Why do I get a blank screen or an error message saying the file is damaged when I try to download a manuscript you have sent me for review, or if I attempt to view current issues of the journal online?

Assuming that Abode Reader or Adobe Acrobat are installed properly on your computer, the situation you describe is usually associated with the use of the internet browser Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 installed on a PC platform. MSIE 5.0+ and the AOL browser have incompatibilities with web pages that are password protected with Apache software. There are two fixes. You can either download and use the latest Netscape browser or a later version of Internet Explorer, or you can cut and paste the URL of the desired document (that appears in the address line above the blank screen) into the browser line of a new window. The document should then be displayed.

Why can't I chose my own username and password? It's hard to remember all the ones that I have.

There is now a link on our home page (and to the right on this page) that allows you to be reminded of your username and password via e-mail. The primary reason that we cannot let you choose your own username and password is for security reasons -- the contents of ESTUARIES Online are for ERF members only, and the contents of manuscripts and reviews posted on our site are confidential. In both cases, we defer to our system administrators on decisions of security that affect username and password configuration.

I have several questions related to posting the pdf of articles from ESTUARIES. Can I post my recent article on my personal webpage? Can I post selected articles from a recent issue for my students to read? Can our library put pdf files of papers by our faculty on a server that is accessible to everyone at my institution?

To post any part of a copyrighted article or issue of the journal on your personal webpage or anywhere else without permission would be a violation of copyright law. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 allows for severe penalties for Internet Service Providers that allow such copyright violations. In the interest of achieving as wide a distribution as possible for articles in ESTUARIES, we encourage you to post links to articles of interest on your site but to not post the file itself. By pointing to our server, we are able to maintain the quality of the file for everyone who wants to view it (including media upgrades and documentation of errata) and to provide authors with information on electronic use of their work. The appropriate URL for an article can be obtained by using the online search engine to find the article; cut and paste the URL into your web page as needed. If you or your colleagues are ERF members, or if your institution has a current subscription to ESTUARIES, your colleagues and students will have access to the online files that you want them to see. If your students or colleagues are not ERF members or if your library does not subscribe to ESTUARIES, I hope you will encourage them to become members or to subscribe at http://erf.org
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