according to experts. This method involves measuring quantities of carbon-14, a radioactive carbon isotope — or version of an atom with a different number of neutrons. Carbon-14 is ubiquitous in the environment. After it forms high up in the atmosphere, plants breathe it in and animals breathe it out, said Thomas Higham, an archaeologist and radiocarbon dating specialist at the University of Oxford in England.
“Everything that’s alive takes it up,” Higham told Live Science.
While the most common form of carbon has six neutrons, carbon-14 has two extra. That makes the isotope heavier and much less stable than the most common carbon form. So after thousands of years, carbon-14 eventually breaks down. One of its neutrons splits into a proton and an electron. While the electron escapes, the proton remains part of the atom. With one less neutron and one more proton, the isotope decays into nitrogen.
When living things die, they stop taking in carbon-14 and the amount that’s left in their body starts the slow process of radioactive decay. Scientists know how long it takes for half of a given quantity of carbon-14 to decay — a length of time called a half-life. That allows them to measure the age of an organic piece of matter — whether that’s an animal skin or skeleton, ash or a tree ring — by measuring the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 left in it and comparing that quantity to the carbon-14 half-life.
The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years, making it ideal for scientists who want to study the last 50,000 years of history. “That covers basically the really interesting part of human history,” Higham said, “the origins of agriculture, the development of civilizations: All these things happened in the radiocarbon period.”
However, objects older than that have lost more than 99% of their carbon-14, leaving too little to detect, said Brendan Culleton, an assistant research professor in the Radiocarbon Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University. For older objects, scientists don’t use carbon-14 as a measure of age. Instead, they often look to radioactive isotopes of other elements present in the environment.
For the world’s oldest objects, uranium–thorium–lead dating is the most useful method. “We use it to date the Earth,” Higham said. While radiocarbon dating is useful only for materials that were once alive, scientists can use uranium-thorium-lead dating to measure the age of objects such as rocks. In this method, scientists measure the quantity of a variety of different radioactive isotopes, all of which decay into stable forms of lead. These separate chains of decay begin with the breakdown of uranium-238, uranium-235 and thorium-232.
“Uranium and thorium are such large isotopes, they’re bursting at the seams. They’re always unstable,” said Tammy Rittenour, a geologist at Utah State University. These “parent isotopes” each break down in a different cascade of radioisotopes before they wind up as lead. Each of these isotopes has a different half-life, ranging from days to billions of years, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Just like radiocarbon dating, scientists calculate the ratios between these isotopes, comparing them with their respective half-lives. Using this method, scientists were able to date the oldest rock ever discovered, a 4.4 billion-year-old zircon crystal found in Australia.
Finally, another dating method tells scientists not how old an object is, but when it was last exposed to heat or sunlight. This method, called luminescence dating, is favored by geo-scientists studying changes in landscapes over the last million years — they can use it to discover when a glacier formed or retreated, depositing rocks over a valley; or when a flood dumped sediment over a river-basin, Rittenour told Live Science
When the minerals in these rocks and sediments are buried, they become exposed to the radiation emitted by the sediments around them. This radiation kicks electrons out of their atoms. Some of the electrons fall back down into the atoms, but others get stuck in holes or other defects in the otherwise dense network of atoms around them. It takes second exposure to heat or sunlight to knock these electrons back to their original positions. That’s exactly what scientists do. They expose a sample to light, and as the electrons fall back into the atoms, they emit heat and light, or a luminescent signal.
“The longer that object is buried, the more radiation it’s been exposed to,” Rittenour said. In essence, long-buried objects exposed to a lot of radiation will have a tremendous amount of electrons knocked out of place, which together will emit a bright light as they return to their atoms, she said. Therefore, the amount of luminescent signal tells scientists how long the object was buried.
Dating objects isn’t just important for understanding the age of the world and how ancient humans lived. Forensic scientists use it to solve crimes, from murder to art forgery. Radiocarbon dating can tell us for how long a fine wine or whiskey has been aged, and thus whether it has been faked, Higham said. “There’s a whole range of different applications.”
Originally published on Live Science.
Isobel Whitcomb, a contributing writer for Live Science, covers the environment, animals and health. Her work has appeared in Scholastic, Fatherly, Atlas Obscura, and Hakai Magazine. Isobel’s roots are in science. She studied biology at Scripps College in Claremont, California while working in two different labs, and completing a fellowship at Crater Lake National Park. She completed her master’s degree in journalism at NYU’s Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program. She lives in Brooklyn, where you can find her riding her bike or running in Prospect Park.
When Alice scrolls through her social media feed, she’s stopped in her tracks by the news that her company is about to be bought out by its biggest rival. She quickly posts a response, shares the story with her contacts, and emails it to her team so that they can discuss it later.
But then Alice has a troubling thought. What if the story wasn’t true? What if she just shared a “fake news” story? After all, she didn’t check the source.
If she has been a victim of fake news, and then added to the rumor mill herself, how will people ever trust her again?
Fortunately, there’s lots you can do to avoid making the same mistake as Alice. In this article and video, we explore how you can separate fake news from the truth.
Don’t be fooled by fake news stories!
What Is Fake News?
There are two kinds of fake news:
Stories that aren’t true. These are entirely invented stories designed to make people believe something false, to buy a certain product, or to visit a certain website.
Stories that have some truth, but aren’t 100 percent accurate. For example, a journalist quotes only part of what a politician says, giving a false impression of their meaning. Again, this can be deliberate, to convince readers of a certain viewpoint, or it can be the result of an innocent mistake. Either way, it quickly attracts an audience and can become entrenched as an “urban myth.”
To confuse matters further, there are also people who claim that factually accurate stories are fake news, just because they don’t agree with them or find them uncomfortable.
Where Does Fake News Come From?
Fake news is nothing new. But, what is new is how easy it’s become to share information – both true and false – on a massive scale.
Social media platforms allow almost anyone to publish their thoughts or share stories to the world. The trouble is, most people don’t check the source of the material that they view online before they share it, which can lead to fake news spreading quickly or even “going viral.”
At the same time, it’s become harder to identify the original source of news stories, which can make it difficult to assess their accuracy.
This has led to a flood of fake news. In fact, one study found that more than 25 percent of Americans visited a fake news website in a six-week period during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
But, not all fake news stories are found online. Co-workers who gossip by the water cooler or while browsing print publications that fail to check their facts, for example, are also guilty of spreading misinformation, even if inadvertently.
The Impact of Fake News in the Workplace
Research shows that 59 percent of people are concerned about the effect that fake news has in the workplace, and with good reason!
For example, some people might start to believe that they no longer need evidence to back up their arguments. Others start to mistrust information all together. They stop listening to industry reports, and disengage from official workplace communication, slowing their professional growth and development. Ultimately, this can damage an organization’s learning culture.
Fake news can affect behavior, too. It encourages people to invent excuses, to dismiss others’ ideas, to exaggerate the truth, and to spread rumors. This can create divided, anxious workplaces where people are cynical and unsure of who to trust.
They might even begin to mistrust you if they believe that authority figures have lied to them, or that the information that they are working with is suspect. This can sap people of the curiosity, enthusiasm and ambition that they need to collaborate and to be successful.
Misinformation and fake news can also harm your business. Invented reviews of your products or inaccurate financial updates, for example, can do serious reputational damage .
Six Ways to Spot Fake News
Separating fact from fiction accurately can seem daunting. But getting to the truth is always worth the effort – even if it’s not what you want to hear! Use these six steps to weed out the truth from the lies:
1. Develop a Critical Mindset
One of the main reasons fake news is such a big issue is that it is often believable, so it’s easy to get caught out. Much fake news is also written to create “shock value,” that is, a strong instinctive reaction such as fear or anger.
This means it’s essential that you keep your emotional response to such stories in check. Instead, approach what you see and hear rationally and critically .
Ask yourself, “Why has this story been written? Is it to persuade me of a certain viewpoint? Is it selling me a particular product? Or is it trying to get me to click through to another website? Am I being triggered?”
2. Check the Source
If you come across a story from a source that you’ve never heard of before, do some digging!
Check the web address for the page you’re reading. Spelling errors in company names, or strange-sounding extensions like “.infonet” and “.offer,” rather than “.com” or “.co.uk,” may mean that the source is suspect.
Whether or not the author or publisher is familiar, stop to consider their reputation and professional experience. Are they known for their expertise on the matter? Or do they tend to exaggerate?
Be aware that people who spread fake news and “alternative facts” sometimes create web pages, newspaper mockups, or “doctored” images that look official, but aren’t. So, if you see a suspicious post that looks like it’s from the World Health Organization (WHO), for example, check the WHO’s own site to verify that it’s really there.
Remember, even if you got the story from your best friend, this gives it no extra authority – they likely didn’t follow these steps themselves before forwarding!
Trusted online fact-checking sites like Snopes can help you to verify stories that sound too good to be true.
3. See Who Else Is Reporting the Story
Has anyone else picked up on the story? What do other sources say about it?
Avoid leaping to the conclusion that all main stream media (MSM) output is fake. This can be as unwise as following every rumor or conspiracy theory.
Professional global news agencies such as Reuters, CNN and the BBC have rigorous editorial guidelines and extensive networks of highly trained reporters, so are a good place to start. But no one is unbiased, and anyone can make a mistake, so keep looking.
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Dan Rochkind at Mel’s Burger Bar Stephen Yang
When it came to dating in New York as a 30-something executive in private equity, Dan Rochkind had no problem snagging the city’s most beautiful women.
“I could have [anyone] I wanted,” says Rochkind, now 40 and an Upper East Sider with a muscular build and a full head of hair. “I met some nice people, but realistically I went for the hottest girl you could find.”
Dan Rochkind used to date swimsuit models, but he’s happier now that he’s engaged to a merely beautiful woman, Carly Spindel (right). Stephen Yang
He spent the better part of his 30s going on up to three dates a week, courting 20-something blond models, but eventually realized that dating the prettiest young things had its drawbacks — he found them flighty, selfish and vapid.
“Beautiful women who get a fair amount of attention get full of themselves,” he says. “Eventually, I was dreading getting dinner with them because they couldn’t carry a conversation.”
According to new research, Rochkind’s ideas about sexy bikini babes are correct. A multipart study from Harvard University, University of La Verne and Santa Clara University researchers found that beautiful people are more likely to be involved in unstable relationships. In one part, the researchers looked at the top 20 actresses on IMDb and found that they tend to have rocky marriages. In another, women were asked to judge the attractiveness of 238 men based on their high school yearbook photos from 30 years ago. The men who were judged to be the best-looking had higher rates of divorce.
Looking to avoid such a fate, Rochkind started dating a woman who isn’t a bikini model, Carly Spindel, in January 2015. The two are now happily engaged.
“People who are better looking are less likely to pursue advanced degrees, or play an instrument or learn other languages,” says Benedict Beckeld. JB Imaginative
The two met after Spindel’s mother, matchmaker Janis Spindel, scouted Rochkind at a gym.
“I gave him my card and said I have the perfect girl for him,” recalls Janis, founder of Serious Matchmaking, based in Midtown. “Successful men who are in shape have the pickings when it comes to dating, [but] eventually they want a woman of substance.”
Rochkind found that in Carly, 30, a lovely brunette who’s the vice president of her mother’s matchmaking company and a Syracuse University graduate. Rochkind proposed to her last May in Central Park. He loves that Carly isn’t like the swimsuit models he used to go for.
“[She] is a softer beauty, someone you can take home and cuddle with, and she’s very elegant,” Rochkind says. “And she’s 5-foot-2, so she can’t be a runway model, but I think she’s really beautiful and is prettier than anyone I’ve dated.”
Carly has no qualms about how her future husband views her compared with his exes.
“When men get to a certain age, they realize that it’s important to meet a life partner that they connect with,” she says. “Looks fade.”
Some great-looking people say they’re given a bad rap unfairly.
“When men see beautiful women, they are more concentrated on how she looks because they want to ‘have’ her, and so they don’t want to go deeper and get to know her,” says Isabell Giardini, a 22-year-old Italian beauty signed with Major Models. “And that’s why at the end of a date they wonder, ‘Oh that girl is so beautiful but so empty.’ That’s happened to me often.”
Sonali Chitre dumped her hot boyfriend because he was too vain. Pawel Lucas
Others say the stereotypes about pretty people being shallow are true, even if they’re hotties themselves.
“From my personal experience, people who are better looking are less likely to pursue advanced degrees, or play an instrument or learn other languages,” says Benedict Beckeld, a 37-year-old Brooklyn writer with a doctorate in philosophy and the body of an Adonis. But he’s quick to note that he’s not just a great set of abs — he also plays the violin and speaks seven languages.
After dating an athletic banker with model good looks for two years, Sonali Chitre, 34, has sworn off hotties.
“He was a Nazi about his diet and would work out hard-core and cared more about his body than just living life,” says Chitre, who broke up with the finance guy last October.
‘When men get to a certain age, they realize that it’s important to meet a life partner that they connect with. Looks fade.’
– Carly Spindel
Chitre, an environmental lawyer and the founder of Priyamvada Sustainability Consulting, considers herself “a 9 or a 10,” but she says she’s done with gorgeous guys. Now, she’s more interested in “superballer” men with high-paying careers.
“I still want someone who’s in decent shape, but it’s more important to find a guy who’s goal-oriented,” she says. “[Beautiful men] are very into their bodies and don’t really care about people that much, or make time for their family.”
Megan Young, a 23-year-old p.r. woman from Hoboken, NJ, also changed her dating habits. The svelte, blue-eyed brunette used to exclusively date 6-foot-tall dudes who looked like Calvin Klein models.
“As a person who’s always been complimented on [my] ‘stunning beauty’ … I’d been searching for a ‘hot’ guy to match the label I had always been given,” says Young. “But after a date or two, they’ll have problems hanging out with you and then will ghost.”
Megan Young and her boyfriend, Christopher Argese Courtesy of Megan Young
Last year, she stopped putting looks at the top of her dating criteria on Bumble, instead opting for guys who traveled a lot and were “make the most out of their lives” types. In August 2016, she met Christopher Argese, a 27-year-old security technician. Unlike the square-jawed bachelors who disrespected her, Argese is more boy-next-door in the looks department. But he’s kind and attentive.
“He’s not a model, but he’s so much more attractive in who he is as a person,” Young says.
And best of all, she says, Argese doesn’t just see her as a status symbol.
“When I asked him why he loves me, he said that he loves my drive and my passion,” Young says.
Rochkind is equally enthusiastic about his decision to give up high-maintenance hotties.
“There’s something to be said about sowing your wild oats and getting them out of your system,” says Rochkind, who will marry Carly in June at a “Tuscan-romantic” ceremony at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard in the Hamptons. But he doesn’t regret his past.
“You don’t want to be the first to leave the party, but you don’t want to leave the party too late either,” he says. “Carly came at exactly the right time.”
Unreliable sources don’t always contain true, accurate, and up-to-date information.
Using these sources in academic writing can result in discrediting writers’ status.
That’s why it is extremely important to use credible and reliable sources only.
This guide will help you in evaluating whether a source is relevant or not.
What sources can be considered as credible?
- materials published within last 10 years;
- research articles written by respected and well-known authors;
- websites registered by government and educational institutions (.gov, .edu, .ac);
- academic databases (i.e. Academic Search Premier or JSTOR);
- materials from Google Scholar.
What sources should be avoided?
- out-of-date materials (published over 10 years ago);
- posts from social networks (i.e. facebook);
- blogs;
- research articles without citations;
- websites ending in .com, .org, .net etc.
NB! Wikipedia can never be considered as a reliable source of information since it can be edited by anyone (Therefore it is non-credible website example). However, it can be used when you are first trying to understand the topic. Moreover, there are lots of further links and references that can be useful when doing a research or writing academic papers.
How do I know if a source is reliable or not?
Always ask yourself the following questions in order to determine if a source is credible or not.
Reliable sources are always written by well-known and respected authors. These sources are always properly and accurately referenced. Therefore, when checking the source’s credibility you can find more information for your own research.
Generally, books published in 1990s contain outdated information. Hence, you are expected to use materials published not later than 10 years ago.
3. What is the purpose of a source?
Always try to evaluate if the source presents clear and unbiased information or if its aim is to alter and persuade one’s views. A source written from a specific point of view may still be credible, but it can limit the coverage of a topic to a particular side of a debate.
4. How is this source proved?
Try to avoid sources that don’t have references or evidence to prove its point of view. Always make sure, if the source provides support to the given claims.
5. What type of audience is this source aimed at?
Always take into account what type of sources your audience will value. For example, as credible sources, if you are writing for an academic audience, they will definitely prefer peer-reviewed journals and scholarly papers.
Windows includes a host of built-in troubleshooters that can assist you in trying to assess and repair issues that your computer may be experiencing with the operating system. Let's take a look at how they work, and what they can do for you…
Windows Problem? Try a Troubleshooter
Got a problem with Windows? Printer won't work, no sound, or some other issue? Before you download anything, try a Windows Troubleshooter. To access the Windows troubleshooters, type “trouble” into the search box and select “Troubleshooting” from the search results.
The main screen of the Troubleshooting panel organizes the troubleshooters under four categories: Programs, Hardware and Sound, Network and Internet, and System and Security. Click “View all” in the upper-left corner to see an alphabetical listing of all the troubleshooters that are available on your computer. I prefer “view all” so I don’t have to jump from one section to another as I try to guess where the troubleshooter I need is.
(Depending on your system settings, you might see the question, "do you want the most up to date content available for troubleshooting?” Selecting “yes” connects your computer to the Windows Online Troubleshooting service, which gives you access to “fixer” utilities and additional troubleshooting tips.)
After a troubleshooter runs, you may see the message, “Troubleshooting couldn’t identify the problem.” That doesn’t mean there is (or is not) a problem! Windows will display that message if it cannot find ANY problem, or if it finds a problem but can’t identify it. The moral is: don’t go looking for trouble with troubleshooters. Only if you actually are having a problem with software or hardware should you look for a troubleshooter that might be able to fix it.
Take note — while attempting to fix a problem, troubleshooters may reset some of your system settings to Windows defaults, wiping out any customized settings you may have configured. The Power troubleshooter does this, and also sets your screensaver to “none.” Again, if it isn’t broken don’t try to fix it.
Try the System Maintenance Troubleshooter
The System Maintenance Troubleshooter checks for (and optionally repairs) the following types of problems with just one click of the “Next” button:
- Broken shortcuts that don’t launch any apps
- Troubleshooting history logs that are taking up excessive disk space
- System time incorrectly set
- Desktop icons that haven’t been used in 3 months or more – may want to delete some
- Disk volume errors – bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors.
- Error reports and logs that are taking up excessive disk space
Windows can constantly monitor your system for buildups of these problems and alert you when it’s time to run the System Maintenance Troubleshooter. To enable this monitoring,
- Enter “action center” in the Search box and click on Action Center in the results list.
- Click on the “Maintenance” link to open that section
- “Troubleshooting: System Maintenance” should be “on” for monitoring
- Click on the “Change troubleshooting settings” link to toggle monitoring on or off
A number of third-party utilities do the things that System Maintenance and its Troubleshooter do. If you run Advanced Systemcare Pro, CCleanup, or another “system optimizer” app, you can skip Windows System Maintenance and its monitor.
Although it's not specifically a Troubleshooter, the Task Manager tool built into Windows can help you identify programs that are hogging your CPU or memory. Press Ctrl-Shift-Esc to open the Task Manager, and you'll see a tabbed window that displays the programs and Windows background tasks currently running. My article Windows Task Manager goes over the details of what you'll find there, and tweaks you can perform.
A related Windows utility is Autoruns, which can reduce Windows launch time, free up memory, or help you track down especially stealthy malware. It shows you all programs that automatically run when your PC starts, and lets you decide which ones to keep. See Are Autoruns Slowing Your PC?
Microsoft provides additional troubleshooting tips for Windows 7 and Windows 10. The tips on these pages include frequently-asked questions and recently trending topics.
Your thoughts on this topic are welcome. Post your comment or question below.
The ability to remember relationships between unrelated items (an odor and a location, a song and an event) is known as associative memory.
Psychologists began studying associative memory in the 1800s, with William James describing the phenomenon in his 1890 classic The Principles of Psychology. Scientists today agree that the structures responsible for the formation of associative memory are found in the medial temporal lobe, or the famous “memory center” of the brain, but the particular cells involved, and how those cells are controlled, have remained a mystery until now.
Neuroscientists at the University of California, Irvine have discovered specific types of neurons within the memory center of the brain that are responsible for acquiring new associative memories.
Additionally, they have discovered how these associative memory neurons are controlled. We rely on associative memories in our everyday lives and this research is an important step in understanding the detailed mechanism of how these types of memories are formed in the brain.
“Although associative memory is one of the most basic forms of memory in our everyday life, mechanisms underlying associative memory remain unclear” said lead researcher Kei Igarashi, faculty fellow of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and assistant professor of anatomy & neurobiology at the UCI School of Medicine.
The study published today in the journal Nature, reports for the first time, that specific cells in the lateral entorhinal cortex of the medial temporal lobe, called fan cells, are required for the acquisition of new associative memories and that these cells are controlled by dopamine, a brain chemical known to be involved in our experience of pleasure or reward.
In the study, researchers used electrophysiological recordings and optogenetics to record and control activity from fan cells in mice as they learn to associate specific odors with rewards. Image is in the public domain
In the study, researchers used electrophysiological recordings and optogenetics to record and control activity from fan cells in mice as they learn to associate specific odors with rewards. This approach led researchers to discover that fan cells compute and represent the association of the two new unrelated items (odor and reward).
These fan cells are required for successful acquisition of new associative memories. Without these cells, pre-learned associations can be retrieved, but the new associations cannot be acquired. Additionally acquiring new associations also requires dopamine.
“We never expected that dopamine is involved in the memory circuit. However, when the evidence accumulated, it gradually became clear that dopamine is involved,” said Igarashi. “These experiments were like a detective story for us, and we are excited about the results.”
This discovery is an important piece in the puzzle of understanding how memories are formed in the brain and lays a foundation on which other researchers can continue to build. Associative memory abilities are known to decline in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease.
Understanding the neurobiological mechanism of how these memories are formed is the first step to developing therapeutics to slow the loss of associative memory abilities in Alzheimer’s Disease.
About this memory and olfaction research news
Author: Press Office
Source: UC Irvine
Contact: Press Office – UC Irvine
Image: The image is in the public domain
It is common practice for journals and literary agents to reject previously published writing, but what exactly does previously published mean? Why are most literary agents and editors unwilling to take a chance on work that has already appeared elsewhere? When is it appropriate to submit previously published work?
The answers to these questions have become increasingly hard to pin down as the Internet takes on a huge role in the writing world.
The definition of previously published:
Back when print publishing was the sole option for sharing work, previously published was a black-and-white term. If your poems, stories, or essays appeared in a book, journal, anthology, textbook, newsletter, newspaper, magazine, or any other publication, your work was considered published. If it didn’t, it wasn’t. Simple. But now, more complicated questions arise.
Previously published poems, stories, and essays:
Literary journals don’t want previously published writing because editors want to ensure that their publications are fresh, new, and unique. In other words, editors want to be first to discover your writing. Also, editors would prefer to stay away from any rights entanglements.
Is work considered previously published if I post it on a blog, Web site, large social-networking site, or online literary journal?
If you’ve posted your writing on any of the above sites, it is generally considered previously published.
Is my work considered previously published if I post it in a writing forum or Web board?
If the forum or Web board is private and intended for the purposes of encouraging feedback or community support, then most editors and literary agents will consider the work unpublished. But just in case, you may want to take it down once you’ve received feedback so it doesn’t appear online.
If the forum in question is public (that is, if nonmembers can see what you’ve written), then your work will likely be considered previously published.
What if I published my work on my blog or other Web site, but then I take it down before submitting it—is that considered previously published?
This can be tricky. Try not to publish your work online if you plan to submit it elsewhere (like print journals). If you did post online, no one can stop you from taking your work down and then submitting it, but be warned: Editors may not like this tactic.
Once your work is removed from the Internet, do a search of random lines from the work to make sure it is not appearing anywhere. (Warning: Google and other search engines will often archive old Web pages, so simply deleting something from the Web doesn’t mean it’s gone!) If an editor finds your “unpublished” work online, you might look irresponsible or, worse, devious.
If I publish an excerpt online, does that mean the whole work or part of the work is considered previously published?
Generally speaking, excerpts are okay to publish online, as long as they are on the short side (relative to the work in question).
Previously published novels and books:
The rules for determining what is previously published change when you move into the book-publishing business. Literary agents and publishers at traditional publishing houses have different expectations and goals than editors of literary magazines, so the concept of what it means to be previously published can shift.
It’s no secret that literary agents are keen marketing experts. The success of their business relies almost entirely on their ability to find and represent books that are not only well-written but also potentially lucrative. Because of this, work that is available online can sometimes be unappealing for a number of reasons. First, if the book is already being published and the writer is making money, the agent is cut out of those profits. Second, if a book is posted online as a free download, why would readers pay to read it?
The laws (and the industry jargon) are still trying to catch up to the technology. Keep in mind that the following points are general guidelines: Each literary agent or editor may have his or her own definition of what is considered previously published.
Is a self-published book offered in electronic format considered previously published?
The majority of literary agents are willing to consider a book that has been published electronically (published in a digital, nonprint format) as long as the author holds all rights. However, you may need to remove your book from online bookstores and take your book down from the Internet.
Writer’s Relief does NOT work with previously published poems, stories, or essays; however, we will work with self-published books on certain occasions.
The flip side: Publishing your work online can be beneficial
The Internet can be a wonderful resource, especially for those who don’t have critique groups or workshops available in their area. Unfortunately, very talented writers who just happened to workshop their writing online are getting caught in the cross fire between editors, agents, and the rapidly evolving question of “What is previously published writing?”
There are journal editors and literary agents who don’t really care about work published on small Web sites. Did you put a story up on a message board for critique? Have you posted a chapter of your manuscript on your blog? As long as the work isn’t plagiarized from someone else, some literary agents and editors don’t mind if the writing has appeared online.
But until the industry fully adjusts to the presence of the Internet, many literary agents and editors are going to simply reject work they consider to be previously published. At this point, the best option for writers is to play it safe until the rules become clearer.
As a general rule of thumb: If you plan to submit your work to long-established literary journals and magazines or to literary agents and editors, DON’T post it publicly online first.
To get service for your Surface, you can send it in to get quality service performed by trusted experts using certified parts. You’ll be back up and creating your best work on your Surface.
Things to do before requesting service
Select any heading below, and it’ll open to show more info:
If you haven’t already registered your Surface product, go to to do so.
To register, you’ll need:
A Microsoft account (email address and password).
Your Microsoft account is the email address and password you use to sign in to your Surface and Microsoft services like Outlook, OneDrive, and Xbox Live. If you don’t have a Microsoft account, you can get one for free.
The serial number of your Surface or Surface Type Cover.
Note: Not applicable for Surface Headphones, Surface Earbuds, or Surface Duo. For Surface Headphones troubleshooting, see Surface Headphones help.
Before sending your Surface in for service, try using the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit to fix common software issues. See Fix common Surface problems using the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit for more info.
If the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit doesn’t fix the issue you’re having, try resetting your Surface. See Restore or reset Surface.
If your Surface won’t start up or it goes to sleep and won’t wake up, try waking it. See Surface won’t turn on or wake from sleep.
If your Surface battery won’t charge or you’re having other battery issues, see Surface battery won’t charge or Troubleshooting Surface battery issues.
If Windows doesn’t start correctly when you turn on your Surface, try troubleshooting it. See Windows doesn’t start on Surface.
If the screen flickers or is scrambled on a Surface 4 Pro, you might have to update its drivers or take other steps. See Surface Pro 4 screen flickers or is scrambled.
If those things don’t work, search this support site (the one you’re on right here) for info on how to fix your specific issue, or see Surface model help and browse the topics related to your Surface model. If you still can’t troubleshoot your issue, see the “Requesting service” section below.
Are you a business customer?
There’s a separate process for business customers. Please see Surface for Business help.
Requesting service
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If none of the previous solutions have resolved your issue, you can send in your Surface.
If you decide to send it in, go to Device service and repair and sign in with your Microsoft account. If your device is already registered, select it and follow the instructions. If your device isn’t listed, select Don’t see your device? to register it, then follow the instructions to get service.
Through this process, you’ll find out if your Surface is in or out of warranty and how much it’ll cost, if applicable. Depending on the product, the service offered may be a repair or a refurbished replacement. Once an order is created, you’ll get a shipping address so you can send in your device. Continue to Frequently asked questions for more info.
Before sending us your Surface, back up your files and remove all your accessories. For details, see How to prepare your Surface for service. To learn how to do this for Surface Duo, see Prepare Surface Duo for service.
If you send in your device for service, you can check the status of your service order at
When you get a Surface back from our service center, follow the steps in Set up your Surface after service. For Surface Duo, follow the steps in Set up your Surface Duo after service.
Accessories (Type Covers, the power supply, Surface adapters) will be ready to use as soon as you connect them.
Frequently asked questions
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During the online service request process, we’ll tell you if your Surface is under warranty. If it’s out of warranty, you may need to pay a service fee.
If you purchased Microsoft Complete (not applicable to Surface Headphones), you can use one of the two Accidental Damage Claims to replace your Surface. The only cost is the deductible amount for the claim.
I’d like to modify the properties in the User Certificate Template, but they’re greyed out. I’ve been trying for about 2 weeks and have not managed to get past this despite searching the web, modifying security settings, etc. I suspect I’ve missed out some authorisation step, but I’m still new to Server 2008 (I prefer Unix!) and I have not been able to identify it. I’d really appreciate someone helping me with this newbie problem.
The server in question is a development system. I have set up an enterprise subordinate CA. I have obtained and installed and installed the server certificate from the superior CA (which is remote in this organisation, ie not in the same domain or anything). The service starts, and I have used the web interface to request a user certificate.
This request fails, reasonably enough, because the server certificate is only valid for a year, and the user certificate template has a validity period of 1 year. Since the server certificate was issued some weeks ago, this would mean that the user certificate would outlive the issuing server certificate.
I know I could get a 10-year server certificate, but this is a development system, so I chose instead to learn how to modify the template validity period, just as an exercise. And that’s where I’m stuck. Specifically, what I do is this (though there are many other routes to the same dead end):
1. Start Server Manager.
2. Expand Roles.
3. Expand Active Directory Certificate Services.
4. Click Certificate Templates.
5. Right-click User.
6. Click Properties.
This displays the template. The Validity period box, for example, is set at 1 year and is greyed out.
